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Harlequins assistant Nick Evans and skipper Stephan Lewies have admitted they are heading into next Sunday’s home clash with in-form Saracens determined to highlight how their Premiership title win last season was no fluke and that they are capable of lifting the trophy again. Minus their ousted head of rugby Paul Gustard, Quins came from nowhere to clinch Premiership glory last June for the first time since 2012.
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Their easy-on-the-eye style of rugby was orchestrated by the swashbuckling Marcus Smith. However, while they provided some exhilarating entertainment, they have since encountered a level of resentment suggesting that a team that only crept into the playoffs in fourth place weren’t worthy winners.
Also taking away from their achievement was the fact that Saracens, the champions in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019, were not in the top-flight following their automatic relegation for repeated breaches of the salary cap. Harlequins have impressively started their title defence, winning four of their five games so far, but they will be eager to get a victory over third-placed Saracens at The Stoop on Sunday to make a point to those who begrudge them their title win.
“You just have to chat to some of the guys that go into England camp and come back and say this is what is being said,” explained Harlequins assistant Evans. “It’s a funny one because we have got the trophy, it’s in the cabinet and I can go to look at it if I want to, so I know what we did and what we achieved and eleven other teams didn’t do it.
“People can say what they want. It is one of those things in the background that can drive you and you use for motivation at times but us as a group and an organisation, we just want to improve on what we are and just try and be better to push the boundaries. We are under no illusion that every game now is like a final for us.
"Someone is going to have to get quick…"
– Louis Lynagh potentially still has Test options other than England#England #Australia #Italy #AutumnNationSeries #Quinshttps://t.co/fd3OXlBn3o
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 27, 2021
“Teams maybe say we fluked it or they don’t think we are worthy champions, but certainly from what we have seen in the first few games of this season we have performed like we are the champions, but we have to make sure that we are on the money very much prepared for every battle. You saw how Sale celebrated when they beat us in Manchester, how excited and how they celebrated that. That in itself gives a bit of confidence to us that a really good team like that who are well-coached sees us in that light. Maybe there are certain sectors of rugby here that think that (we are not worthy champions), but it is not something we really dwell on.”
This lack of title respect alleged by Evans was something that skipper Lewies also touched on and he too is determined to win a second successive title to put an end to this derogatory talk about Harlequins. “Speaking to other teams and Marcus coming back from the Lions where he spoke to some people, everyone thinks we struck a bit of luck and in hindsight say we didn’t deserve it. This season we still have that tag of underdogs.
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“We like that tag and going into games that way. It fuels us – every time we rock up and people don’t see us as this championship team. Sometimes people still think we don’t deserve it, which is fine. We can express ourselves and play the way we do.
“It’s a great motivation and makes us want to do it again to show that, ‘Listen, it wasn’t a fluke when we did it the first time’. We want to do it again. If we do it two in a row, it will be really tough for people to say, ‘Listen, that was a fluke, you were lucky the first time’. It just feels extra motivation for this season.”
'I’m happy for the coaching staff, happy for a lot of the support staff, happy for a lot of the players.'@heagneyl ??? talks to Paul Gustard, who left Quins mid-season, months before they went on to be crowned English champions #ICYMIhttps://t.co/YbbJrGyR9X
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 4, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Bell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
13 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
13 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to comments