WRW FRIDAY: DRESS REHEARSAL TIME
TEAMS UP
Meanwhile, two changes for Quins - Lang for the suspended Mike Brown and Earle for Murley.
This is not a Harlequins team looking for a losing bonus point and it will be fascinating to see from an objective stance, just how they back up the emotion of their extraordinary victory over Wasps - with 12 tries in all, there was barely enough contracted time for Channel 5 to squeeze in all the highlights.
It’s not all hype about Quins either. When you average nearly five tries a game, something is going well. I recall from the return game at the Stoop, how Smith had the speed of thought to get his backs moving despite Tigers stepping on the gas in midfield.
Given the reams of coverage that Smith has this week - including a standby place on the Lions tour so we are told - there are some who forget just what a quality fly-half George Ford is and the competitive dog within Oldham’s finest, is bound to have been stirred by that.
If you think Steve Borthwick was over-egging the pudding when he said that Harlequins kick a lot, he’s right. Smith kicks more than any other Premiership player this season while Danny Card is third on the list. But they do it consistently well, finding space, finding the move which their opposition least wants them to achieve.
On the other hand, Tigers have exactly the right game to take on Quins at source and you can expect the bulk of this team to play at Twickenham next week. Liebenberg is given a week off after seven starts in eight. Moroni’s defensive spirit and soundness will be missed too but Scott is sharp too.
With games now starting to run out, Borthwick will want to see more signs of momentum going into the summer.
Remember tomorrow
Four more Premiership games left and let’s take a moment, that in the absence of a fourth wave or any unforeseen circumstances, tomorrow’s game will be the 19th and final game played behind closed doors.
What a pity it is that circumstances could not allow this game to receive a crowd as others are able to do.
Congratulations to those who came through the ballot to see Bristol, but commiserations to those who didn’t make it. I hope you get priority next season but even if it’s not the cheapest day out, we’d love to see you at Twickenham this time next week.
We won’t be back to normal any time soon with a 4th wave more than likely in the year. I hope I’m wrong but when the new season starts in September, I’ll be pleasantly surprised if we are at full capacity.
AS SKY SPORTS NEWS MIGHT SAY, THE RACE FOR SIXTH (OR EIGHTH) IS ON
Look how much the bottom half of the table has tightened up in the last 2-3 weeks.
Wasps have picked up some form now that certain players no longer have Eddie Jones in their ear and one of the under-featured stories of recent weeks is how George Skivington has got Gloucester moving in the right direction with three bonus point wins in four.
Suddenly, with Newcastle winning again too, just eight points separate 6th and 11th with only Worcester certain for Challenge Cup rugby next season.
It promises to be an odd week, with half the games this weekend and the other half allowing crowds in from Monday onwards at Newcastle, Bristol and Brentford. But now every game has something riding on it and with the top four looking increasingly settled, we can all be relieved about that.
LIONS SCHEDULE UNVEILED
Here it is, with the exception of the pre-tour game against Japan set for June 26th at Murrayfield.
(Kick-off time still to be confirmed, as is the crowd size.)
From a sporting context, it’s sad but not surprising to see the likelihood of no fans. But one thought strikes me. South Africa are in a terrible position here.
They won’t see any of the receipts from the Japan game and while the Lions’ only regular revenue comes from sponsorship, the decision to tour in SA leaves all the liability for that tour with their hosts.
Normally, a Lions series fills the coffers of the host country. If you read Stephen Jones, he’ll tell you that they’re lucky to have the Lions at all and that the Home Unions should drive a much harder bargain to get what they want over money and especially scheduling. (Mind you, the Home Unions and their clubs can’t even sort that out until the last minute.)
As one observer pointed out, that might suggest that for once, this tour leaves the hosts with most of the issues to deal with and none of the upsides to benefit from.
Therefore, should South Africa not receive some sort of solidarity payment from the Murrayfield game?
I won’t hold my breath..
QUICK HITS
Breaking news at lunchtime:
Amor is leaving the England setup completely and not returning to sevens with the RFU. Ryles wants to stay in Australia after the pandemic.
That would leave room for a forwards coach to come in alongside Matt Proudfoot.
It feels like England aren’t sure who they want to bring in as attack coach though Eddie Jones will apparently take this on for the summer. After all, there is every expectation that Jones will have moved on by November 2023.
Montpellier watch Part 2. - Highlights below of their midweek win over Toulon.
They meet Stade Francais slightly before Tigers kick off against Harlequins on Saturday.
SUGGESTED READING
Studying the methods of coaches in other sports has become commonplace but Jones’s timing is interesting, with England’s summer series squad to be named early next month. Some within English rugby have been wondering aloud if Jones’s time – given his well-remunerated contract with the Rugby Football Union – may be better spent mentoring English union coaches or monitoring potential squad players.
All high-performance unions who do not currently have the maximum of three votes on the Council will be eligible for an additional vote, allowing a stronger voice on decision-making, including in elections.
The review also recommended greater female, independent, athlete and regional representation on Committees.
Female representation will increase from 30 per cent to at least 40 per cent on all World Rugby Committees in line with the new "A global sport for all - true to its values" strategic plan.
But don’t ever think that diversity will come before old-fashioned power bloc politics:
We have SUCH a long way to go…
Have a great weekend….oh, and COME ON CITY!!!
Chris