Previewing the Aviva Premiership (Part II)

Following on from Bath and Gloucester, it is probably fair to say that Harlequins also had a troubled season last year. However new director of rugby, Conor O’Shea, has promised a vibrant brand of rugby, which should suit Harlequins.

There is youthful vigour in the team. But, in my honest opinion, this is a season in which Harlequins need to deliver. At some point, youthful promise needs to develop into results.

And why not this season?

Joe Marler has just come off a good age group World Cup, and offers a punishing carrying game. Conversely, John Andress really needs to fill the scrummaging boots of Mike Ross and consolidate his position at tighthead. James Johnston, brother of Census, also has a big season ahead of him if he is to be a premiership regular.

More significantly, Harlequins need somebody to perform at hooker. Gary Botha, despite his wayward throwing, has been missed and club stalwart Tani Fuga has finally moved on. One cap wonder Matt Cairns is one more club away from journeyman status.

The front row will be locked by the usual suspects, Robson, Kohn and Percival, with Peter Browne added from Newcastle Falcons. I always got the impression that the Quins locks were hard working, but simply not big or dynamic enough to consistently threaten other packs.

The aforementioned trio are slightly undersized and lend a real air of instability to the tight five.

If the tight five is weak the back row is not. Chris Robshaw, who recently captained a mid-week England side, has a last opportunity to combat Tom Croft prior to the World Cup.

It was interesting to note Martin Johnson speaking so highly of Northampton Saints flanker Tom Woods following recent training EPS sessions.

Robshaw has been named captain for the season and plays the role of typical English blindside yeoman to great effect.

Robshaw’s partner Will Skinner is a former Saxons captain who has dropped completely out of the England reckoning. Having been heralded as a future starlet when at Leicester Tigers, the true fetching openside has never quite gained Test recognition, despite putting in some consistently heroic performances.

I think the party line is that he is too small for international rugby.

Robshaw and Skinner will be joined by Nick Easter, who will be eyeing up his World Cup slot. Easter will be deputised by Tom Guest, another bright young thing, who has had dalliances with Saxon duty. Guest has great vision and hands and should embrace O’Shea’s philosophy.

Interestingly, Maurie Fa’asavalu has just joined from St Helens rugby league, where he propped for Great Britain, having previously represented Samoa in the 2003 World Cup as an openside flanker.

Danny Care will be seeking to usurp Ben Youngs as the England 9, and will form a threatening partnership with Nick Evans, with England age group fly half Rory Clegg waiting in the wings.

The Harlequins back five offers a good balance, with the outright pace of Ugo Monye, the intelligence of Ollie Smith at 13, the stability of Mike Brown at 15 and the power of Jordan Turner Hall at 12. As a partnership, Turner Hall-Smith have a lot to prove, both having flirted with England duty, with Smith a 2005 Lion.

The back five may not have the all-round game to worry the top clubs, but guided by Care and Evans they should, at the very least, accrue a handful of try bonus point scores.

However, following true rugby cliché the performances of the backs rely on the pack. One other thing to consider is that Harlequins won’t lose many players to EPS duty, which should allow O’Shea a season of consistency.

Leeds Carnegie have had a busy off-season, with numerous players coming and going. However, only Steve Thompson will be immediately recognisable to the casual fan. Leeds fans might be slightly concerned at the appearances of Southern Hemisphere journeymen Lachlan Mackay and Sean Hohneck, but Neil Back and Andy Key have done a good job in the transfer market to date.

Who would have expected the performances of Marco Wentzel or Hendre Fourie last season, for example?

Kiwi Daniel Browne may be a wise acquisition. Injury prevented him from gaining regular game time at Bath, but he is making his annual claims of attempting to secure places in the Ireland or England squad, which might motivate him to reach greater heights.

Former England and Bath winger Michael Stephenson could be another smart purchase.

He may not offer the outright pace of certain finishers, but he is an intelligent footballer, and should offer a balance to the more physical players like Henry Fa’afili and Semi Tadulala.

The big question is whether Leeds can overcome some significant departures. Seru Rabeni was excellent last season, as was the limited but bulky lock Erik Lund. Significantly, Calum Clark and Joe Ford, son of Mike, two of England’s brighter young things have been tempted by the Northampton Saints.

Given that Leeds based their game plan around a physical pack and their set piece, these four players could be huge losses.

Another key issue, therefore, is whether Leeds can develop their playing style. Neil Back’s core belief is excellent conditioning, and developing the players into elite athletes with the aid of Australian, Steve Nance.

Hopefully this season will see more of an emphasis on ball play. The pack will no doubt be as strong as ever, but will Ceiron Thomas be able to unleash what appears to be a one-dimensional backline?

We’ve seen what has happened to the Springboks under the new law interpretations this season. At the very least England fans will be hoping to see Steve Thompson at his fittest.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are the Leicester Tigers. The Tigers can play both fast and loose, and tight and slow, and have a roster of stars to boot. The irony, and a romantic one it is too, is that it took the rugged and apparently Neanderthal ex-England hooker to free the Tigers from the plodding conservatism of Heynke Meyer.

They haven’t looked back since.

That said, at some point the Tigers fans will demand another Heineken Cup, so this could be a pressured season for Cockerill and his head coach, Matt O’Connor.

A core of stars and local heroes have either retired or departed: Mefin Davies, Harry Ellis, Ben Kay, Sam Vesty, Aaron Mauger, Lewis Moody and Lote Tuqiri.

Despite that, I feel the Tigers have recruited well. The underrated Thomas Waldrom has been brought in, as has former Saxons captain George Skivington and Argentine wing Horacia Agulla. Cockerill has also brought in some relative unknowns to compliment an international squad: young hooker Rob Hawkins and ageing but powerful winger Lee Robinson.

The loss of Moody and Vesty may be particularly galling to fans, but the Tigers rarely stand still, and as stars depart other stars step up to the mark. Think Dan Cole, Tom Croft, Ben Youngs, Anthony Allen and Toby Flood.

These players are accompanied by overseas players Marcus Ayerza, Martin Castrogiovanni, Geordan Murphy, Craig Newby and Scott Hamilton, and a strong English spine: George Chuter, Julian White, Louis Deacon, Jordan Crane and Dan Hipkiss. To that extent the Tigers squad is arguably one of the strongest squads on paper.

It would be very hard not to envisage yet another season of success for them.

One thing to consider is how the new responsibilities of the young England players, Cole and Flood etc, will affect their club performances. It will take a lot of maturity and responsibility to burn the candle at both ends. Beyond that I can’t think of many weak links.

As aforementioned, the squad has a perfect balance of rugged and suave (Deacon and Parling, Croft and Crane, etc), and has a big enough squad to accommodate the EPS agreement.