Aviva Rugby Premiership 2012 Preview - Part 1
Harlequins
Quins have come far in the past few years. Long known as the toffs of English rugby in the pre-professional era and having fought back to the Premiership after being relegated for a year in 2005, they hit rock bottom in the 2009 Heineken Cup with the infamous blood-gate scandal. This left them without a coach (Dean Richards, who was banned from rugby for 3 years, is credited with building the foundations of the new look Quins team after taking them from the Championship- interestingly a challenge he now faces again after taking the reigns at recently relegated Newcastle), and in state of turmoil. Step in Connor O Shea, Quins new inspirational (ex Ireland international) coach. He values teamwork and a collective spirit- showing faith in his team through all the challenges they face (a great example here is Danny Cares recent troubles, and the clubs unwavering approach in supporting him). A sheer testament to the success of moulding a team, Quins rarely spend big bucks to bring in a new high profile player. Instead, they train them up through the Academy and fit them into the team over a long period. A large proportion of the team that were present at the final in May were also part of the squad during the blood-gate scandal, the victory itself marking the end of years chasing retribution. With their first Premiership title under their belts, the highest season ticket sales of any Premiership club, and many members of the squad now involved in international duty in one form or another, Quins really are the team to beat this year- in some ways the easy part is over with, now its about maintaining their strength. Player To Watch: Chris Robshaw, the Quins and England captain, is undoubtedly the driving force behind recent success for both squads. Its rare to see a player hit a ruck at full force in the 80th minute, but Chris does repeatedly and it makes all the difference. He needs to work on his decisions at crucial moments in matches, but he has the potential to lead both teams onto further success. 2012-2013 Outlook: Top 4. Expect a strong, confident performance from Quins this year with players growing from last year and gaining invaluable international experience. Come the knock out rounds, they surely look strong having won a competition by knock-out for the past 2 years running, but the other teams will be doing all they can to knock the Londoners off their perch.