The collision with Munster appears to have knocked out our Communications Officer (no need for cheering from some quarters!), but all is not lost... 

There’s a sliver of light shining through, the odd thing is, it’s not in front of us, it’s coming from behind. In the shape of the LV= Cup winning team... 

Now whilst the past week has been an occasion for everyone, including the club to lose their heads, there needs to be a sense of perspective and a realisation that all is not lost, let’s not chuck baby out with bath water. 

I won’t be dwelling on past results too much this time, as everyone who reads on here is brutally aware. The content of this preview will focus on possible problems with Quins and then a build up to our opponents this weekend who will have the scent of blood in their noses I am sure. 

So. What’s the problem? The guys from Nev’s Left Boot identified a perceived lack of drive and niggle when we come up against the bigger teams known for their pack power... I think this is a good place to start. To sum up their point, last season the Quins forwards seemed to bristle everytime they came up against a pack with a reputation, in essence to prove they were not the soft touch in the Quins armoury. Just look at the combative way we smashed Sarries at Wembley – was there ever any danger of us doing that at Allianz with more or less the same packs? Is this season then one of resting on laurels? They proved last season they weren’t a soft touch – job done? I think that all of them without a hesitation would deny the charge, but perhaps it’s something subconscious. Certainly the lack of Big Ollie Kohn has been eminently noticeable in games he hasn’t been available. Our other 2 locks seemingly unable to add the grunt the old warhorse does. Only Conor and the other coaches will know for sure on this one, but where there’s smoke... 

Another issue is our Saracens bound tight head. Having heard this from numerous aficionados this has backed up my opinion... he’s not here right now. Unfortunately it’s been clear to see in the past few games, he doesn’t put his hit on in the scrums like he used to at the beginning of the season, he’s slow to loose ball, against Munster he hardly bothered to get to the breakdown, he lined up with the backs. Now the problem here is – who would Conor replace him with? Collier is able, and certainly has begun to prove himself, but how big is that gap in performance (not ability mind) between the two? I’d argue it’s damned close. JJ on form for us and at the beginning of the season was a sizeable known piece of artillery. Now, he does a job... significant difference and zero presence at the loose. With PDJ coming in, if he doesn’t gel well then we’re going to need to know if Collier can step up. Personally I’d bin JJ for the rest of the season and put our faith in players committed to our cause. Thanks and farewell. On a positive note for the front row has been the development of Rob Buchanan, let’s not forget that this kid hadn’t seen much game time before our hooker crisis at the back end of last year and came in and did admirably. His development has continued and coupled with a dip in form by Joe Gray ever since he seemed to be touted for International honours, Buchanan is now arguably our first choice. 

Drifting towards the back of the pack and we see our back row... so progressive in LV= Cup games, and unfortunately fairly emasculated in Premier games and against Munster. Robshaw worked his nuts off again on Sunday, but he can’t do it all by himself, Big Mo seems to have hit a wall and I ponder whether he will find last seasons form at all this seaon. Easter has been a hard working ball carrier, but he’s finding it difficult to make the yards and he appears to tire easier. To me there is a combination which is dying to be tried out. We have had 2 of our lads in these positions who have been on fire this season, Wallace at 7 and Guest at 8. I know Tom has been played at 6 a few times, but it’s at 8 where he has shone this season. 

The arguments against this combo are that Conor is unlikely to play Robshaw ‘out of position’ even though everyone knows he can do an excellent job at 6, and that Easter is our best 8. If you look at early season stats this certainly is borne out, however the comparison of 2nd half of the season stats between Easter and Guest there’s only one winner. If we are still a progressive side then we have to take the opportunity to play our form players together, and for me that’s got to be a back row of Robshaw, Wallace & Guest, with Easter on the bench. 

For me most of our problems are up front. Without that secured ball at the set piece (how bad has our line out been recently?) it’s difficult for Danny or Karl to work anything with. NEv is slowly approaching something like his better form, but his tackling has been Cipriani-esque of late and I’m hoping that that is just synonymous with the whole side having a bit of a mare when it comes to stopping the oppo. However another thing that was brought up by our compatriots on NLB was the reversal back to last seasons headless chickens when we go behind and start trying to run it from everywhere. Let’s hope that sensible kicking is allied to risk worthy running, if we as fans know what’s going to happen you can bet the oppo do, lets get back to that multi option gameplan we finally developed. 

Our centre combinations against Munster, well ... all seemed equally to have the same sort of impact, stolid and lacking in ideas and offloads. If Casson had managed to hold onto the ball in the tackle on that great line he made then we could have built on. Hopper doesn’t seem to have the same joie de vive to his game as he had earlier on and Jordan Turner-Hall is woefully out of form. On the plus side George Lowe looks back to full fitness and seems to be the only one on upward curve at the moment, so for me it’s him and Casson to continue. 

Moving to the back three, Browny has been motoring, he is the only one of our England lads who has come back at something like the level they left, it took him one half at the Allianz to get back into it but now he’s comfortably back in the team. On to the wings and Ugo and Williams are being pushed hard for their places now... Smith and Chisholm are looking like seriously attractive options to replace them, particularly since Smith has developed a strength in retaining the ball to his game. Chisholm likewise is rapidly coming back to his pre-injury form and if he can keep pace with a rampaging Jonny May, then that sort of pace can only benefit us. However 4 into 2 does not go (assuming the back bench spot is for a centre who can cover wing) and hard calls to be made here by Conor and co. 

Bath come into this game on the back of a massive hiding to Stade Francais, the scoreline was a little bit kind to Bath at the end of the game as Stade had switched off and allowed them to score twice at the back end of the game. The area where Stade really did a number on Bath was at the breakdown, they managed to get bodies there quickly and the larger Bath pack struggled, when they arrived, to get them off, 3 of the tries directly coming from areas where Bath were turned over. 

Prior to this game Bath had played the two bottom clubs in the league, winning handsomely against London Welsh, but coming up surprisingly short against Sale in what was a vital victory for the Sharks. Their centres will be looking to bust through our combination of Hopper and Lowe all day. Lowe is deceptively good in the tackle area and pulls more than his weight but a combination of Hopper and Lowe has me worried about defensive solidity. Bath seem to have also finally noticed that the more they get the ball to Albino monster Biggs on the wing, the more regularly they will make yards. Yes he’s eye catching because of his hair but coupled with a low centre of gravity and a heavy duty frame he is also difficult to bring down. 

When we travelled to Bath in the wet months, the game was a turgid dire affair played under the spots of a sodden Rec, Stephen Donald winning the battle of the kiwi fly halves in what was at the time a rare loss for Quins. The weather this weekend is looking to be similar to the splendour which we hosted Munster in. For me it will be interesting to see if they opt for young Heathcote rather than Donald at fly half. In Heathcote they have a young man who can get the back line moving with substantially less risky looping passes than Donald, who has been guilty of the same in their last few games. Stringer will also be his usual irksome self in and around the fringes and Danny will need to keep a lid on the temper and the high and tight. 

The Bath pack remains a key strength of their side and there is no doubt they will come to do a number on Quins in this area, let’s hope that whatever wisdom Conor has been able to impart this week will be sufficient for them to finally get their game faces on. 

Whilst I type this the team news has come in – key points being the aforementioned combination of Hopper and Lowe in the centres, Ugo being dropped to the bench to be replaced by Smith. Buchanan drops to the bench as Joe Gray starts and we see Tom Guest moved in at 6 for Big Mo, Wallace makes the bench, so maybe we will get to see the combo I discussed earlier at some point in the game. 

One thing’s for sure. It’d be easy to be down in the mouth and wait for the lads to entertain us this weekend before we get behind them, however we’re in this together and what possible good will that do? Let’s get behind them... we’ve still got the Premiership to play for... away to Leicester? Do-able! Let’s turn over Bath at our place, get a result in Worcester and you’ll see... this old Quin-mobile will start clunking along again. Might need some new donkey flanges and whiffle grommits though... 

QUINS BY 5PTS 

COYQ!!!!