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#Post#: 125320--------------------------------------------------
What makes Harlequins one of the most exciting Premiership Rugby
teams?
DIR By: deadlyfrom5yardsout
Date: June 2, 2024, 3:57 am
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31 May 2024 Eddie McAteer Follow @SW_Londoner
Despite missing out on the play-offs on the final day of the
season, Harlequins have proven to be one of the Premiership’s
most entertaining teams.
With players like Marcus Smith, Tyrone Green and Danny Care in
the side, this is hardly a surprise, but it goes beyond
individual talent.
Statistically speaking, Harlequins have made the most turnovers,
the third most carries and beaten the third most defenders in
the league.
Harlequins Podcast co-founder Michael Wood explained: “Turnovers
give you a platform for unstructured attack, because the
opposition is set up to take the ball on the front foot, which
means there’s often space in behind or in the channels.
“You can’t give some of the players we’ve got that sort of time
and space to run into the gaps, so turnovers are massive for us.
“It’s like a slingshot for attack because you’re in a position
where you don’t have the ball and then all of a sudden you have
it back.”
Harlequins play at the Twickenham Stoop. Credit: Eddie McAteer
Flanker Will Evans and Number 8 Alex Dombrandt led the way at
the top of the Premiership’s turnover chart by the end of Round
17, meaning that Quins have had plenty of opportunities to
launch this kind of attack.
Evans recently explained to the Times that he aims to make the
ball playable from turnovers, rather than simply winning the
penalty.
This allows the Twickenham side to make use of the space in
front of them by unleashing someone like Tyrone Greene, who sat
second for metres made and third for defenders beaten.
Not only that, but the club sources most of its points from
tries, with 73% of their points coming from tries compared to
the average 67% across the rest of the competition.
Despite their success in attack, there have been frailties in
this approach, particularly regarding defence, but Wood said the
club plays best when it plays ball in hand, attacking rugby.
He explained: “When Quins have had success, especially in the
Premiership era, it’s been playing a brand of rugby that’s
exciting.
“There have been periods in the last maybe seven or eight years
where they’ve gone away from that and haven’t found success.”
In January 2021, Harlequins parted company with their
defence-minded head coach Paul Gustard following a run of
disappointing results.
In the following months they turned the season around, reaching
the play-offs and mounting a monumental comeback from 28-0 down
against Bristol Bears to win 36-43.
They backed that up with a thrilling 40-38 victory over Exeter
Chiefs in the final and although they may not have made the
play-offs this season, there have been plenty of entertaining
games.
You just have to look at their 41-42 win over Bordeaux in the
Champions Cup or the 53-28 loss to Bristol to see their
attacking mindset.
Of course, with such attacking play comes some defensive risk,
and the team have conceded the third-most points this season.
Defensive frailties do nothing to dissuade the Harlequins
faithful. Credit: Eddie McAteer
Commentator and adopted Harlequins fan Dave Rogers said:
“There’s the realisation that you’ve kind of got to live and die
by the sword really, and sometimes it’s going to work and you’re
gonna have days like Bordeaux and Bristol.
“Other days it’s not going to work and you’re gonna have days
like Saracens at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season
[where they lost 52-7], which absolutely sucked.”
Even though the side missed out on the play-offs this season,
there is a sense that the fans are happy because they are
playing ‘the Harlequins way’.
Thanks to the sheer amount of turnovers the team get through,
they are able to let loose with the players that make games
exciting for fans, and at Quins there are a lot of them.
Even among the forwards you find players like Chandler
Cunningham-South, Dombrandt and Evans, all of whom are capable
of a bit of ‘jouez rugby’, or flair for those unfamiliar with
the terminology.
Pre-season will offer Quins a chance to rest and regroup after a
draining season which saw them compete on two fronts, but there
is little chance of them changing this style.
Featured image: Eddie McAteer
#Post#: 125322--------------------------------------------------
Re: What makes Harlequins one of the most exciting Premiership
Rugby teams?
DIR By: Marsile
Date: June 2, 2024, 5:40 am
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Played 18 matches. Ended with points difference of -34.
'nough said.
#Post#: 125327--------------------------------------------------
Re: What makes Harlequins one of the most exciting Premiership
Rugby teams?
DIR By: 22 Dropout
Date: June 2, 2024, 10:16 am
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I am always surprised Owen Eastwood does not get more of a
mention where Harlequins is involved.
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