Harlequins v Wasps preview

By Worried of Whitton
December 30 2004

The first match of 2005 to be played at the Stoop sees Harlequins at home to Wasps, in our second “London Derby” of the holiday period. The match kicks off at 15.00 on Sunday January 2nd and it will be the last match to be played in front of the old West Stand which is due for demolition.

But can we expect Quins to demolish Wasps? A home win is by no means impossible. It must be remembered that Quins remain unbeaten in their last four Zurich Premiership matches

Wasps endured a torrid pre Christmas run which saw their season begin to unravel, with back to back defeats in the Heineken Cup by Leicester. Mathematically Wasps can still qualify for the quarter final stages of the European competition, but will need to win their final two matches with convincing wins. This was followed by the shock of being ejected from the Powergen Cup, for fielding an ineligible player, despite winning in the match in extra time. Last week Wasps bounced back by defeating Gloucester who, were down to thirteen men for a while during the second half with two players in the sin bin. Wasps lie in Second place in the Premiership, nine points adrift of Leicester at the top. At this stage of the season this is not an insurmountable lead, but Wasps have a dilemma, and will not want to release their hold on the Heineken Cup before the quarter finals, but will also be determined to keep hold of their Domestic Trophy too. Will they rest any of their formidable squad ahead of next weeks European Competition? Van Gisbergen, is the player that Quins need to watch out for, he rarely misses with the boot and therefore Quins discipline needs to ensure that the penalty count remains low.

In contrast Harlequins face the New Year with a clear goal, to remain in the Premiership. The final countdown begins on Sunday with just 10 Zurich Premiership Matches to go. The match at Saracens last weekend was widely reported as a match that neither side were capable of winning and, under the circumstances, the 8 -8 draw was seen as a fair result. Quins were the better side during the second half which saw them dominate for 25 minutes enabling them to take the lead through a well timed 30 metre sprint by Gavin Duffy for his third try of the season. This was followed by a drop goal from Staunton which appeared to have sewn up the result for Quins, but Saracens fought back. On refection I think the result has to be seen as two points lost rather than two points won. Had they won Quins would have moved up the table instead of remaining in tenth position All the results in the bottom half of the table last week further closed the gap for those six sides. As 2004 closes, just six points separate the bottom five clubs, and with Northampton’s last gasp win at Reading, which moved them off the bottom, London Irish are being dragged into the mix. Ironically, the result of their match away at Worcester on New Years Day is likely to play a significant role in determining the rest of Harlequins season, especially as our next two Premiership matches will be away to Leicester and at home to Gloucester.

It is not surprising the that team announcement has been delayed until Friday December 31st., to allow the long list of injured players further recovery time. These include Ugo Monye, George Harder, Jeremy Staunton, Mike Worsley, James Hayter and Ace Tiatia. With the news that Greenwood out for the next few weeks at least, with a shoulder injury, the Deane – James partnership has a chance to re establish, providing that either Harder or Monye are back from injury. Otherwise it is likely James will be on the wing with Reay partnering Deane in the centre Harder will be key to unlocking the Wasps defence.
Hopefully Monye, too will return this weekend following injury. Past matches against Wasps have seen Monye in his prime and he is Quins top try scorer against Wasps. We will be hoping for a repeat performance but it is unlikely that Wasps will underestimate what he can contribute, and will endeavour to close him down. Wasps are likely to have problems in containing Williams who is certain to start over Duffy, despite his try last week.

Once again Quins have a problem at Hooker with injuries to Fuga (cartilage) and Tiatia who took a knock to the head at Vicarage Road, which severely affected both line outs and scrums and although Hayter came on as a replacement, he too was not 100% fit due to a groin injury. It is likely, therefore that Cameron Dott will be wearing the No.2 shirt. and Scotty has also inferred that Tom Muggridge from the academy who has been training this week with the First XV may also start in the front row. As stated in last weeks match report, Easter, seems to have re discovered the form that has been missing in the recent cup games. So’oialo too made a number of promising probing runs. We await the Quins team announcement with interest.

The past four matches between the two clubs have been very exciting and very close affairs, with the loosing side always picking up a bonus point. Quins have however, managed to put in some excellent performances at home against Wasps and Harlequins have won their last three meetings at the Stoop.

The start of a New Year brings new hope, I’m sure Sunday will produce another exciting game between these sides and that Quins will come out winners, in a tight and close scoring match.


Finally, may I wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year

Come on you Quins!
You can to win this.

NOTE:
Quins and Wasps had yet to announce their teams as this article went for publication.
Please check their respective official websites for team news.