Quins Vs Saints - Friday night

[FKAS]

STARTING XV
15. Tyrone Green (84)
14. Nick David (63)
13. Will Joseph (17)
12. Ben Waghorn (6)
11. Cassius Cleaves (9)
10. Jarrod Evans (29)
9. Danny Care (388)
1. Wyn Jones (12)
2. Jack Walker (78)
3. Simon Kerrod (115)
4. Joe Launchbury (32)
5. Stephan Lewies © (78)
6. Jack Kenningham (63)
7. Will Evans (104)
8. James Chisholm (168)

IMPACT PLAYERS
16. Sam Riley (61)
17. Jordan Els (39)
18. Dillon Lewis (27)
19. Irne Herbst (58)
20. Tom Lawday (87)
21. Will Porter (36)
22. Jamie Benson (12)
23. Leigh Halfpenny (5)

Unavailable: Marcus Smith, Fin Baxter, Oscar Beard, Cadan Murley, Alex Dombrandt, Luke Northmore, Dino Lamb, Nathan Jibulu, Rodrigo Isgro,

HARLEQUINS vs NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
Gallagher Premiership, Round 11
Friday 24 January, 2025
Twickenham Stoop
Kick-off: 7.45pm

15 James Ramm
14 Tom Litchfield
13 Charlie Savala
12 Rory Hutchinson
11 Tom Seabrook
10 George Makepeace-Cubitt
9 Archie McParland

1 Tarek Haffar
2 Henry Walker
3 Trevor Davison
4 Temo Mayanavanua
5 Tom Lockett
6 Josh Kemeny (c)
7 Tom Pearson
8 Juarno Augustus

Replacements:
16 Craig Wright
17 Tom West
18 Luke Green
19 Ed Prowse
20 Callum Hunter-Hill
21 Angus Scott-Young
22 Tom James
23 Will Glister

Not available for selection:
Emeka Atuanya, Alex Coles, George Furbank, Sam Graham, George Hendy, Emmanuel Iyogun, Chunya Munga, Burger Odendaal, Toby Thame, and Robbie Smith.

[Captainhaircut]

Actually really looking forward to this. Depleted teams but chance to see likes of Joseph, Waghorn, Cleaves, Haffer, McParland and Makepeace-Cubitt who wouldn’t usually start.

Interesting from Quins with regards to Anyanwu. They are starting Joseph and list Jibulu as injured with both strongly rumoured to be moving at end of the season.

Anyanwu is just not picked despite starting season well and a very depleted backline. You’d have thought they’d have negotiated to get him an earlier move if that was going to be the treatment.

[Mikey Brown]

I mean Northmore and Beard being unavailable means Joseph kind of has to come in. Shame he's off but something has to give, with 3 players competing for one spot. Anyanwu is useful to still have in the squad while Waghorn settles in and we experiment with the injury prone Northmore at 12.

This feels pretty low stakes with the pre-6N selections but quite interesting teams in a few ways.

[twitchy]

Really up for this after a few weeks off from rugby.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Will Glister in line for Prem debut! Been at Cambridge on loan recently How's he gone @banquo?

[Banquo]

Will Glister in line for Prem debut! Been at Cambridge on loan recently How's he gone @banquo?

Pretty anonymous tbh. Not easy in a struggling side. Mildly irritating he can't play for us tomorrow but good luck to him- nice lad.

Also lol worthy, both Benson and Will Joseph played against us last week for London Scottish. The devil appears to be farting in our face

[Oakboy]

Will Glister in line for Prem debut! Been at Cambridge on loan recently How's he gone @banquo?

Pretty anonymous tbh. Not easy in a struggling side. Mildly irritating he can't play for us tomorrow but good luck to him- nice lad.

Also lol worthy, both Benson and Will Joseph played against us last week for London Scottish. The devil appears to be farting in our face

The inconsistency must be frustrating. I don't understand any of it. Jenkins starting for Exeter seems odd too.

[fivepointer]

Very good to see Waghorn and Joseph at centre for Quins but where is Sean Carr, who looked a top talent for last years u20s?

Nice to see Cleaves back

[Banquo]

Very good to see Waghorn and Joseph at centre for Quins but where is Sean Carr, who looked a top talent for last years u20s?

Nice to see Cleaves back

Zach Carr? Playing for London Scottish, or was last week against us. He’s pretty decent

[Adam_P]

Not available for selection:
Emeka Atuanya, Alex Coles, George Furbank, Sam Graham, George Hendy, Emmanuel Iyogun, Chunya Munga, Burger Odendaal, Toby Thame, and Robbie Smith.

In addition to:
International duty:
Fraser Dingwall, Tommy Freeman, Curtis Langdon, Alex Mitchell, Henry Pollock, Ollie Sleightholme, and Fin Smith

The midweek call up for Langdon and Pollock were really less than ideal ahead of this one!

From a (imo) starting line up that's the following lost to England (or would be if fit), plus a couple of forwards:
15. Furbank
14. Freeman
13. Dingwall
12. -
11. Sleightholme
10. Smith
9. Mitchell

I read earlier that our starting half back combo has a combined age of 1 year older than old timer Care. Will be very interesting to see the two talented 9s at either end of their careers going at it - can only be good for McParland.

[FKAS]

Very good to see Waghorn and Joseph at centre for Quins but where is Sean Carr, who looked a top talent for last years u20s?

Nice to see Cleaves back

Zach Carr? Playing for London Scottish, or was last week against us. He’s pretty decent

Or did he mean Sean Kerr also playing for London Scottish.

[Adam_P]

This game would be hell to play in, you'd be knackered

[FKAS]

This game would be hell to play in, you'd be knackered

It's a cold night, at least you'd be warm.

[Banquo]

Very good to see Waghorn and Joseph at centre for Quins but where is Sean Carr, who looked a top talent for last years u20s?

Nice to see Cleaves back

Zach Carr? Playing for London Scottish, or was last week against us. He’s pretty decent

Or did he mean Sean Kerr also playing for London Scottish.

good point. Zach was an u20 and on Quins books tho. Sean is a back and obviousy who was meant not least because of surname!! oops...t

[Mikey Brown]

Some glimpses of what that Benson guy can do. Looks very skilful. I hadn’t really seen much of him before.

[FKAS]

Waghorn and Cleaves looked good for Quins. Waghorn looks like any possible loss of Anywanu won't be the biggest issue.

[Banquo]

Some glimpses of what that Benson guy can do. Looks very skilful. I hadn’t really seen much of him before.

as said before was great for us last season, and merits more than travelling sub most weeks

[Mikey Brown]

I thought I remember you mentioning him. Anything particular to watch out for? Looks to have a good combo of quick feet and soft hands.

Evans and Halfpenny really aren’t bringing a huge amount and with Smith away he should be getting a lot more game time than before.

[Banquo]

I thought I remember you mentioning him. Anything particular to watch out for? Looks to have a good combo of quick feet and soft hands.

Evans and Halfpenny really aren’t bringing a huge amount and with Smith away he should be getting a lot more game time than before.

quick feet, elusive, surprisingly powerful, cast as a 10 often, but imo a better 12 or even 13. ...but may lack gas/physique for centre at this level. Worth a punt, needs some self belief

[FKAS]

Evans and Halfpenny really aren’t bringing a huge amount and with Smith away he should be getting a lot more game time than before.

Evans doesn't seem much more than a steady pair of hands on the wheel when. Smith isn't there. Quins must be hoping Slevin, Bellamy or Benson step up and they can promote internally. Save some salary cap and a NEQ spot as well. Feed them all the PRC game time possible over February.

Halfpenny you presume is a bit of a player coach, seemed to do ok earlier in the season but if Green is fit he's not going to get much of a look in.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Scrappy but enjoyable game. Thought Waghorn had another good game. Nice cameo from Benson. Joseph also showed so lovely touches. Cleaves was decent but lots to iron out in his game.

Thought McParland was good for saints and Haffar had a belter! Not just in the loose. Held up well even when Davidson got stuffed a couple of times.

[Oakboy]

McParland not being a regular starter is a disgrace, IMO. I'm not saying he should be first choice for Saints but he needs game time at 9 now, not in three years time. Loan him out or whatever but, for the sake of English rugby, get him on the pitch. The fact that he was visibly tiring after about 55 was an indication that he is not getting the right standard of rugby often enough. How can we waste such talent?

[Puja]

McParland not being a regular starter is a disgrace, IMO. I'm not saying he should be first choice for Saints but he needs game time at 9 now, not in three years time. Loan him out or whatever but, for the sake of English rugby, get him on the pitch. The fact that he was visibly tiring after about 55 was an indication that he is not getting the right standard of rugby often enough. How can we waste such talent?

Or it's an indication that he's 19 years old and entirely new to playing rugby against adults? He's 2nd/3rd choice for his club and has played 17 games this season (and his gametime will likely increase considering he started the season behind James and is likely finishing it ahead).

This does not seem to me to be a situation where panic and rending of hair/clothes is appropriate.

Puja

[Captainhaircut]

Thought Haffer was excellent. Would like to see him start the A game and tour in the summer.

Joseph reminded everyone why he was so highly rated. Needs a move as stuck behind Beard currently. Think the chat was Gloucester which could open up an intriguing Atkinson/Joseph partnership.

Cleaves got a lot of talent. Needs a run of games but not sure if Quins will be the place for him long term given their wing options.

Kenningham excellent again. Took a lot of lineout ball- he really is very good there.

Pearson could be some player if he can smoothn off some edges particularly around his ball carrying- knocks it on a fair a bit. But great in lineout, big, strong, quick, leading the league in dominant tackles. Loads to like. Quite a lot of good backrowers in England though. Wonder how he’d be as a 12…

[Which Tyler]

Yeah, McParland has played 16 matches for Saints this season.
Saints themselves have played 20 matches (one missed when he played for England A instead, so really only missed 3 matches).

Not seeing the disgrace about him not getting more gametime, especially when the regular starter for club is the first choice starter for country.