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#Post#: 50413--------------------------------------------------
Salute to Robbo
DIR By: The Quin Meister
Date: September 28, 2020, 5:56 am
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In a more normal ending to this season, for Chris Robshaw's last
home game, The Stoop would have been packed and we would all
have stayed behind after the match to salute a club legend and
Harlequin great. Many of us would have loved to be there but
alas it is not to be. But the facts don't change and Robbo has
served Quins with distinction for so many years. I became a
Quins fan at the start of the Andre Vos era and Robbo could have
had no better a mentor of the backrow arts. Vossie was a
gentleman off the pitch but hard as nails on it and so
consistent in his performances. Robbo seems to have learnt well!
As we know, Chris learnt his rugby playing for Warlingham RFC
juniors, and being an East Surrey man myself it just adds a
little connection. Thanks for all the memories Chris, but
especially a MOTM performance in the Premiership Cup final.
We know that Robbo was hurt bad by the 2015 RWC exit but as fans
we share that scar together. And how good was it that after that
he went on to share in some outstanding England performances as
a worldclass 6.5! So as Chris leads out the Quins team one last
time at an empty Stoop tonight I am sure Quins fans all over the
Home Counties will be applauding him from afar. The boys will
want to put in a big performance tonight......
#Post#: 50414--------------------------------------------------
Re: Salute to Robbo
DIR By: number_seven
Date: September 28, 2020, 6:11 am
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Any thoughts on a trip over to San Diego (or even New York - bit
closer) en masse to give him a proper send off when the
situation allows?
I'm pretty sure we'd be able to make ourselves heard in an MLR
crowd.
#Post#: 50417--------------------------------------------------
Re: Salute to Robbo
DIR By: Saintquin
Date: September 28, 2020, 7:38 am
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It's a real big, or should I say massive shame we could not be
their to show him our appreciation.
Don't think anyone can say in words what we all think of Chris
that a great cheer could.
I'm am very honoured to have been around and seen him develop
into a great player, person and wish him the best for the
future.
It was my (hold back the tears) privilege, you will be missed!
#Post#: 50421--------------------------------------------------
Re: Salute to Robbo
DIR By: Harleys Evil Step Mum
Date: September 28, 2020, 8:26 am
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Club legend, fabulous player, absolute true gent off the pitch,
will be sorely missed....good luck Chris! (Sorry I couldn't let
your mIssus down the steps to see you last game!, I had my
instructions!!)
#Post#: 50422--------------------------------------------------
Re: Salute to Robbo
DIR By: Banstead Quin
Date: September 28, 2020, 8:36 am
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It's difficult for me because I will always see Jason Leonard as
the greatest Quin. The reason for that is that I played against
him as a school boy and saw him go on and become the most capped
player in world rugby and from talking to him at Barking RFC was
how I started supporting Quins, even though he went to Sarries
first, he thought very highly of Quins. He went on to have an
amazing career and the John Smiths/Parker Pen shields and first
European honour were how we measured success then.
That said I cannot explain the magnitude of the impact that
Chris Robshaw has had on our club and us as fans. This quiet,
unassuming bloke helped to drag us through a difficult time in
09/10 and emerged as a strong leader of men. I was so pleased
with the European Challenge cup victory in 2011 and thought that
an amazing achievement and his performance was exceptional on
the night. To then see him ignored by England was harsh but to
see what that did to him as a player and leader in 11/12, I
hadn't seen anything like it. He was immense in the final and
then followed that up with those outstanding performances in
South Africa.
Seeing that the world was at his feet and on 1st January 2013
he must have woken up dreaming of another league title, European
glory, Six Nations title and Lions captaincy. To see all of
that taken away from him one by one but not due to him or his
abilities, he continued to be outstanding, was heartbreaking.
For a man of his ability to not have a Lions cap is a disgrace
and why I'm a massive advocate of a points based qualifying
system for Lions selection rather than the nepotistic views of a
national coach.
I cried for him in 2015. The whole setup of the squad was wrong
and the coaches should never have worked in rugby again. They
allowed disharmony and factions in the camp and threw Robshaw
under the bus when it all went, predictably, tits up.
All the pretenders have come and gone and he still shone through
as they all slipped away one by one. We will not see his like
again at the Stoop and that worries me but when his retirement
plan in San Diego is over, we need him back inspiring the next
generations at Quins.
Sir, it was a privilege to see you in quarters and you will
always be a deity in South West London. Salute.
#Post#: 50424--------------------------------------------------
Re: Salute to Robbo
DIR By: poorfour
Date: September 28, 2020, 9:36 am
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I'd second most of that, though not the level of vitriol against
the England coaching setup. They made mistakes, and Chris took
most of the flak (for which I tend to blame the press at least
as much as the coaches), but it's clear from what all of them
have done since that they still have a lot to offer to rugby.
Anyway, Will Greenwood tipped Robshaw as one to watch after our
of our early Challenge Cup matches on our return from the old
ND1, and I watched him closely from that point on. His arrival
wasn't as obvious as that of Mike Brown (who took a firm hold of
the 15 shirt from his first senior appearance and seems to have
no plans to relinquish it any time soon), but it quickly became
apparent that his undying workrate was something that would mark
him out as a key player for Quins. He was a player whose value
was hard to spot on the pitch and showed itself primarily in
stats, analysis videos and as we can see from the tributes in
tonight's matchday programme, in what he did for others off the
pitch. Even when he made a break, it was usually characterised
by a slightly startled look on his face as if he'd never
expected to find himself in that position.
But while the highlights reels focus on the big hits, the
outrageous steals and the charging breaks from other players,
what we came to appreciate as Quins fans was how much better he
made the team work and just how often when we needed a loose
ball recovered, a scrambled tackle or a crucial turnover it
would be him emerging from the pile of bodies with the critical
play.
As a matchday reporter for CAW I remember sneaking into a press
conference - it may have been the Quins v Leicester pre-run of
the final in 2012 - where Conor O'Shea described how, even
having been his Director of Rugby for several years, he still
could not believe the amount of work the man got through. The
Monday morning video analysis would be punctuated with "How did
he manage to get THERE? Again?"
It's telling that, having served under four Quins DoRs and three
England regimes, he was as far as I can remember only dropped
twice. Once by Martin Johnson, in favour of 2003 stalwarts who
failed to deliver, and once by Eddie Jones when by his own
admission he rushed his return from injury and couldn't deliver
the level of performance that Eddie wanted. That he won over
coaches as diverse as Deano, COS, Lancaster and Eddie says quite
a lot.
In the end, it's fitting that the match that most sums up his
contribution to the club is the one that perhaps represents
their joint greatest achievement. Rugby is the teamiest of team
sports and it's hard for an individual contribution to stand out
over 80 minutes. Usually, there's room for debate over who the
Man of the Match was, but in the 2012 Aviva Premiership Final
there was no doubt. If the "two Robshaws" joke was already in
common currency among Quins fans, this game cemented it with
Chris playing both flanker and first receiver, in the process
causing all sorts of problems for the Tigers' defence. It was
both a great performance for the team and one of the greatest
individual sporting performances it has been my pleasure to
watch.
It was fitting that he scored a try that was the difference
between the two teams and in keeping with his dual role it was
both typical of his style of play and absolutely unlike it,
taking a cheeky pass from Danny Care as he trotted innocuously
back into the line and then diving over before anyone else knew
what was happening. Even more fitting was the final act of the
game. Does anything sum up Chris Robshaw better than emerging
with a crucial turnover under pressure to secure the victory?
Thanks for everything, Chris, and good luck for the future. We
were lucky to have you and we will miss you and your dedication
to the cause. You will always be welcomed back here with open
arms and offers of pints, and your position as one of the
greatest players ever to pull on the quarters is one we
wholeheartedly support.
#Post#: 50604--------------------------------------------------
Re: Salute to Robbo
DIR By: Quintessential
Date: September 28, 2020, 4:06 pm
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--- Quote from: poorfour link ---
>
> (Brilliantly written tribute)
>
--- End Quote ---
Bravo
#Post#: 50618--------------------------------------------------
Re: Salute to Robbo
DIR By: Mayor West
Date: September 28, 2020, 4:29 pm
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I was going to write something about Robbo but after that from
poorfour I feel it would be rather inadequate. Well said sir .
#Post#: 50850--------------------------------------------------
Re: Salute to Robbo
DIR By: tigerburnie
Date: October 1, 2020, 7:32 am
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I think it's fair to say all England fans held him in high
esteem, good luck to him.
#Post#: 50882--------------------------------------------------
Re: Salute to Robbo
DIR By: DOK
Date: October 1, 2020, 2:02 pm
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Chris Robshaw's career can be measured by the noble manner he
handled failures
HTML https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/oct/01/chris-robshaw-career-england-captin-measured-by-the-way-he-handled-failure
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