Spotlight On - Harlequins

Harlequins’ 2013/14 season was a tough one, it was what you would call ‘character building’ for Conor O’Shea, his coaching team and the players; week after week they had to contend with more and more injuries and like Leicester had to delve into the depths of their academy to field a match-day twenty three. However like top sides do they rallied and prospered winning their last four games in a row through sheer determination and they progressed to the domestic playoffs. Alas Saracens at Allianz Park was a step too far however the season ended with many wondering ‘what if’... what if Harlequins had, had a fully fit squad for more than a tiny part of the season? What if O’Shea was able to build from week to week with his first choice men? What could they have achieved?

Now, in August 2014, all of that ‘character building’ looks to have been a blessing in disguise because individuals like Dave Ward, Kyle Sinckler and Charlie Matthews have so much more Premiership experience under their belts and are chomping at the bit to get more. Whilst we all know that there are other names that will be the first on the Harlequins’ team sheet depth is what makes their 2014/15 squad an exciting one with strong prospects for the season ahead.

As exciting as their side may be however in their pre-season campaign they have a zero from two record however it doesn’t faze their Director of Rugby in the slightest, speaking to him after their 17-17 draw against Pau he explained why;

“It’s pre-season... it is about combinations, trying to get people fit and fresh and thinking long term. We put in a huge amount of hard work in last week on our training camp and then trained Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday this week right into the game and that is going to tire people. It is not about playing and winning matches it is about trying different combinations and getting your game plan. I always call it the honeymoon; everyone says great things and talks about how brilliant they are going to be but it all starts on the 6th of September.”

On that Saturday Harlequins will head over the road to what they like to call ‘The Big Stoop’ to face their local rivals London Irish. The two sides know each other well, indeed they have traded individuals over the off season, Tom Guest to Irish, Marland Yarde to Harlequins and should they both be selected they each have personals points to prove to their coaches.  However the match itself will be about the collectives and if the form book is right then Harlequins should start their 2014/15 season victorious. Their half back axis of Nick Evans and Danny Care screams class, Nick Easter's years of experience are unrivaled and they have an abundance of riches on the wings with Charlie Walker, Marland Yarde, Ugo Monye and Tom Williams. Elsewhere their England leaders, Mike Brown, Joe Marler and Chris Robshaw are the driving force of a side whose ambitions are greater than their recent achievements.

Harlequins is not an attritional squad, 20 players have made more than 50 appearances for the club, 9 of those 100+ Club Caps and 4 over 200.  Signings are not the be all and end all at Harlequins in fact they take a lot of pride in growing their own, the systems that O’Shea and his team put in place work and as a group they are an extremely tight-knit bunch. This side will have one eye firmly fixed on the European Competition as well as the Aviva Premiership, in Europe they have Castres, Wasps and Leinster to contend with and certainly it is a slightly milder group than last year's battles with Clermont, Scarlets and Racing Metro but only just. On the whole Harlequins 2014/15 season should be one that excites and delights their supporters and should provide us all with weekly visual treats of high tempo and effective rugby.