Preview - Wasps v Harlequins (LV= Cup)
By Quinten Poulsen
January 29 2011
With two down with two to play this season's Harlequins/Wasps rivalry continues on Sunday with their third encounter, this time in the LV= Cup in the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. At a cost of £1.9b the Emirates Palace is the second most expensive hotel ever built, and has an incredible 850,000m2 of floor space plus its own sports stadium. However, seating 5000 spectators this is dwarfed by Adams Park.
Talking of Adams Park, this week my good pal Lol emailed me to let me know that Wycombe District Council is fully behind the Booker site where it is hoped a new stadium and sports village will be built to provide a new home for Wasps and Wycombe Wanderers. This is fantastic news for all concerned, and it's doubtful that Wasps will be that enthusiastic about 'taking the game global' once they're settled in at their new home; fingers crossed.
Aside from the Wasps good news and the fact that this game is being played too far away for most fans to attend the most notable thing about this fixture is the number of player absentees, away on international duty. Wasps are missing Simpson, Worsley, Flutey, Shaw, Powell and Payne, while Harlequins are without Easter, Care, Brown, Monye, Marler, Robshaw and Robson. Both clubs have still managed to pick pretty strong sides, although peppered throughout with youngsters and academy players.
In the pool games so far Wasps have lost away to Exeter and beaten Bath at home, and their final pool game next week is away at the Ospreys – a difficult prospect. Quins remain unbeaten so far with wins against Leicester and Newcastle and a final home game against Cardiff next weekend. It would appear Quins are in the better position to progress but clearly they need to win in Abu Dhabi to make winning their pool more likely, and remain the only unbeaten team so far in this competition.
Wasps give academy prospect Mark Atkinson a difficult first start where he lines up opposite Nick Evans at fly half, but the youngster has a fast and talented backline outside him, and with Waldouck and Jacobs Wasps have one of the best centre partnerships in England. Up front there are more exciting young English prospects on view, including Vunipola (Tongan but English qualified), Lindsay and Jones. Lindsay showed a quite incredible turn of pace for a front row forward against Quins a few weeks ago, and Jones looked very good in his cameo. And it's always nice to see a 126kg 18 year old galloping about the place – Vunipola may take some stopping!
Quins welcome back Ceri Jones and about time too. It's rare that Ceri spends so many weeks out injured and his experience will be vital against a fairly young front row. Joe Gray returns to the starting XV this week with Lambert continuing at tighthead. STC will be thrilled to see his boy Browne starting, which is no less than he deserves after a string of good performances in the A League. Browne and Kohn is probably the biggest lock pairing we have and Kohn looks like he's close to the great form he showed 2 or 3 years ago. The human wrecking ball that is Mo Fa'asavalu joins captain Will Skinner and Chris York in the back row and will provide a good test for Birkett and the two youngsters.
Jordan Turner-Hall comes back into the side in place of Tom Casson partnering George Lowe. Sam Smith starts for the 3rd time in a row and I scarcely dare mention his try-scoring knack in the presence of the Mockers Gods. Camcho and Williams complete the back three.
Yet again we will surely see a fiercely contested game between the two old rivals and it could be argued the neutral venue suits Quins better. Nick Evans is in supreme form this season and he and Dickson may prove the difference in a game I'm confident Quins can win.
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One of the founder members of the Q-GOMC (promoted to Major Grump) – and proud of it - Bah!
edit: better still, excuse my incompetence at reading... I look forward to reading details of the game tomorrow
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:01:29:17:20:18 by Whyarecarrots.
COME ON YOU 'QUINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The game's afoot;
Follow your spirit: and upon this charge,
Cry — God for Harry! England and Saint George
COME ON YOU 'QUINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RESPECT THE REF - NO REF, NO GAME!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:01:30:15:31:58 by Joquin.
I love the constant backdrop of 'wind on microphone'
The production team should be fired
3 -7
O Fortuna, velut luna statu variabilis,
semper crescis aut decrescis
Hmm, hopeless tackling lets Wasps in. Shame.
O Fortuna, velut luna statu variabilis,
semper crescis aut decrescis
O Fortuna, velut luna statu variabilis,
semper crescis aut decrescis
Assuming we don't snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, can any stattos explain what we need next week and how the semis work?
Quote:DOK
Did you not think Ceri ran into his man, used him as a battering ram then discarded him to score? I thought it was a fantastic piece of rugby if slightly illegal!
No, because York had the ball and set up the maul. York always had someone on him.
Wasps bringing on the heavy mob (Betsen and Walder) in response to Quins getting the bonus point try. Betsen's first action is to drop the ball.
O Fortuna, velut luna statu variabilis,
semper crescis aut decrescis
Quote:SussexMightyQuin
8-29 Come on the Quins!!
Assuming we don't snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, can any stattos explain what we need next week and how the semis work?
Quins need a four point win next week to qualify as number 1 seed. That would mean a home semi-final against the group winner with the least points. You may well be playing Wasps yet again. A loss next week would depend on other results, but it is unlikely to be enough to qualify.
Quote:The Prof
How can the Quins pack drive right through the wasps one with no binding from wasps and it nor be a penalty to us?
Fox demonstrating his world-class ineptitude on the world stage
O Fortuna, velut luna statu variabilis,
semper crescis aut decrescis