A Vital Visit To Kingsholm
By AlanQuin
December 10 2004
The A Team embark upon their last match of 2004 knowing that victory against Gloucester United at Kingsholm (on Monday 13th December @ 7.30pm) will leave them on the threshold of another tilt at the Zurich A League title and with the home and away battles with Wasps the only obstacle to be overcome.
Yet they must not underestimate Gloucester. The last time Quins A team played them at Kingsholm the home team won 28 – 10 although the last two meetings at The Stoop were comparatively easy wins for Quins, 62 – 24 last season and 38 – 8 in September, when Joe Mbu scored a hat-trick.
Quins have recovered some of their incisive running game which had appeared to be suffering when they lost to Oxford University in a non-league game and followed that with their lowest scoring league victory over Saracens by 8 – 6.
It may be that our two international locks may get some game time ahead of the cup match against Bath for which both are qualified to play. With some regrouping clearly necessary after the poor showing in Swansea it remains to be seen who will be available after the week-end battle. With Jeremy Staunton missing the Ospreys fixture and Adrian Jarvis taking his place Andy Dunne will be fly-half. The Second XV debut of the young centre Anthony Allen, who has just returned from Australia having been part of the England Sevens team at the Junior Commonwealth Games, alongside the excellent Tosh Masson or Andy Reay will also provide considerable interest.
But Gloucester, too, will be short of their captain Simon Amor who has already had to withdraw from the England Sevens team in South Africa with a shoulder injury.
The position in the league is tight, as can be seen from the table:
Zurich A League - SOUTH
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | TB | LB | Points |
| NEC Harlequins | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 241 | 61 | 5 | 0 | 29 |
| London Wasps | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 244 | 104 | 5 | 0 | 29 |
| Gloucester | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 203 | 221 | 5 | 1 | 22 |
| London Irish | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 158 | 191 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| Bath United | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 130 | 258 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Saracens | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 112 | 253 | 2 | 2 |
8 |
There are home and away fixtures to be played against London Wasps. Those are on 24 January (The Stoop) and 26 February (Imber Court). They will be in effect for the top of the South League and a place in the final. Wasps will have only to play Saracens and Quins only to play Bath and neither of those opponents are likely to cause a problem for the two contenders for the play-off spot.
Kingsholm on a dark Monday night is not the most inviting of venues for the spectator. I trust there will be one or two Quins to keep your match reporter company and to see what should be the sixteenth successive A League match win.