Match Preview - Harlequins v Tykes 14/09/02

Ronnie or Wood?
By Richie the Rhino (10/09/02)
September 10 2002

It seems a long time ago, but it was only a mere 5 months ago, that the Tykes last faced Quins, in what was billed at the time as crucial relegation decider. On that fateful day at the Stoop a Quins outfit packed with star names at last playing to their potential outclassed a weary Tykes side.

At the time, it was a devastating defeat, and went a long way to helping Quins lift themselves out of the relegation mire, and condemning the Tykes to the bottom of the ZP.

Tykes Ride High...

Much has happened since then as we know, and the Tykes can go into battle at The Stoop with new found confidence. Put bluntly, Tykes are riding high in third place while Quins languish in last place. The Tykes side will contain many names that did not grace the pitch in the aforementioned defeat... Palmer, Harder, Albanese, Ross, Hegarty, Regan... all names who have now established themselves in the Tykes first 15. Make no mistake, the newborn Tykes are not a side to be taken lightly. The Tykes have started the season impressively, beating two of the pre season title favourites Leicester Tigers and London Irish in convincing fashion. All of the new boys have made massive contributions to those games. The 'old' guys have been lifted by their presence, and the team as a whole is hugely improved over last term. Quins have lost both of their outings, a home loss to Glaws, and a crushing defeat at the hands of the Tigers.

Last Season

As mentioned already, Quins won on their own patch last year, gaining revenge on the Tykes for their defeat earlier in the season at Headingley. On that great day for the Tykes, an unknown ZP winger by the name of Dan Scarbrough announced himself on the elite stage on English rugby, by comprehensively outplaying England’s premier speedster Dan Luger. Who of us will forget the sight of Scabs dancing around Luger and burning him for pace, to score two impressive tries? Mr Luger was not impressed, but the Tykes faithful hailed a new hero.

Quins

Quins have an impressive array of talent throughout the side. The pack is formidable, lead by the inspirational Keith Wood, and contains star names like Leonard and Diprose. Paul Burke at fly half is an exceptional kicker, and Tykes need to maintain their excellent discipline, as seen in the Tigers and Exiles games, if they don't want Burke to kick the game out of reach. Following Braam Van Straaten's 11 out of 11 efforts last week the battle of the boot will be something to behold. Will Greenwood is arguably the best centre in England on his day, and in guys like Codling and Gollings, the Quins have other excellent players.

Tykes

However the Tykes have some class players of their own. In Harder, Albanese and Scabs, we have the edge in the back three, and this could be where the Tykes win the battle. Quins pack are adept at mauling, so the front five will need to work hard to stop the Quins gaining yardage. Quins scrum is strong too, and Shelley, Ronnie and Kerr will need to scrummage better than they did against the Exiles to hold the Quins pack. The difference between the sides could be Gordon 'The Boss' Ross, who has been outstanding so far this term. Obviously a man not short on confidence, he will allow the Tykes to gain good field position, something we struggled to do last year, and can prise open the tightest of defences with his neat footwork and elusive running.

The Quins Enigma

Quins are the enigma of English rugby, a side packed full of international talent, but one, which year after year never challenges in the serious stuff of the league. The standard excuse reeled out is that the big name stars need the big game atmosphere to inspire them to glory. One thing is for sure, if Quins do not play to their considerable potential this weekend, then the Tykes will gain their third win of the season.

Home v Away

The task facing Phil Davies and the boys is to translate the Tykes excellent home form onto the road. Tykes won but one away game last year, and need to start winning more away games if they are to impose themselves on the ZP. Headingley is turning into a fortress, but the Tykes cannot rely on home form alone. The time to start winning away is now.

The Need to Silence the Doubters

Quins go into the game as the strongest team in the league - holding the rest of the table up from the bottom. Another defeat for them is unthinkable, another win for the Tykes would finally silence the doubters who question our right to be in the ZP. Both sets of fans are already talking a good game on the message boards but come Saturday at 3.00pm, the talking will stop, and the rugby will start.

High Stakes

An awesome struggle is in prospect, and even at this early stage of the season, the stakes are high. Use whatever stereotypes you like, South versus North, Toffs versus Oiks, when the game starts, it will be two committed, powerful, skilful sides battling for supremacy. If the Tykes can carry their home form into The Stoop on Saturday, then our third win out of three will be within the our grasp.

Result prediction Quins 13 Tykes 20.