Harlequins 2013/14 Season Discussion Thread

[yappysnap]

First topic message reminder :

So a few other teams had their own threads last season, it seemed to work well and seeing as it's far easier to steal someone else's idea then think up your own...

WELCOME TO THE HARLEQUINS 2013/14 SEASON DISCUSSION THREAD!

The Squad for 13/14:
Director of Rugby Conor O'Shea
Head Coach John Kingston
First Team Coach Tony Diprose
Assistant First Team Coach Mark Mapletoft
Assistant First Team Coach Collin Osborne

Hooker
Joe Gray
Rob Buchanan
Dave Ward

Loosehead Prop:
Joe Marler
Mark Lambert
Nick Mayhew
Daryl Marfo

Tighthead Prop
Paul Doran Jones
Will Collier
Kyle Sinckler  

Lock
George Robson   
Charlie Matthews
George Merrick
Sam Twomey  

Blindside
Maurie Fa'asavalu
Joe Trayfoot  

Openside
Chris Robshaw
Luke Wallace

Number 8
Nick Easter
Tom Guest
Jack Clifford

Scrum Half
Danny Care
Karl Dickson

Fly Half
Nick Evans  
Ben Botica
Louis Grimoldby

Inside Centre
Jordan Turner-Hall  
Tom Casson  
Harry Sloan

Outside Centre
George Lowe
Matt Hopper
Charlie Walker

Wing
Ugo Monye
Tom Williams
Sam Smith
Miles Mantella


Fullback
Mike Brown
Ross Chisholm
Ollie Lindsay-Hague

Fixtures:

Harlequins are pleased to confirm an exciting and challenging opening for the 2013-14 Aviva Premiership season.
 
The Londoners kick-off the new season against local rivals London Wasps at Twickenham Stadium during the London Double Header on 7th September, kick-off 4.30pm (Live on BT Sport).

2013 Aviva Premiership finalists, Northampton Saints are the visitors for the first home game at The Twickenham Stoop on Friday 13th September, kick-off 7:45pm (Live on BT Sport).

The second home game welcomes Heineken Cup semi-finalists Saracens on 28th September, kick-off 3.15pm (Live on BT Sport).

Exeter Chiefs will be the visitors to Twickenham Stadium for the sixth Big Game on Saturday 28th December. More information about Big Game 6 will be provided in coming months.

The Londoners will open their Heineken Cup campaign over the weekend of the 11th/12th/13th October, while the defence of the LV= Cup will begin during the second weekend of November. Fixture dates and times are expected by ERC and Premiership rugby later this month.

The only way to guarantee your place at all of the regular season home fixtures is by becoming a Member. Information on the innovative Membership scheme and how to become a Member is available by clicking here or by calling 0208 744 4477.

"There is no such thing as an easy match in the Aviva Premiership and there is no doubt that our opening fixtures are very demanding," said Conor O'Shea, Harlequins Director of Rugby.

"Once again we will be competing in three great competitions against top class opposition from this country and Europe. Our Premiership campaign gets underway with the London Double Header against Wasps on 7th September and is followed during that month with tough home matches with Northampton Saints and Saracens as well as a trip to Sixways to play against Dean Ryan's Worcester.

"Given the quality of the opposition, we hope that our supporters will be looking forward to returning to The Stoop to get behind their team as we set out on the marathon that is the Premiership with all its related ups and downs."

Tickets for the new season's home games will go on sale on Monday 15th July. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 0208 410 6000
Harlequins Fixtures
Please note fixtures after Round 8 are subject to change

Round 1
Saturday September 7: London Wasps v Harlequins (4.30pm, Twickenham Stadium, BT Sport)

Round 2
Friday September 13:Harlequins v Northampton Saints (7.45pm BT Sport)

Round3
Friday September 21: Worcester Warriors v Harlequins (7.45pm BT Sport)

Round 4
Saturday September 28: Harlequins v Saracens (3.15pm BT Sport)

Round 5
Saturday October 5: London Irish v Harlequins (3.00pm)

Heineken Cup
Fri/Sat/Sun October 11/12/13 Heineken Cup

Fri/Sat/Sun October 18/19/20 Heineken Cup

Round 6
Saturday October 26: Harlequins v Sale Sharks (3.00pm)

Round 7
Saturday November 2: Leicester Tigers v Harlequins (5.30pm BT Sport)

LV= Cup
Fri/Sat/Sun November 9 LV= Cup

Fri/Sat/Sun November 16 LV= Cup

Round 8
Saturday November 23: Harlequins v Gloucester Rugby (3.00pm)

Round 9
Sunday December 1: Newcastle Falcons v Harlequins (3.00pm)

Heineken Cup
Fri/Sat/Sun Dec 6/7/8 Heineken Cup

Fri/Sat/Sun Dec 13/14/15Heineken Cup

Round 10
Saturday December 21st: Bath Rugby v Harlequins (3.00pm)

Round 11
Sat December 28: BIG GAME 6 Harlequins v Exeter Chiefs (3.00pm)

Round 12
Saturday January 4: Northampton Saints v Harlequins (3.00pm)

Heineken Cup
Fri/Sat/Sun January 10/11/12 Heineken Cup
Fri/Sat/ Sun January 17/18/19 Heineken Cup

LV= Cup
Fri/Sat/Sun Jan 24/25/26 LV= Cup
Fri/Sat/Sun Jan 31 Feb 1 /2 LV= Cup

Round 13
Saturday February 8: Harlequins v London Wasps (3.00pm)

Round 14
Saturday February 15: Harlequins v Newcastle Falcons (3.00pm)

Round 15
Saturday February 22: Gloucester Rugby v Harlequins (3.00pm)

Round 16
Saturday March 1: Harlequins v Worcester Warriors (3.00pm)

Round 17
Saturday March 22: Saracens v Harlequins (3.00pm)

Round 18
Saturday March 29: Harlequins v London Irish (3.00pm)

Round 19
Friday April 11: Sale Sharks v Harlequins (7.45pm)

Round 20
Saturday April 19: Harlequins v Leicester Tigers (3.00pm)

Round 21
Saturday May 3: Exeter Chiefs v Harlequins (3.00pm)

Round 22
Saturday May 10: Harlequins v Bath Rugby (3.00pm)

Whether you're a Quins fan or not please feel free to discuss, argue, banter and bicker below. And  to 2014's Aviva Prem Champs!!    

COYQ's!!!!

[yappysnap]

Thinking points from that game:

Our pack were very good as a whole. Set piece and ruck work particularly fine. Lots of turnovers and good scrapping.

The backs still aren't quite clicking. Still not sure if Hopper creates enough or just looks like he's trying too hard. The French fb showed just what we lack in the back three when Walker/Smith isn't around.

For the amount he's paid Nev must make those kicks.

The team need to respond better to conceding points.

All attacking structore went out the window when Care went off. Before that a dodgy kick aside he was immense.

Comparing the two squads ages, experience and budgets Harlequins should be very proud. Still a lot to learn but the foundations look very good.

[thomh]

Collier dealt well with Domingo I thought. Given the problems that even Dan Cole has had against him, that was pleasing.

[ChequeredJersey]

Got lots to say, mix of positive and negative but it'll have to wait

[Hound of Harrow]

CJ - a team with a 10 point lead should be able to defend it at home. ASM are immensley experienced though.

Yup, a cruel bounce of the ball let ASM back into the game. I did feel that Brown could have attacked that kick a bit more and managed the situation a bit better.

[ChequeredJersey]

I agree. Easier said that done against maybe the best team in Europe though, and Brown is struggling with being double teamed in defence

[Hound of Harrow]

Clermont did their homework and harassed Care and Brown all game.

[yappysnap]

We defended that 10 point lead really well though for 70 odd mins. Only twice letting Clermont get anywhere close to actually scoring. Unfortunately one of those chances was enough for them to close out the game.

Without Care and with the caliber of the Clermont bench we just couldn't hold on in the end.

Honestly can't fault the players though, I think every one played extremely well.

[ChequeredJersey]

We defended really well, i said on CAW that every starter played well but not as well as they could and though we actually made breaks in attack, we'd spill the ball before anything could come of it and didn't click that well except the wonder try. Lineout was poor, scrum surprisingly good and breakdown truly immense. ASM didn't look like they were playing that well- partially due to a couple of dire drops and great tackles but also because their ball from rucks was shot as they utterly lost the breakdown.

Dickson's passing when he came on though >

Took good ball and ruined it utterly

[BamBam]

What happened to Care chaps?

[ChequeredJersey]

Ankle injury, somehow. Gutting, no idea how bad it is yet

[yappysnap]

Yea collided with another Quin and damaged his ankle. Came straight off and looked in pain but walking

[propdavid_london]

Disappointing to loose that game against Clermont - But, was a fascinating game to watch. I agree with Yappys synopsis.
The Pack really fronted up but we really need to find that spark in the backs.
CJ - your right too, as soon as Care went off there wasn't much of an attacking threat - Dicksons delivery was shocking (he's in a bit of a form dip at the moment).

So, I know that we are out of the H-Cup, but I am not sure what the qualification criteria is for the Amlin. Do we still have a chance of qualifying for the Amlin competition or is that off the table too?

[ChequeredJersey]

If we beat Scarlets we certainly can.

[propdavid_london]

Cheers CJ - that's good news.
So, we have the chance to be in Europe competition still - that's something at least.

[TJ]

Not read the whole thread but I just watched the game. Quins displayed really good attitude adn fight but just lacked the creativity to win. How many times did they rip the ball of Clermont when clermont were in good attacking positions tho - thats what kept them in the game. Another entertaining game for the neutral

[ScarletSpiderman]

If we beat Scarlets we certainly can.

It comes down to the Scarlets (10pts) V Harlequins (12pts) result & the Munster V Edinburgh (12pts) result too. I believe only the worst of the 2nd place teams miss out. It is likely Munster will win though, so it should be between us two to see who sneaks in by the skin of their teeth.

[ChequeredJersey]

Not read the whole thread but I just watched the game.  Quins displayed really good attitude adn fight but just lacked the creativity to win.  How many times did they rip the ball of Clermont when clermont were in good attacking positions tho - thats what kept them in the game.  Another entertaining game for the neutral

Danny Care is our real playmaker, not Nev. Nev is a great attacking fulcrum and spark, but the tempo of our game comes from Care. Dickson used to be able to nearly match him but he's been so poor lately, and if Care goes off injured or is neutralised (like Sarries do), we struggle

[TJ]

I did think Care looked very good. Shame he went off.

[propdavid_london]

Agree with that CJ - Quins whole game plan really hinges on tempo through the no.9 channel.
Dickson had an off day and couldn't maintain the intensity that Care was providing.

If Care is injured - who was that young nippy 9 that we had playing a while back. He looked very sharp for a bit, if only a little small (even for a 9).

[ChequeredJersey]

Stuart, I imagine

[yappysnap]

To be fair when our packs on top the attack comes through Easter as well. Most of our good wins have come from him galloping across the turf and then offloading to the support.

Sadly when we're up against a monster pack like Clermont he's too busy to really do that.

I think that's the one real big point in favor of Botica. Yes st the moment he's a bit of a liability but unlike NEV, he's actually able to really create and lead our attack.

[yappysnap]

Now the HC is out the window and we may or may not focus or even get into the Amlin I thought i'd take a look at our Prem run in. Right now we're in fourth place on 32 points.

Round 13
Saturday February 8: Harlequins v London Wasps (3.00pm)

Should expect a win here, maybe even a bp, but probably just the 4. 36pts

Round 14
Saturday February 15: Harlequins v Newcastle Falcons (3.00pm)

Again another win is a must, definitely should aim for the bp as well. 41pts

Round 15
Saturday February 22: Gloucester Rugby v Harlequins (3.00pm)

With Glos's current form a win is possible, we have a good record here as well. 45pts

Round 16
Saturday March 1: Harlequins v Worcester Warriors (3.00pm)

Must be another bp win. 50pts

Round 17
Saturday March 22: Saracens v Harlequins (3.00pm)

Probably our first loss. Hopefully we can get the losing bp though. 51pts

Round 18
Saturday March 29: Harlequins v London Irish (3.00pm)

Must be another win with a bp. 56pts

Round 19
Friday April 11: Sale Sharks v Harlequins (7.45pm)

Hopefully we can get a win at Sale. The play off run in starts now so we want a good performance. 60pts

Round 20
Saturday April 19: Harlequins v Leicester Tigers (3.00pm)

We have good form over Tigers. Again must win this match to keep us confident heading into the play offs. 64pts

Round 21
Saturday May 3: Exeter Chiefs v Harlequins (3.00pm)

Sadly Exeter seem to be a real bogy team to us. Not sure if we'll go for it with the first team or rest a couple. Probably a loss either way though. 65pts.

Round 22
Saturday May 10: Harlequins v Bath Rugby (3.00pm)
Horrible match to have to finish the regular season on but a good workout for the pack! We must win this game after a probable loss away the week before. Probably a tactical kick fest but that could be perfect prep for the play offs. 69pts

So it's very like we could finish on 69pts by the end of the season. All those results are achievable with only perhaps the losing bp's at Sarries and Ex questionable, and we could lose away at Glos and home to Tigers and Bath too. Still not a bad run in and i'm fairly confident we'll be comfortably in the play offs. Only question is will it be Sarries or Saints we have to beat?

[ChequeredJersey]

Sarries away oh well, any game is winnable

[yappysnap]

Yea probably best just to not turn on the tv that day and pretend the weekend never happened.

[Luck of the Irish]

Walker is out for the season.

[Sam]

Walker is out for the season.

How come??

[ChequeredJersey]

He's having an op according to his Twitter, same as Manu

[ChequeredJersey]

Hope Williams is fit soon! And that we play Smith, not Sackey

[propdavid_london]

That is really bad news about Walker. If either Smith or Williams comes in our attack will be less effective but at least it will firm up the defence a smidge.
Unless Sackey comes in that is!

[sad_gimp]

I didn't catch Sackey's cameo....was he that bad? Always thought he was quite effective in an England shirt....

[ChequeredJersey]

Well, we had a few relatively (though everyone overestimates the lack of injury in 2011-12, because it suits them to pretend we had a huge advantage that season) injury-free seasons, it was about time that we had a truly horrid injury year. And we have

[ChequeredJersey]

I didn't catch Sackey's cameo....was he that bad? Always thought he was quite effective in an England shirt....

He has lost any interest whatsoever in defence

[propdavid_london]

Agree - there is nothing really going on with Sackey. Looks like he is just ambling around and is waiting for his monthly pay slip.

[Sam]

That is really bad news about Walker.  If either Smith or Williams comes in our attack will be less effective but at least it will firm up the defence a smidge.  
Unless Sackey comes in that is!

What about OLH on the wing?

[ChequeredJersey]

OLH is fast but ideally a FB. If only Chis were fit...

[propdavid_london]

Ooops, forgot about OLH. He can cover - but he is still too much of a 7's player at the moment.
When he came on against Clermont there was lots of sidestepping and running latteraly but no incision.
He is fantastic to bring on when a game breaks up but at the moment I would prefer a Smith or a Williams to start on the wing.
That's not to say that he wont improve though - he has heaps of potential.

[Sam]

Team for this weekend:

15. Mike Brown
14. Ollie Lindsay-Hague
13. Matt Hopper
12. Tim Molenaar
11. Ugo Monye
10. Nick Evans
9. Karl Dickson

1. Joe Marler
2. Dave Ward
3. Will Collier
4. Nick Kennedy
5. George Robson
6. Luke Wallace
7. Chris Robshaw (C)
8. Nick Easter

16. Joe Gray
17. Mark Lambert
18. Paul Doran Jones
19. Charlie Matthews
20. Tom Guest
21. Sam Stuart
22. Ben Botica
23. Tom Williams

OLH on the wing, could this be related to the Sam Smith going to Irish rumor?

[ChequeredJersey]

Smith is injured apparently, rumour also says Yarde might be coming the other way

[Sam]

Smith is injured apparently, rumour also says Yarde might be coming the other way

Oh right. Knew Yarde was rumoured to be coming the other way, but is he worth the extra money I'm sure he will be demanding compared to keeping Smith?

[propdavid_london]

I thought that Mauri was going to be back in time for this game!

[propdavid_london]

Scratch the last - just seen that Mauri and JTH will be back for the LV cup game against Tigers.

[Sam]

Scratch the last - just seen that Mauri and JTH will be back for the LV cup game against Tigers.

Good news, not that I feel we are missing them right now   

[thomh]

Smith is injured apparently, rumour also says Yarde might be coming the other way

Oh right. Knew Yarde was rumoured to be coming the other way, but is he worth the extra money I'm sure he will be demanding compared to keeping Smith?

He will be on a bit more money, but there hasn't been a full-on public bidding war for his signature, and he'll be on a lot less money than North for example. Fa'asavalu is almost certainly retiring to be replaced from within the current squad, and Monye and Williams will be moving onto lower wages or retiring at some point in the next year or two. Maybe it would have been better in a year's time when those two's contracts are both up for renewal, but players like Yarde don't go out of contract every day. For me this one is a definite yes.

[ChequeredJersey]

Is Collier looking ok?

[yappysnap]

Scratch the last - just seen that Mauri and JTH will be back for the LV cup game against Tigers.

Good news, not that I feel we are missing them right now   

It'll be interesting to see how JTH responds to the pressure of Molenar in his shirt. Hopefully it'll give us back the quality JTH rather then the fumbling one.

Big Mo just isn't needed now, but look at the winger situation, never know when those injuries may strike!

[yappysnap]

Oh yea forgot to mention Quins are away to Stade Francais in the Amlin now.

[ChequeredJersey]

Mo is a useful Option just because he adds carrying power though. Against Bath i think he'd really help

[yappysnap]

Yea that's true CJ, depends If he comes back as the hard carrying Mo or the disinterested one though.

[propdavid_london]

Ah - our old friends Stade. These games are always crackers - and I think I heard somewhere that Stade are in a bit of a resurgent form. Hopefully Quins will still be looking good come Early March.

Where are Stade playing there home games at the moment? Does anyone think that they might play in the stade de france again?

[Geordie]

Whats the crack with your hookers? There seems to be a new one every week.

Who's first choice? Gray, Buchanan, Ward? Who is Ward...is he another youngster? I thought Buchanan was the one everyone was raving about.

[Sponsored content]