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Harlequins 19 Leicester 20

With Quins losing 6 players to England for Six Nations training in Girona – and Leicester losing all 3 props – both sides had to field scratch sides and it showed. Quins were not their fluid normal selves and did not really assert themselves till the final quarter. In the 79th  minute [...]

January 27, 2024 // 0 Comments

Harlequins 45 Ulster 19

For the second week running Quins trounced their British opposition in the Investec Cup and are now assured a home game in the next round. Louis  Lynagh scored two tries which was ironic as he only played because of  a late injury to Cameron necessitated a reshuffle with Nick David going into the [...]

January 21, 2024 // 0 Comments

Cardiff Rugby 15 Harlequins 54

Cardiff Rugby, bottom of their Investec Challenge division, had little to play for and it showed. They started brightly but soon the heft of the Quins scrum wore them out and Quins ran out easy winners. The tribute to Welsh  legend JPR Williams was moving. JPR was both brutal in the tackle and [...]

January 14, 2024 // 0 Comments

Smith v Farrell

There was an interesting debate in The Sunday Times at the weekend between Stephen Jones and Stuart Barnes on Marcus Smith. Jones is no fan and doubts whether Smith should ever be selected for England, whilst Barnes is. It’s no longer such an live issue as, with Farrell reportedly in negotiations [...]

January 9, 2024 // 0 Comments

Harlequins 32 Gloucester 26

The story in the media will doubtless be  the brilliant performance of Marcus Smith but, before I pay my tribute, let us not forget he missed three kickable conversions which would have put the game beyond a rather hapless Gloucester who have now gone 8 games without a win. Marcus is not the [...]

December 31, 2023 // 0 Comments

The state of England rugby union – Woodward has a ten point plan

I must begin today by declaring an interest that, despite his illustrious rugby union playing career as a centre threequarters (21 caps for England) and, of course, his subsequent stint as England head coach which culminated in the historic 2003 England Rugby World Cup victory in Australia, I am [...]

December 30, 2023 // 0 Comments

Bath Rugby 25 Harlequins 17

As I have written previously rugby is not tribal. Exactly a year ago I spent a delightful weekend in Bath with a Quins mate and his partner. Quins lost, but as we left we saw a typical Quins toff – resplendent in his blazer – drinking in a pub with the earthier Bath Rugby supporters. [...]

December 24, 2023 // 0 Comments

Rugby Union in England – heading for a crisis?

Based upon history and indeed ongoing current evidence, it might be thought by some sports lovers that somehow “it comes with the territory” that – to one degree or another – every field of endeavour, activity or game with serious pretensions to being a truly global sport [...]

December 22, 2023 // 0 Comments

Harlequins 19 Toulouse 47

Every so often in sport an invincible non-international side that would probably beat an international one appears. I’m thinking of Barbados in cricket in the 1960s, AC Milan in the 1980s and – in rugby union – Transvaal and Auckland in the 1990s. Toulouse, with André Dupont and half [...]

December 18, 2023 // 0 Comments

Harlequins 31 Racing 28

Quins played out another thriller in this Heineken Cup victory over French aristocrats Racing.  Most of the best players in global rugby are to be found in France and Racing had World Cup skipper Siya Kolisi in their side. An interesting question in any elite sport team is whether the good club [...]

December 12, 2023 // 0 Comments

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