Harlequins
Preview: Harlequins v Leicester
By Wyddy
April 18 2012
Dare we even say it... the Final Dress Rehearsal? Quins take on Leicester Tigers in an absolute belter of a match this Saturday. Tigers fresh from a mauling of Saints in their own backyard, and Quins coming off the back of a dismantling of a poor Wasps side at the Stoop.
Quins, six points clear at the top, Leicester coming on like a freight train since the turn of the year, unbeaten in eleven games. This is quite simply the business end of the season, this is where men are tested, where desire and competitive spirit are unleashed. This is where teams arrive.
Leicester, throughout the years have grown use to this sort of top of the table clash, and seem to have a knack of timing their run of form to the timings of the playoffs... Quins, the young pretenders, playing expansive entertaining rugby, a stark change to the stolid champions of recent years. This is their time to prove their credentials against the old juggernaut. For all of Leicesters tradition and strength, there is a suspicion of a soft underbelly of this team. They are not the defensive titans of yesteryear, they have conceded more often than usual, however they have also brought in and developed more expansive players.
The typical strength in the pack is still there, allied fiercely to a daunting front row. Probably nowhere else on the park will Quins have their credentials so thoroughly checked than at the coal face. In recent weeks Castrogiovanni and Ayerza have been playing like men possessed. Yet Quins first choice props have shown the lengths of their development, no longer is this the weak area so many teams of yore targeted for upsetting Quins rhythm. Marler – a player who polarises opinion on his strengths – has cemented the opinion base that has him as a dynamic forward in the loose and also a capable scrummager. JJ seems to have adapted his style to one that referees can see his power and the legal hits he puts in. Together they nullified and then wrecked the Saffas... Saracens pack at Wembley in their much vaunted BIG Game. Against Wasps this weekend just past, they again gained the upper hand against a much more experienced tight 3. This Leicester front row will be the true benchmark of how far they have come and developed... and let’s not forget that they go into this with Buchanan, yes he of 3 first team appearances fame. He has held his own so far (Toulon apart) – let’s hope he continues his rapid ascent against a gnarled and experienced Tigers front row.
However let us not underestimate the impact that Robson and Kohn have recently, without Kohn’s grunt the pack were shown up against Toulon. Robson however has been in stellar form the past few games, increasingly athletic around the pitch he is becoming like having an extra back row on the pitch. Against the mobile and line out dominating Parling (who will probably be paired with Skivington given his recent form) will need to be on top of their game. The line out is going to be a huge contest as Quins have been going well in this set piece for quite a while now, and will need Robson, Easter and Robshaw to be on top of their games to avoid any snaffling from a typically excellent Leicester lineout unit and the almighty thievery of ball by Croft.
Looking past the tight 5 to the back row, and two competing units will face off in what in this day has become a spotlight of every game... no not Joe Marlers next haircut... the breakdown.
Robshaw, Easter and (I assume) Mo will be up against Croft, Salvi and Waldrom. For me Waldrom and Easter are very similar players, both fired up and playing well at the moment they can be a key trigger in driving their teams forward. A bustling 10 metre run knocking opposition players flying gets the side pumped up and eager to mirror their colleagues efforts. They’re both excellent no8’s with Easter maybe shading the specific 8 skillsets. A very anticipated collision here, not much to call between them but with Easter keen to make the most of every opportunity to show why he should have been in the National side, I am going to go with him shading it here.
At no7 we have Captain Fantastic for club (and lets hope soon for country, not just in the eyes of Quins fans), Mr Robshaw up against the Australian ferret, Julian Salvi who has enjoyed a fast rise to prominence in the Leicester pack, whilst Robshaw has the distinct advantage of both height and weight, Salvi has proven himself a very capable and quick openside. Salvi and Croft seem to work well together, similar almost to how Robshaw worked with Croft towards the end of the 6 Nations. Salvi doing a lot of the dirty work whilst Croft can concentrate on those areas of the game where he excels as an unorthodox no6, occasionally popping up at centre and as we have seen against Ireland and France has a devastating turn of pace when he gets motoring... However this time he will be up against the hard working wrecking ball of Mo Fa’asavalu, who has been awesome in the tackle and in lung busting line breaks. Massive credit to the Tigers back row, but with the strength in depth that Quins can call on (and it is probably only here that they beat Tigers bench with Wallace, Skinner and Guest), this looks like an area Quins can’t afford to lose given Leicesters competitiveness in most other areas.
At half back we have two wonderful combinations lining up against each other. Nick Evans (please god!) and Danny Care lining up against Toby Flood and Ben Youngs. Just looking at the fly halves you have Evans, for so long now the Quins fulcrum – but how fit is he after what has been a stop start season? We can only hope that he instantly returns to the pass flinging sprite he was in the first half against Sarries. Toby Flood meanwhile looks in ominously good form as he, much like Easter has been doing everything he can to prove that his non selection in the 6 Nations was too overreactive. Two outstanding opportunistic tries against Northampton is only the tip of the iceberg of skillsets he has shown in recent weeks in Tigers assault on the top of the Premiership. Ben Youngs, Danny Care... two sides of the same coin? Both so talented, both must surely be the future for England at No9 – yet both have an uncanny knack of Amy Winehousing it in front of refs, the media and the rozzers. Even since the headlines about DC broke he has been playing as if they haven’t affected him, he seems even sparkier than usual (Bath excluded) and this is credit to his mental strength, and to the way in which Quins have stuck by him. Ben Youngs, sometimes can seem petulant but there is no doubting his skill or his eye for an opening, capable of game changing magic as long as he keeps that suspect temper under control when playing against streetwise opponents... who may or may not be bending the laws of the game. Too tight to call, but if Evans doesn’t make it then Tigers will be looking to make serious inroads here and to try and upset Cleggs night.
Centres are looking good for both sides, every week I go on about the ongoing evolution of JTH and Lowe, but at Leicester they also have a pairing who have been developing alongside each other. In fact if you swapped the numbers on their shirts, you’d have almost a carbon copy identikit midfield pairing. Big lump at 12 who hammers through the opposition and on their day can be unstoppable and a slightly smaller 13, no slough in the tackle who has light hands and can spark things into life. We all know about the dump truck-esque qualities of Mr Tuilagi junior however his colleague Tony Allen has been back in form recently and wielding his artistry to cut defences open in Leicesters charge. Although these centre pairings are well matched I think it might be the offloading skills of JTH which slightly tilt the balance in Quins favour over the unstoppable force that is the iniquitous Tuilagi. This centres match up really depends on who turns up on the day, if we see another performance from Lowe to the one at Wembley then Quins fans will be in for a right treat. However with Twelvetrees on the bench for Tigers, Quins better hope they have some daylight after 60 minutes or the strength of that Leicester bench is going to seriously hurt.
For the back 3 we have a resurgent couple of wings for Quins in SuperBrown, Monye and Smith (assuming he keeps Williams out after his MotM performance last week) up against Alex Tuilagi, on his farewell tour, Horacio Agulla (fresh from his heroics against Saints) and that old thorn in pretty much every teams side during his career, Geordan Murphy. Browns stellar performances this season will ensure that Murphy is called back to the line up in place of Scott Hamilton who deputised last week, Leicester are all too aware of Browns dangerous evolution under Conor. On the wings I worry about Smith up against either of Tuilagi or Agulla, both are handfuls and will be looking to target him, lets hope he can prove his strength and technique over his size again. Monye this season has been strange, for so long his tackling was an issue, however he has turned it around this season and it has definitely become an area of solidity, but it seemed at the expense of his speed as he bulked up. Against Wasps we saw the spark of the old Ugo, we can only hope that it wasn’t simply the thought of birthday beers with the boys and 14,000 birthday greetings that drew this out.
In summary, two excellently matched up teams, I must confess as I began writing this I identified with Tigers having a stronger XV, and whilst in some areas they probably do, in other areas Quins can match and better the potential they have. For me this all comes down to the the situation at 60 minutes, if Quins are behind and chasing then it’s going to prove very difficult against a Leicester side who will be reinforced with serious quality from the bench. If they can get their noses ahead and keep Evans out of trouble then there’s a chance of downing the historically dominant Tigers...
... breaking news... WAYNE BARNES!!!! Lets hope that he doesn’t end up being the show... or it’ll be all Private James Frazer for us... (look it up those of you too young to get the link!)
Until Saturday... CMON YOU QUINS!!!!!!
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Stumbleupon18/04/2012 18:13
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Quins take on Leicester Tigers in an absolute belter of a match this Saturday. Tigers fresh from a mauling of Saints in their own backyard, and Quins coming off the back of a dismantling of a poor Wasps side at the Stoop.
Quins, six points clear at the top, Leicester coming on like a freight train since the turn of the year, unbeaten in eleven games. This is quite simply the business end of the season, this is where men are tested, where desire and competitive spirit are unleashed. This is where teams arrive.
Leicester, throughout the years have grown use to this sort of top of the table clash, and seem to have a knack of timing their run of form to the timings of the playoffs... Quins, the young pretenders, playing expansive entertaining rugby, a stark change to the stolid champions of recent years. This is their time to prove their credentials against the old juggernaut. For all of Leicesters tradition and strength, there is a suspicion of a soft underbelly of this team. They are not the defensive titans of yesteryear, they have conceded more often than usual, however they have also brought in and developed more expansive players.
The typical strength in the pack is still there, allied fiercely to a daunting front row. Probably nowhere else on the park will Quins have their credentials so thoroughly checked than at the coal face. In recent weeks Castrogiovanni and Ayerza have been playing like men possessed. Yet Quins first choice props have shown the lengths of their development, no longer is this the weak area so many teams of yore targeted for upsetting Quins rhythm. Marler – a player who polarises opinion on his strengths – has cemented the opinion base that has him as a dynamic forward in the loose and also a capable scrummager. JJ seems to have adapted his style to one that referees can see his power and the legal hits he puts in. Together they nullified and then wrecked the Saffas... Saracens pack at Wembley in their much vaunted BIG Game. Against Wasps this weekend just past, they again gained the upper hand against a much more experienced tight 3. This Leicester front row will be the true benchmark of how far they have come and developed... and let’s not forget that they go into this with Buchanan, yes he of 3 first team appearances fame. He has held his own so far (Toulon apart) – let’s hope he continues his rapid ascent against a gnarled and experienced Tigers front row.
However let us not underestimate the impact that Robson and Kohn have recently, without Kohn’s grunt the pack were shown up against Toulon. Robson however has been in stellar form the past few games, increasingly athletic around the pitch he is becoming like having an extra back row on the pitch. Against the mobile and line out dominating Parling (who will probably be paired with Skivington given his recent form) will need to be on top of their game. The line out is going to be a huge contest as Quins have been going well in this set piece for quite a while now, and will need Robson, Easter and Robshaw to be on top of their games to avoid any snaffling from a typically excellent Leicester lineout unit and the almighty thievery of ball by Croft.
Looking past the tight 5 to the back row, and two competing units will face off in what in this day has become a spotlight of every game... no not Joe Marlers next haircut... the breakdown.
Robshaw, Easter and (I assume) Mo will be up against Croft, Salvi and Waldrom. For me Waldrom and Easter are very similar players, both fired up and playing well at the moment they can be a key trigger in driving their teams forward. A bustling 10 metre run knocking opposition players flying gets the side pumped up and eager to mirror their colleagues efforts. They’re both excellent no8’s with Easter maybe shading the specific 8 skillsets. A very anticipated collision here, not much to call between them but with Easter keen to make the most of every opportunity to show why he should have been in the National side, I am going to go with him shading it here.
At no7 we have Captain Fantastic for club (and lets hope soon for country, not just in the eyes of Quins fans), Mr Robshaw up against the Australian ferret, Julian Salvi who has enjoyed a fast rise to prominence in the Leicester pack, whilst Robshaw has the distinct advantage of both height and weight, Salvi has proven himself a very capable and quick openside. Salvi and Croft seem to work well together, similar almost to how Robshaw worked with Croft towards the end of the 6 Nations. Salvi doing a lot of the dirty work whilst Croft can concentrate on those areas of the game where he excels as an unorthodox no6, occasionally popping up at centre and as we have seen against Ireland and France has a devastating turn of pace when he gets motoring... However this time he will be up against the hard working wrecking ball of Mo Fa’asavalu, who has been awesome in the tackle and in lung busting line breaks. Massive credit to the Tigers back row, but with the strength in depth that Quins can call on (and it is probably only here that they beat Tigers bench with Wallace, Skinner and Guest), this looks like an area Quins can’t afford to lose given Leicesters competitiveness in most other areas.
At half back we have two wonderful combinations lining up against each other. Nick Evans (please god!) and Danny Care lining up against Toby Flood and Ben Youngs. Just looking at the fly halves you have Evans, for so long now the Quins fulcrum – but how fit is he after what has been a stop start season? We can only hope that he instantly returns to the pass flinging sprite he was in the first half against Sarries. Toby Flood meanwhile looks in ominously good form as he, much like Easter has been doing everything he can to prove that his non selection in the 6 Nations was too overreactive. Two outstanding opportunistic tries against Northampton is only the tip of the iceberg of skillsets he has shown in recent weeks in Tigers assault on the top of the Premiership. Ben Youngs, Danny Care... two sides of the same coin? Both so talented, both must surely be the future for England at No9 – yet both have an uncanny knack of Amy Winehousing it in front of refs, the media and the rozzers. Even since the headlines about DC broke he has been playing as if they haven’t affected him, he seems even sparkier than usual (Bath excluded) and this is credit to his mental strength, and to the way in which Quins have stuck by him. Ben Youngs, sometimes can seem petulant but there is no doubting his skill or his eye for an opening, capable of game changing magic as long as he keeps that suspect temper under control when playing against streetwise opponents... who may or may not be bending the laws of the game. Too tight to call, but if Evans doesn’t make it then Tigers will be looking to make serious inroads here and to try and upset Cleggs night.
Centres are looking good for both sides, every week I go on about the ongoing evolution of JTH and Lowe, but at Leicester they also have a pairing who have been developing alongside each other. In fact if you swapped the numbers on their shirts, you’d have almost a carbon copy identikit midfield pairing. Big lump at 12 who hammers through the opposition and on their day can be unstoppable and a slightly smaller 13, no slough in the tackle who has light hands and can spark things into life. We all know about the dump truck-esque qualities of Mr Tuilagi junior however his colleague Tony Allen has been back in form recently and wielding his artistry to cut defences open in Leicesters charge. Although these centre pairings are well matched I think it might be the offloading skills of JTH which slightly tilt the balance in Quins favour over the unstoppable force that is the iniquitous Tuilagi. This centres match up really depends on who turns up on the day, if we see another performance from Lowe to the one at Wembley then Quins fans will be in for a right treat. However with Twelvetrees on the bench for Tigers, Quins better hope they have some daylight after 60 minutes or the strength of that Leicester bench is going to seriously hurt.
For the back 3 we have a resurgent couple of wings for Quins in SuperBrown, Monye and Smith (assuming he keeps Williams out after his MotM performance last week) up against Alex Tuilagi, on his farewell tour, Horacio Agulla (fresh from his heroics against Saints) and that old thorn in pretty much every teams side during his career, Geordan Murphy. Browns stellar performances this season will ensure that Murphy is called back to the line up in place of Scott Hamilton who deputised last week, Leicester are all too aware of Browns dangerous evolution under Conor. On the wings I worry about Smith up against either of Tuilagi or Agulla, both are handfuls and will be looking to target him, lets hope he can prove his strength and technique over his size again. Monye this season has been strange, for so long his tackling was an issue, however he has turned it around this season and it has definitely become an area of solidity, but it seemed at the expense of his speed as he bulked up. Against Wasps we saw the spark of the old Ugo, we can only hope that it wasn’t simply the thought of birthday beers with the boys and 14,000 birthday greetings that drew this out.
In summary, two excellently matched up teams, I must confess as I began writing this I identified with Tigers having a stronger XV, and whilst in some areas they probably do, in other areas Quins can match and better the potential they have. For me this all comes down to the the situation at 60 minutes, if Quins are behind and chasing then it’s going to prove very difficult against a Leicester side who will be reinforced with serious quality from the bench. If they can get their noses ahead and keep Evans out of trouble then there’s a chance of downing the historically dominant Tigers...
... breaking news... WAYNE BARNES!!!! Lets hope that he doesn’t end up being the show... or it’ll be all Private James Frazer for us... (look it up those of you too young to get the link!)
Until Saturday... CMON YOU QUINS!!!!!!
Wyddy
(a special shout out to our Welsh visitors coming down to the Stoop on Saturday, D'ARNAT QUINS!!!)
Come on Jerry sprinkle us with your magic naysaying dust!!!
Wyddy
Should be a good game!
Cheers
Diolch yn fawr Wyddy.
I am looking forward to this one as I look forward to every match and your previews help to get the adrenaline pumping before we even get our shirts on.
Keep going Wyddy.
Pharaohbob
I'm more nervous about this result than I was about Sarries at Wembley.
The game's afoot;
Follow your spirit: and upon this charge,
Cry — God for Harry! England and Saint George
Biggest game of history since the Heinekin Cup QF and the Premiership semi..? I think so...
Quins news... Nevs back!!!!!
Harlequins team to face Leicester Tigers
15. Mike Brown
14. Ugo Monye
13. George Lowe
12. Jordan Turner-Hall
11. Sam Smith
10. Nick Evans
9. Danny Care
1. Joe Marler
2. Rob Buchanan
3. James Johnston
4. Olly Kohn
5. George Robson
6. Maurie Fa'asavalu
7. Chris Robshaw (C)
8. Nick Easter
16. Aston Croall
17. Mark Lambert
18. Will Collier
19. Tomas Vallejos
20. Tom Guest
21. Karl Dickson
22. Rory Clegg
23. Ross Chisholm
Leicester Tigers (v Harlequins, The Twickenham Stoop, Saturday 3.15pm)
15 Geordan Murphy (c)
14 Horacio Agulla
13 Manusamoa Tuilagi
12 Anthony Allen
11 Alesana Tuilagi
10 Toby Flood
9 Ben Youngs
1 Marcos Ayerza
2 George Chuter
3 Dan Cole
4 George Skivington
5 Geoff Parling
6 Tom Croft
7 Julian Salvi
8 Thomas Waldrom
Replacements
16 Tom Youngs
17 Logovi'i Mulipola
18 Martin Castrogiovanni
19 Graham Kitchener
20 Steve Mafi
21 Sam Harrison
22 Billy Twelvetrees
23 Scott Hamilton
