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#Post#: 128863--------------------------------------------------
Quins Defence
DIR By: BedfordshireBoy
Date: October 15, 2024, 8:24 am
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Interesting piece in the DT on Quins defensive play on Sunday,
need to open the link (if you can) to see associated video
HTML https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2024/10/15/harlequins-defence-analysis-saracens-marcus-smith/
How Harlequins went from defence optional to mean machine
Selection, a new signing, first-phase steel and breakdown
scrapping are all coming together in Jason Gilmore’s measured
system
Charlie Morgan
Senior Rugby Writer
Charlie Morgan
Related Topics
Harlequins Rugby, Gallagher Premiership, Marcus Smith
15 October 2024 9:02am BST
5
Jack Kenningham
Jack Kenningham celebrates during Harlequins’ 17-10 win over
Saracens Credit: John Walton/PA Wire
Even the most ardent Harlequins fan would acknowledge that their
team has earned a reputation for flakiness over the years. And
last season, especially since the departure of Jerry Flannery as
defence coach in January, reinforced this unwanted image.
Along with Gloucester and Newcastle Falcons, Harlequins were one
of just three Premiership clubs to concede over 500 points in
domestic action. Quite remarkably, they were hit for a
half-century in three of their last five league matches as a
play-off chance slipped away.
For that reason, the arrival of Jason Gilmore as the new defence
guru felt integral to an improved campaign. Marcus Smith sang
the Australian’s praises over pre-season, the fly-half citing a
level of detail that he had never previously encountered.
Two weeks ago, Danny Wilson explained that Gilmore is an
exceptional “in-the-red” coach, meaning that he can correct
faults in the moment during training sessions. More importantly,
Gilmore has implemented absolute clarity around the Harlequins
system.
Jason Gilmore
Jason Gilmore arrived at Harlequins over the summer Credit:
Getty Images
Saturday, and a derby date with Saracens, brought an acid test.
Had Harlequins become steelier? Could they snap a run of losses
to their nearest and fiercest foes? The rope-a-dope that
followed reversed the recent roles of the fixture, produced a
17-10 victory and offered a resounding answer in the
affirmative.
Halfpenny leads from the back
The signing of Leigh Halfpenny, announced at the end of July,
raised eyebrows around the country. At 35, what would the Wales
veteran offer? Apart from a similar stature, he is about as
different a player to Harlequins front-line full-back Tyrone
Green as one could find.
Because of his fitness levels and anticipation, Halfpenny has
always been an ideal man for a defence wishing to maintain width
in the front line. Watch here in the early moments of the game.
We get a glimpse of Halfpenny, as Saracens run a neat shape and
move the ball towards the near touchline:
rugby
When the grubber comes through from Alex Lozowski, Halfpenny
mops up:
Later, with Saracens inside the Harlequins 22 attacking towards
the far touchline, Halfpenny and Nick David are in the
back-field:
rugby
On the next phase, having clocked the danger, Halfpenny and
David slip into the front line and Saracens run out of room when
Jamie George is tackled:
In the second half, Halfpenny trusts Marcus Smith to track
across the pitch to tackle Elliot Daly. Had Halfpenny bit in
here, Daly would have fed Tobias Elliott for a simple try:
Wilson revealed afterwards that there has been a shift of
mind-set at Harlequins, with more defensive meetings and greater
focus on collision work. Halfpenny, a pillar of reliability and
toughness, embodies as much.
Keeping width
Gilmore’s system appears to be one that strives to keep its
width, often at the expense of aggressive line-speed. This still
requires graft and tenacity. Harlequins completed 229 tackles
according to Oval Insights, which is a hefty number. Across five
games in round four, no other Premiership team registered more
than 183.
This sequence comes just after the horrific leg injury suffered
by Andy Onyeama-Christie. It is important to stress that this
setback, as well as the departure of Juan Martín González, stung
Saracens significantly. But this is a strong platform for them.
Smith is the man to watch:
rugby
When Saracens are awarded a free-kick, Ben Earl takes it
quickly. Smith goes low and chops him down:
Rather than flood the breakdown, which could cause their front
line to become narrow, Harlequins forwards bustle around the
corner. Irné Herbst and James Chisholm can meet Tom Willis…
rugby
…and halt the back-rower:
A few phases later, Saracens have been pushed back 10 metres or
so. Dino Lamb, Fin Baxter and Herbst all engulf Willis again.
Baxter drives his legs after contact, encapsulating how
Harlequins fought in collisions:
Eventually, having retreated behind the 22, Saracens opt to go
to the boot.
On several more occasions, the visitors were ushered towards
touchlines. The moment that just about sealed Harlequins’ win
saw Fergus Burke enveloped by Will Porter, Jack Kenningham,
Oscar Beard, David and Herbst before being hauled out of bounds.
Baxter pinpointed dominant tackles and “creating more time in
the ruck” as aspects that Gilmore has prioritised. They
certainly came to the fore against Saracens.
First-phase ferocity
Selection paid off handsomely for Harlequins, who opted to
deploy a heavy blindside flanker in Dino Lamb and a centre
partnership of Lennox Anyanwu and Oscar Beard.
Typically incisive from line-outs, Saracens were suffocated.
Here, they attempt a cute strike with Earl swinging around a
slice pattern run by their own centres, Nick Tompkins and
Lozowski. Note the respective positions of Kenningham, Smith,
Anyanwu and Beard:
rugby
Anyanwu reads it well and covers across to Earl, slowing down
the carrier. That allows Beard and Kenningham to wrap up the
ball, making the tackle last around six seconds. Beard keeps his
eyes on referee Christophe Ridley to ensure that his disruption
remains legal:
At the beginning of the second quarter, Anyanwu and Beard
identify Lozowski as the carrier very quickly and combine for a
heavy tackle that stalls momentum:
González spills off the next phase.
This is the final Saracens line-out of the game and their last
chance to launch. Follow Beard. He does not shoot up. Quite the
opposite. He almost treads water, allowing the Saracens move to
play out in front of him.
Only when he is confident that Burke’s pass is going across
Willis to Lucio Cinti does he step in…
…clattering the carrier with a copybook tackle. Cinti ends up
flat on his back thanks to the power of Beard, which allows
other defenders to fan out and fill the front line.
Just enough jackalling
With his array of scavengers, it makes sense for Gilmore to give
some licence to spoil on the floor as long as it does not
compromise the width of the front line.
Here, on the cusp of half-time, Kenningham, who is like a new
signing given his injury frustrations over the past two seasons,
collars an isolated Tompkins around the fringes of a ruck and
wins a turnover:
Will Evans was held back as an impact replacement and chases
Porter’s box-kick here:
rugby
A jackalling penalty brought the field position that opened up a
17-7 advantage:
Stephan Lewies and Nathan Jibulu stole possession on the floor
as well and, much earlier, Baxter had played on Saracens’
frustration.
Note the young prop’s position in this reasonably innocuous
scenario:
rugby
Baxter and Lamb complete a wrestling tackle on Nick Isiekwe.
They delay Saracens by holding the ball above the ground and
then driving into the ruck. Often, breakdown defence is not
about straight steals but simply about causing a nuisance.
Sure enough, by flopping over his England college, Baxter annoys
Earl enough for the latter to complain to Ridley. The referee
awards a penalty to Harlequins, which leads to their first try,
scored by Baxter:
If defence exposes the togetherness of a team, then Harlequins
are demonstrably willing to fight for one another.
All hands to the pump
Maul defence was another success story of Saturday and Anyanwu
and David leant their weight to this situation, which followed
Chisholm’s yellow card:
rugby
Harlequins possibly get lucky with the ruling that the ball has
become unavailable, yet undoubtedly stifled the Saracens driving
game:
Scrambling in open play, after all structure has been abandoned,
also says a lot about a team. Track Earl and Anyanwu here, as
Alex Goode gathers a high ball:
rugby
Anyanwu turns, chases down the break and brings down Earl:
Baxter, with 18 tackles, was only behind the relentless pair of
Kenningham (23) and Herbst (22) on the Harlequins tally. Lamb
and Chisholm managed 16 each, with Smith totting up 14 as the
busiest back.
Open space can be cruel to front-rowers but Baxter’s mobility
and tackle technique spared Harlequins in another tricky
position. As Porter clears, Baxter is part of the ruck:
rugby
Goode gathers just over the touchline and feeds Daly with a
quick line-out to keep Harlequins under the pump:
rugby
What follows is an excellent cover tackle from Baxter on Daly
that summed up the fight of Harlequins:
Four games into the 2024-25, Harlequins have conceded just eight
tries. Only Leicester Tigers, shipping seven, have been
stingier.
Bath come to the Twickenham Stoop next, and the hosts will be
buoyed by a performance that restricted Saracens to 10 points
despite 11 visits to the 22. Given Saracens plundered 90 points
in two outings against Harlequins last term, progress seems
palpable.
Early days indeed, but Gilmore is proving to be a valuable
acquisition in the bid to firm up any flakiness
#Post#: 128867--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Defence
DIR By: Marsile
Date: October 15, 2024, 10:40 am
---------------------------------------------------------
It was a fine defensive performance by Harlequins,
cup-finalesque.
Not much flair though was there?
#Post#: 128869--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Defence
DIR By: Quinky
Date: October 15, 2024, 11:23 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Excellent defence. And a superb victory. A fantastic win. Could
easily have been a loss, but it wasn't. The other team lost.
It's great feeling to be winners.
#Post#: 128870--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Defence
DIR By: poorfour
Date: October 15, 2024, 11:46 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Marsile link ---
>
> It was a fine defensive performance by Harlequins,
cup-finalesque.
>
> Not much flair though was there?
>
--- End Quote ---
Perhaps it was a fine defensive performance by Saracens, too? It
usually is. Just this time, not quite as fine as their
opponent's.
And as I recall, the difference between the two teams on the
scoreboard was a result of a moment of flair. Sometimes one is
all you need.
#Post#: 128876--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Defence
DIR By: Quinky
Date: October 15, 2024, 12:17 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: poorfour link ---
>
> Perhaps it was a fine defensive performance by Saracens, too?
It usually is. Just this time, not quite as fine as their
opponent's.
>
> And as I recall, the difference between the two teams on the
scoreboard was a result of a moment of flair. Sometimes one is
all you need.
>
--- End Quote ---
Out of interest, do we get more points for winning with flair? I
didn't think so. So the win is what matters. And what a win it
was.
#Post#: 128877--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Defence
DIR By: JammyGit
Date: October 15, 2024, 12:43 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
A tight match defined by the difference between the two sides -
an absolute genius pulling the strings.
In days gone past, that might have been Alex Goode or someone
like that. This time it was Marcus making the difference by
doing what no one else could do on the day.
#Post#: 128879--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Defence
DIR By: Marsile
Date: October 15, 2024, 1:24 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Quinky link ---
>
> Out of interest, do we get more points for winning with flair?
I didn't think so. So the win is what matters. And what a win it
was.
>
--- End Quote ---
It was a fine victory. Not sure what the possession and
territory stats look like but it's good that you can appreciate
winning that way.
#Post#: 128880--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Defence
DIR By: raedarius
Date: October 15, 2024, 1:43 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Blimey. It's tag team trolling.
#Post#: 128881--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Defence
DIR By: PA18_supercub
Date: October 15, 2024, 1:58 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Marsile link ---
>
> It was a fine defensive performance by Harlequins,
cup-finalesque.
>
> Not much flair though was there?
>
--- End Quote ---
Saracens like? or is that losing without flair?
#Post#: 128883--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Defence
DIR By: JammyGit
Date: October 15, 2024, 2:06 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: raedarius link ---
>
> Blimey. It's tag team trolling.
>
--- End Quote ---
One account gets banned, the other tags in. Just very normal
behaviour.
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