Preview: London Wasps v NEC Harlequins

By Worried of Whitton
September 14 2006

Quins head off to the rural surroundings of High Wycombe this weekend as they meet Wasps at Adams Park, in High Wycombe. Our hosts complete a hat trick of meetings against “London opposition” by finally playing a club from London. The kick off is on SUNDAY September 17th at 15.00.

No one is under the illusion that this will be a pleasant early autumn, Sunday afternoon stroll in the country but hopefully it won t serve as another wake up call. Two games in and with this match and Leicester the following week, restless Quins supporters are beginning to wonder where and when this season’s first premiership win is going to come from. The performances of Quins first two matches have shown already that they will not be running away with the Championship this year, however all is not lost. A slow start does not mean all is lost It is ironic that had Quins showed the same determination to keep the ball towards the end of the double header at Twickenham as they did against Gloucester at The Stoop last weekend then we’d already have had that first win. One has to believe that the lessons that have been learned are put into practice. Quin’s plight has not been helped by the citing and subsequent three match ban of summer signing and ex Wasp Stuart Abbott, nor by the string of injuries that have been picked up.

Against Gloucester last week, the very early loss of Hayter and Strettle twenty minutes later, psychologically and structurally affected the Harlequins game. After another particularly poor second half performance last week Quins have a great deal to do and must not lose sight of the fact that games are won and lost in the second half. Just because you are up at half time is no guarantee that you will still be ahead after 80 minute, unless you fight for it. The naivety at failing to snatch that losing bonus point from that late rally at the end of the match may prove costly at the end of the season.

In a very tense match against London Irish, last weekend, Wasps won by using their superior doggedness to grind out a win. There was no repeat of the 14 tries that were scored the last time the two sides met, as Wasps used sufficient intelligence to force a victory rather than a win through sheer brilliance. Wasps relied heavily on occasional individual flashes of inspiration as exemplified by Lewsey’s try, rather than the collective dominance of the Wasps juggernaut that we usually see towards the end of the season. The signs, however, could be ominous, for Quins this is the first time in a decade that Wasps have won both of their opening league matches, and have done so without Dallaglio and without the tenacity and accuracy of their better match days.

Let us not forget that it is still early in the season Wasps are beatable at home, and this is only the third match of the season, and Wasps are more easily swattable, particularly in the warm autumn sunshine, but they can still sting!. If you look at our recent record in away games against Wasps there are some positives to be taken. On their last two visits to Adams Park (the stadium formerly known as The Causeway stadium) although Quins have lost, they have come away with a loosing bonus point, which not many teams have been capable of. In November 2004 Quins lost 19-16 after gifting the most simplest of try in the first minute of the match, the season before the lost by just one point 22-21 after a very exciting Sunday evening game. In the “A” league, Quins were 50 -40 victors last week after allowing a Wasps side to regroup and fight back. In the previous two seasons in the “A” league Quins have been the victors in all but one match..

In the Daily Telegraph last week, an article written by Mike Cleary drew my attention. According to Cleary, Wasps is actually an acronym, which stands for “Waifs and Stray Players Society” and thus admirably describes the assortment of characters who have found refuge at the club in recent years. The acronym was originally coined by Simon Shaw. The careers of many players, such as Rob Howley , Matt Dawson, Raphael Ibanez, and indeed our very own Jeremy Staunton have been revitalised by joining the Chilterns based club, it must be all that fresh country air blowing across from the M40. The same can be expected from this year’s significant intake which includes ex Leeds Lock, Tom Palmer, ex-Newcastle Dave Walder and ex-Gloucester fly half Simon Amor.

The Wasps pack has never been the most daunting but annoyingly has always managed to be effective. The arrival of Tom Palmer has given the Wasps pack that extra bit of ballast, which we all saw to great effect when he scored on his debut against Saracens from a rolling maul. Richards, the Gloucester scrum half also appears to have benefited from his brief time at Wasps judging by his performance at the Stoop. It is bizarre that the majority of ex Quins seem to have improved beyond their ability at Quins and then return to The Stoop to plague us. It is human nature to want to do well and succeed especially when playing against your old club. We all expect that our “Magnificent Seven”, Paul Volley will do the same for Quins this week come out fighting and urging his team to play for every point. It is a great pity that Abbott will not be their to do the same, so we’ll have to wait for the home match.

So what are the prospects? Harlequins certainly are equipped with the firepower the skills and attributes to win this match. Wasps will be going for a third straight win, as Quins play to prevent a third successive loss. A lot will depend on this week’s injury list, the team will not be announced until Friday. Quins still have a lot to prove, and where better to start than in a Derby match, and the first real away match of the season. Based on previous performances I expect a closely fought and tight match, with the eventual winning margin of less than seven points. A losing bonus point is on offer and I m sure that Wasps will be grateful to accept it.

I m not worried yet, just quietly confident!


Come on you Quins!


Referee: Dave Pearson
Touch judges: Peter Huckle, Kevin Stewart