Quins looking to “Boot Sale” on Saturday

By KevT
October 23 2003

After a disappointing defeat at home to Gloucester last Saturday, NEC Harlequins try to get back on track by taking on Sale (sorry Sharks) at The Stoop on Saturday (kick off 3.00pm).

Quins make three changes to the team that lost 0-16 to Gloucester. Tani Fuga strained his medial ligaments and is out for eight weeks. He is replaced by James Hayter. Academy Hooker Cameron Dott moves to the bench. Jon Dawson replaces Laurent Gomez who moves to the bench. Mike Worsley replaces Ceri Jones. Quins have effectively changed their whole front row.

Quins defeat last week was a very depressing affair with very little creativity because of a lack of decent possession. The players (and the forwards in particular) were very disappointed in their performance. I think it is worth bearing in mind, though, that there are clear differences between losses last season and the poor performance last week.

Firstly: it was the forwards and set piece area that fell apart. This was not the case last season.

In nearly all the games last season, Quins’ were able to hold on to parity in the set piece. The second area that was different was that Quins’ defence held up. Whenever the team played poorly last season, it was defensive patterns that broke down. That was clearly not the case last week. A talented Gloucester back line was only able to cross the Quins’ line from an interception in the last few minutes when Quins were chasing the game. The set piece is something that the team have been working on all week and we will hopefully see the fruits of this on Saturday.

Mel Deane expressed the team’s frustrations with last week’s performance. “We didn’t seem to get anything going. Our set piece wasn’t working and we didn’t get any decent ball. When we did get the ball we seemed to be going backwards and defending. Our defence has been good though: we’ve been great at spoiling and this has helped us as we have great broken field runners. Unfortunately we have also had some injuries which have hit us but we have got some good depth to cover us.”

I asked Mel if he found it more difficult playing outside rather than inside centre. “I don’t mind. I guess I have to hold off from committing at 13, whereas at 12 I can just launch myself straight into people. At 13 you get to see players whereas at 12 you can just smash into them. At 13 I have to knock them rather than smash them otherwise it causes problems for everyone else. I guess I’m suited a bit more by 12 than 13 but I don’t mind.

“I’m looking forward to playing against my ex team mates at Sale. I keep in contact with all of them, in fact I was staying with Graham Bond last night as I was sorting out my flat in Manchester. He’s opposite me on Saturday. I’m very familiar with all of their backs. I know they way they run and I’ve played against Braam [Van Straaten] a few times. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve also enjoyed playing with the new Irish contingent at Quins. They’re all gentlemen players, they’re all good.”

Sale are likely to put out an unchanged team to the one that defeated Rotherham 14 – 28 last week. Sale have not made the best of starts to the season and are still to win a game at their new home Edgeley Park (home of Stockport County FC). Their two victories to date have been at Welford Road and last week against Rotherham.

In the front row, ex Bath and Wellington Hurricanes prop Kevin Yates plays. Yates is a combative prop who will start at the expense of England squad member and ex Bristol player Andrew Sheridan. Yates has proved to be a far better scrummager which is an area where Sheridan struggled last season (against our own Jon Dawson) and this season (against Duncan Bell of Bath).

Former Saracens hooker Matt Cairns aksi starts. He is no slouch around the park and is a good line out thrower. At tight head, Sale have selected Stuart Turner who can play anywhere in the front row. This term, Sale have moved last year’s second row sensation Chris Jones to Number eight and Scottish international Ian Fullarton starts. Chris Jones is very quick (remember him outsprinting Austin Healey last season) and provides a significant source of ball in the line out. At just over sixteen stone, he is not the most muscular of number eights but his pace is very effective.

The muscular 24 year old Dean Schofield joins Fullarton in the engine room. In the back row, Alex Sanderson starts at blind side opposite his brother Pat. Alex played in a number of England’s summer games and has been captain for Sale. Australian flanker, Stuart Pinkerton is a fast and abrasive open side who is very capable of winding up the opposition.

At scrum half, 20 year old England schools and Under 19 Richard Wigglesworth is selected. Ex Quin, Nick Walshe has moved from the more familiar scrum half position to Fly Half where he fills the massive boots of the wonderful Charlie Hodgson who has yet to return from his cruciate ligament injury. The absences of both Bryan Redpath at scrum half and Charlie Hodgson at Fly Half make the Sale back line look significantly less fearsome than last season.

At inside centre, Braam Van Straatem will start. Sale have experimented with him at Fly Half but this has not worked. Van Straatem had taken over kicking duties and is also there to release the excellent Graham Bond. How did the Australian Rugby Union let Bond go? He is one of the best centres in World Rugby. He is quick and strong with a great step. On the wing, Sale play the strong and powerful Cueto and Hanley. They are two of the top try scorers of last season. They have not fired this season without the half back duo of Redpath and Hodgson to release them. Another former Quin, Vaughan Going starts at Full Back.

Sale’s 14 – 28 victory away at Rotherham masks what has been a pretty disappointing start to their campaign. They have yet to win a game at home this season and have won away twice, at Welford Road and at Millmoor. Over the past couple of seasons, the Sale backs have played very well, but this year the forwards seem to be playing better than the backs. The Sharks are clearly missing Hodgson. I think Wilkinson is the best Fly Half in the world but I’d much rather watch Hodgson.

So to Saturday. It’s difficult to put last week’s performance into any sort of context. Our line out statistics were horrendous. The big “if” will be Quins’ ability to get decent possession. The Sale line out is not nearly as fearsome as Gloucester and the Sale back row will not be as effective as Gloucester. If Quins can sort out a platform for their backs then they have the runners to cause Sale some problems. Quins’ forward driving game is likely to be more effective against Sale than some other teams. Quins must try to pressurise the Sale half backs as Bond, Cueto and Hanley, if given decent ball can put to the sword any defence in the country (as they proved last season at The Stoop).

Despite their poor performance last week, Quins stopped the opposition playing and it will be their ability to get decent ball themselves and put Sale’s forwards on the back foot which will be the key to the game. If Quins can deny Sale’s backs’ space and secure their own possession then they can win this game.

NEC Harlequins: 15 Gavin Duffy; 14 Simon Keogh; 13 Mel Deane; 12 Andy Reay; 11 Ugo Monye; 10 Paul Burke; 9 Ben Willis; 1 Mike Worsley; 2 James Hayter; 3 Jon Dawson; 4 Bill Davison; 5 Jim Evans; 6 Pat Sanderson; 7 Andre Vos; 8 Tony Diprose

Subs: 16 Cameron Dott; 17 Ceri Jones; 18 Laurent Gomez; 19 Roy Winters; 20 Luke Sherriff; 21 Rob Jewell; 22 Andy Dunne


Sale Sharks: 15. Going, 14. Cueto, 13. Van Straaten, 12. Bond, 11. Hanley, 10. Walshe, 9. Wigglesworth, 1. Yates, 2. Cairns, 3. Turner, 4. Fullarton, 5. Schofield, 6. Sanderson, 7. Pinkerton, 8. Jones

Subs: Titterrell, Stewart, Sheridan, Lund, Devlin, Hoyle, Mayor