Harlequins 2014/15 Thread

[Sam]

First topic message reminder :

Squad for 2014/15 Season:
Hookers: Rob Buchanan, Joe Gray, Dave Ward
Props: Will Collier, Paul Doran-Jones, Mark Lambert, Darryl Marfo, Joe Marler (c), Kyle Sinckler
Locks: Charlie Matthews, George Merrick, George Robson, Sam Twomey
Backrow: Chris Robshaw, Joe Trayfoot, Luke Wallace, Jack Clifford, Nick Easter
Scrum Half: Danny Care, Karl Dickson, Sam Stuart
Fly Half: Ben Botica, Nick Evans
Centre: Tom Casson, Matt Hopper, George Lowe, Jordan Turner-Hall
Wing: Ugo Monye, Asaeli Tikoirotuma, Charlie Walker, Tom Williams, Marland Yarde
Fullback: Mike Brown, Ross Chisholm, Ollie Lindsay-Hague

Players in: Asaeli Tikoirotuma (Waikato Chiefs), Marland Yarde (London Irish)

Players out: Tom Guest (London Irish), Sam Smith (Worcester Warriors), Samoa Maurie Fa'asavalu (Oyonnax), Nick Kennedy (retired), Tim Molenaar (London Welsh), Nic Mayhew (North Harbour), Paul Sackey (retired)

Pre-season:
FC Grenoble - Harlequins 16/08/14
Harlequins - Pau 23/08/14
Glasgow Warriors - Harlequins 23/08/14

Come on you Quins!!!  

[yappysnap]

Utube looks good! But then they're not going to put the bad bits on the highlights reel are they?

Seems to attack the line well and enjoys throwing a lot of offloads, pretty different to most other 10s in the Jeff so it'll be interesting to see if he can replicate that or if his game has to change to fit.

Could be a very good combo with Care/Dickson though.

[yappysnap]

Quins team for the LV game live on Sky:

Harlequins team
15. Ross Chisholm
14. Charlie Walker
13. George Lowe
12. Jordan Turner-Hall
11. Ollie Lindsay-Hague
10. Louis Grimoldby
9. Karl Dickson©

1. Mark Lambert
2. Rob Buchanan
3. Will Collier
4. George Merrick
5. Sam Twomey
6. Joe Trayfoot
7. Luke Wallace
8. James Chisholm

16. Dave Ward
17. Darryl Marfo
18. Kyle Sinckler
19. Kieran Treadwell
20. Henry Cheeseman
21. Sam Stuart
22. Tim Swiel
23. Aseli Tikoirotuma

Really strong side, lots of experience coupled with plenty of potential, great to see the JTH/Lowe combo resumed after yonks apart.

Also interesting to see what our new 10 can do if he makes the field and how Grimboldy responds to the new competition.

Lastly 22 EQ players is an outstanding effort, coupled with one quality experienced Fijian

[yappysnap]

More thoughts!

Great looking back row, could be that we're getting a sneak peak of the back row of the future right now. Very different from our usual set up but I'm a big fan of the hard man 6 ball poaching 7 and then dynamic 8 approach.

Back three as well could be fantastic, far quicker and more suited to broken play then the currant trio, not sure how they'd cope in the Jeff.

Lastly a properly physical front row, if only we had an experienced old lock to roll out for these kinds of games too.

[Sam]

I like the look of that team, average age of our pack without Lambert must be like 22?!

Glad to see Charlie Walker back in the side, he's just returned from injury right??

[yappysnap]

Yes just returned from the injury he picked up the last time he played Sarries. Actually I think he's been fit for a while but not used in Europe

[TJ]

anybody watching? Good game so far

[quinsforever]

just switched on...15-0 down glad i missed the first half an hour...has it been entertaining so far TJ?

[quinsforever]

dont know Gill very well but he doesnt seem to like criticism from the ref about his scrummaging!

[quinsforever]

v poor infield kick there. no excuse for that. its always going to bounce further on a plastic pitch

[TJ]

just switched on...15-0 down glad i missed the first half an hour...has it been entertaining so far TJ?

Cagey affair really- sorry about the kiss of death on Quins

[quinsforever]

we definitely have a sarries hoodoo

[TJ]

Good game - I enjoyed that.

[quinsforever]

good game that.

maro itoje was very impressive. englandu20 rwc winner this summer. captained sarries and wins motm.

tom wood will struggle to hold his place against itoje in very short order.

[quinsforever]

he's also the humblest player i've ever heard in interviews. well played son.

[LondonTiger]

Having put out a fairly strong team, Quins may be disappointed to have lost.

Sarries strength in depth is scary. That pack, made up of second and third choice players, is stronger than many NH club sides first choice pack.

[thomh]

good game that.

maro itoje was very impressive. englandu20 rwc winner this summer. captained sarries and wins motm.

tom wood will struggle to hold his place against itoje in very short order.

He was very good, though the commentators seemed to have a complete obsession with him from early on. 

He's a second row really though, I believe, rather than a potential international blindside.

[ChequeredJersey]

Missed it, sounded good until the call late on. Will struggle to watch Quins until the matches vs Leinster which I am attending

[ChequeredJersey]

Having put out a fairly strong team, Quins may be disappointed to have lost.

Sarries strength in depth is scary. That pack, made up of second and third choice players, is stronger than many NH club sides first choice pack.

Nah, only 2 starters in our side, would have loved to have won but against Sarries we were the underdogs and it sounds like we played better when Swiele came on

[quinsforever]

Yes, it shouldnt have been a yellow. The tmo tried to tell that to the ref but he was having none of it. Was a weird interaction between the two of them.

But I think it was out sloppy errors that let us down early in the match. Kicks that went dead, basic infringement errors.

[DaveM]

I thought Quins young pack competed well with the much more experienced Sarries one. I thought Tomkins stood up well for Sarries given how young he is. Lowe had a poor game, but presumably isn't really matchfit.

[beshocked]

My thoughts on the game were that Saracens were well on top in the 1st half in the pack which gave Saracens the much needed platform to build a 15-3 lead.

The radio praised Itoje because in the 1st 20 minutes he was everywhere - I think he made 3 turnovers in that time and applied pressure to Quins at almost every opportunity.

Definitely one to watch.

Spurling and Hamilton also worked well together at lineout time - causing the Quins lineout to malfunction.

In the 2nd half - evidently Conor O Shea gave his team a rousing team talk. Quins were much better and were more physical.

It didn't help Saracens that they took off players like Spurling (the lineout malfunctioned in his absence) and Hamilton.

Quins left a bit too late but should take heart from that 2nd half performance.

[ChequeredJersey]

Makes me happy about Swiele at least

[yappysnap]

First half Sarries showed their experience turning us over at will and applying pressure across the park

Second half Quins managed to gain a foot hold and worked a lot harder to get back in to the game but too little too late.

[yappysnap]

Teams up for Newport:

HARLEQUINS HAS ANNOUNCED THE SIDE TO PLAY NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS IN ROUND 2 OF THE LV= CUP TOMORROW EVENING AT THE STOOP, KICK-OFF 19:45.


The matchday 23 are all English qualified and 18 of the squad have progressed through, or are current members of the Harlequins Academy.

Charlie Matthews, Kyle Sinckler and Jack Clifford, who returns from injury, are among three changes to last week’s forwards, in a pack where seven are aged 23 or younger.

In the backs, Tim Swiel makes his starting debut for the club as Matt Hopper is named at outside centre.

Among the replacements, Tom Casson is named.

Harlequins Squad:
15. Ross Chisholm
14. Charlie Walker
13. Matt Hopper
12. Jordan Turner-Hall
11. Ollie Lindsay-Hague
10. Tim Swiel
9. Karl Dickson©

1. Mark Lambert
2. Rob Buchanan
3. Kyle Sinckler
4. Charlie Matthews
5. Sam Twomey
6. Joe Trayfoot
7. Jack Clifford
8. James Chisholm


16. Dave Ward
17. Darryl Marfo
18. Will Collier
19. George Merrick
20. Henry Cheeseman
21. Sam Stuart
22. Louis Grimoldby
23. Tom Casson

Boom! A totally EQ team, and 18 academy boys. Take note Sarries etc that's what this comp should all be about!!

[Sam]

Happy with that team! Where has Luke Wallace gone - injured/rested?

[dragon4life]

Good game by all accounts, how we let a 13 point lead slip and concede 23 in second half I have no idea. Can anyone tell me how Brok Harris the new Dragonstight head got on?

[Guest]

Chris Kirwan said we scrummaged well first half, but the driving lineout tries are annoying. Criminal to lose a lead like that.

[dragon4life]

Rev do you think its the coaches or players fault we seem to keep losing in second half? Do you think there are poor team talks at half time?

[Guest]

I am losing faith in Lyn. Kingsley has sorted the forwards out somewhat, at least. I can't see how we can do this v Newcastle and tonight. I remember Paul Turner used to get a bit of a ribbing for his team talks, but it seems like we are not playing after halftime at the moment. I can't work it out. Even our win v Stade we had a better first half. I'd love to see decent highlights to see if we did switch off, but it sounds like Harlequins woke up so maybe our first half we just caught them napping.

Congratulations Harlequins anyway.

[The Saint]

I don't think Lyn has ever been a team talker. Can you even try to imagine that...

[dragon999]

Seems that Elliots yellow card was the turning point - first driving lineout try from that & then two more after a raft of changes - Interested to read that Dorian did well as he seems to take a lot of stick for being the coaches son.Great to get some of the wounded back & to have Brock available,things have to start improving from Munster onwards or Lyn & Kings will face big questions!

[The Saint]

Can I just say I don't hold Lyn fully responsible, some of these guys on the pitch perform with terrible skills and nous, it leads Lyn to hold his head in his hands for most of a match. The Ulster game was a typical example. Tonight's team though seemed like a well balanced one, it's terrible to fall away so badly like that in the 2nd half. Weakness was probably at lock so I guess that's how Quins dominated he driving mauls.

[yappysnap]

Dragons fans, don't be too down on your players, Quins were also terrible in the first half and stepped it up in the second.

It helped a lot that we took off our two very inexperienced forwards and brought on two experienced players.

[ChequeredJersey]

Harlequins has announced the side to play Gloucester Rugby at Kingsholm in Round 7 of the Aviva Premiership on Friday evening, kick-off 19:45 (live on BT Sport). 

There are six changes to the starting side that defeated Newport Gwent Dragons last week as Nick Evans and George Lowe start at fly-half and inside centre respectively. 

In the forwards, Dave Ward is named at hooker, while George Robson, Luke Wallace and Nick Easter, who captains the side from number 8, return. 

Among the replacements, Jordan Burns will look to make his first appearance of the season. 

Harlequins 
15. Ross Chisholm 
14. Charlie Walker 
13. Matt Hopper 
12. George Lowe 
11. Ollie Lindsay-Hague 
10. Nick Evans 
9. Karl Dickson 


1. Mark Lambert 
2. Dave Ward 
3. Kyle Sinckler 
4. Charlie Matthews 
5.George Robson 
6. Joe Trayfoot 
7. Luke Wallace 
8. Nick Easter© 


16. Rob Buchanan 
17. Darryl Marfo 
18. Will Collier 
19. Sam Twomey 
20. Jack Clifford 
21. Jordan Burns 
22. Tim Swiel 
23. Tom Casson







Vs

[ChequeredJersey]

Gloucester Rugby: 
Rob Cook; Charlie Sharples, Billy Meakes, Mark Atkinson, Henry Purdy; Billy Twelvetrees (capt), Dan Robson; Nick Wood, Darren Dawidiuk, John Afoa; Tom Palmer, James Hudson; Tom Savage, Matt Kvesic, Ross Moriarty 

Replacements: 
Richard Hibbard, James Gibbons, Yann Thomas, Elliott Stooke, Gareth Evans, Callum Braley, Aled Thomas, Dan Thomas

[Sam]

Good win away from home! Glad I put some money on that!

On a side note, where are Turner-Hall and Doran-Jones? Both injured or just not performing?

When we signed Doran-Jones he was a player I really thought we needed, yet he's hardly played and I assume we are now just running his contract down?

[yappysnap]

Doran-Jones is injured but was also third choice after some poor performances. I don't think we'll see much of him this season at all.

JTH seems to either have a niggly injury that had him benched for Lowe in the LV or is now third/fourth choice in the centres behind caisson as well.

[ChequeredJersey]

Doran-Jones is injured but was also third choice after some poor performances. I don't think we'll see much of him this season at all.

JTH seems to either have a niggly injury that had him benched for Lowe in the LV or is now third/fourth choice in the centres behind caisson as well.

On JTH, either is possible

[yappysnap]

Just signed Tibaldi the Italy no9 to replace Sam Stuart who's left the club for personal reasons.

Cool I guess, I wonder if he'll get played ahead of Care or Dickson though?

[BamBam]

James Horwill joining Quins after RWC

[HammerofThunor]

Good signing. Area of weakness, or at least lack of depth. Hopefully it will result in some rotation and therefore resting players.

Edit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/30516360

[propdavid_london]

3yr deal too - not just here for the short term. Thats nice to see.
Agree Hammer - its been a real issue for Quins since Kohn retired!

[ChequeredJersey]

[bluestonevedder]

With Horwill joining what will be the starting lock pairing? Horwill and Matthews?

[propdavid_london]

I think Robson is still first choice - Matthews isnt quite there yet.

[bluestonevedder]

[yappysnap]

Robson has been pretty hit and miss this season, I think all three players will be in for a starting place.

Cips was really good against Ex last night, I wonder if the rumours about him coming here are true too

[propdavid_london]

Cips to Quins - I'm not sure I like the idea of that too much! Is far too inconsistent. I admit though when he is on he is very slick.

Big Game coming up - Quins will have to hit their 'Leinster' form and then some to even compete with Saints at the moment.

[yappysnap]

Got to say Cips has been far more consistent this season, certainly a lot more so then our 10's.

Agree we'll need to bring our A* game to live up to Saints. Or hope they're pap!

[ChequeredJersey]

Got to say Cips has been far more consistent this season, certainly a lot more so then our 10's.

Agree we'll need to bring our A* game to live up to Saints. Or hope they're pap!

Preferably both

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