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Andre the Giant checks in for debut with Marcus Smith poised to reach Premiership milestone
New Springbok signing Andre Esterhuizen is set to make his Harlequins debut on Wednesday after getting selected on the bench by Paul Gustard for the club’s ‘away’ Gallagher Premiership match versus London Irish at The Stoop.
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Capped eight times by the Springboks, the 113kg, 6ft 4in midfielder signed for the English top-flight club last January for an unspecified period of time from the Sharks after he failed to make the cut for last year’s World Cup finals in Japan.
Esterhuizen, 26, now comes into the Harlequins replacements as they attempt to pick up the pieces following last Saturday’s home defeat to Bath in front of nearly 3,000 people at Premiership Rugby’s first pilot event allowing fans back into English stadiums.
Returning to the starting XV, fly-half Marcus Smith will look to surpass the Gallagher Premiership 500 points mark – the young playmaker is currently sitting on 491 points to date. Aged 21, only former England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson will have reached this Premiership milestone at a younger age. Smith will also become only the third Harlequin of all time to score 500 points in the Premiership.
Harlequins boss Gustard said: “We are looking for a positive response to the game at the weekend where we didn’t maximise or convert the opportunities we created. We have reflected on the game honestly and openly in training this week and have picked a team we feel are motivated and determined to perform against a strong Irish side.
The safety net of Saracens' relegation has Exiles looking ahead rather than fretting over their 7?? Premiership losses in a row https://t.co/r4YmrUJUwb
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 8, 2020
“We are immensely pleased to name academy product George Hammond for his first Premiership appearance amongst our game changers alongside new signing Andre Esterhuizen who is also in line to make his first appearance.”
Irish, meanwhile, have rewarded Jack Cooke for his performances since the restart by handing him the captaincy of a squad that includes 13 academy representatives. “Local derbies are always a special occasion in any sport, and that is no different with our games against Quins,” said director of rugby Declan Kidney.
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“This is a unique situation where we are the home team, playing in The Stoop, using the away dressing rooms. So, there is plenty of spice there even before the game starts.”
LONDON IRISH: 15. James Stokes; 14. Dan Norton, 13. Ross Neal, 12. Phil Cokanasiga, 11. Ollie Hassell-Collins; 10. Jacob Atkins, 9. Ben Meehan; 1. Allan Dell, 2. Matt Cornish, 3. Ollie Hoskins, 4. Ben Donnell, 5. Chunya Munga, 6. Jack Cooke (capt), 7. Josh Smart, 8. Isaac Curtis-Harris. Reps: 16. Ben Atkins, 17. Harry Elrington, 18. Lovejoy Chawatama, 19. George Nott, 20. Izaiha Moore-Aiono, 21. Caolan Englefield, 22. Brendan Macken, 23. Tom Homer.
HARLEQUINS: 15. Aaron Morris; 14. Cadan Murley, 13. Luke Northmore, 12. James Lamg, 11. Nathan Earle; 10. Marcus Smith, 9. Scott Steele; 1. Santiago Garcia Botta, 2. Scott Baldwin, 3. Simon Kerrod, 4. Dino Lamb, 5. Stephan Lewies, 6. Tom Lawday, 7. Chris Robshaw (capt), 8. James Chisholm. Reps: 16. Joe Gray, 17. Marc Thomas, 18. Will Collier, 19. George Hammond, 20. Archie White, 21. Martin Landajo, 22. Andre Esterhuizen, 23. Ross Chisholm.
"I've watched it on TV on Monday on my own, no hidden agenda – that's a f**kin' bad tackle"
– The Rugby Pod's Jim Hamilton has had his say on the weekend's major talking point https://t.co/5zsj9tU2jX
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 8, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
I hope Leinster’s proud of themselves fielding a poor team. They should decide if they’re all in or not.
1 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
23 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
13 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
6 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
6 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
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