Club: Harlequins
Last season: 7th
Odds for the title: 25/1
Season opener: home v London Irish, 15 September
Ins
De Wet Barry (Stormers), John Brooks, James Percival (both Northampton), Chris Brooker, Chris Malone (both Bath), Phil Davies (Bayonne), Gary Botha (Blue Bulls)
Outs
Simon Miall, Andre Vos (both retired), Jimmy Richards, Andrew Mehrtens (Toulon), Mel Deane, Gavin Duffy (both Connacht), George Harder (Mont De Marsan), James Hayter (Scarlets), Luke Sherriff (Nottingham), Lorne Ward (Bath), Peter Cook (Cornish Pirates)
The director of rugby preview
Harlequins’ director of rugby Dean Richards talks exclusively to rucked.com
Good pre-season?
Yeah, we’ve been at it since June and everybody’s been working hard. I’m reasonably happy so far.
What about the squad, happy with that?
We’ve got a couple of injuries but at the same time the players have filled in as and when required and we’re doing alright.
And the transfers?
I’m very happy with what we’ve got, I’m not going to do any more buying or selling at this moment in time. I may need some cover on the short-term for a couple of injuries but long-term, I’m quite happy.
What sort of impact did the World Cup have on your planning?
I think what you find is that the sides that get decimated by call-ups are the sides with a little bit more money than the rest and they have the bigger squads and can cover anyone else by bringing in quality short-term replacements. Look at Owen Finegan at Leicester for instance… For sides like ourselves who have lost five to the World Cup and have two who are injured, the impact is far greater because we don’t have the same amount of money to find replacements. But what it does mean is that the emphasis for all the players here is about the opportunities they’re getting. To name but two, Tom Guest and Danny Care have great chances to push for a first-team place.
How pleased were you with the first season back in the top flight?
We set out two goals – to finish in the top six and qualify for Europe – and we achieved one of those. But for us to get into Europe via the backdoor wasn’t ideal so we’re a little bit disappointed by that. At the same time, as we started the season with five losses I think we turned things around reasonably well.
What do you make of all the superstars joining the Premiership?
As long as they’re players that others aspire to emulate or play better than, then it’s great. The difficulty comes when you start bringing in the guys who are no better than those that are already here. I don’t think bringing big names in is a problem, we just have to make sure youngsters get an opportunity.
Who should we look for at Quins this term?
Guys like Tom Guest, Jordan Turner-Hall and Danny Care will be given opportunities in the first six weeks and they’ll certain take them. Mike Brown, who was given a couple of caps in the summer and then totally disregarded, will have a point to prove too as will Ugo Monye who has been left in the doldrums.
What are the aims for the season?
Improve on last year. We want to finish higher in the league, do better in the EDF and challenge in the Heineken Cup. But it’s more than that though, it’s also about the style of rugby we play and the various aspects of the game – we want to improve in every area.
Supporters’ prediction: 5th. “A settled squad and a few decent signings should be enough to see some steady progress – fancy us to win the EDF too this year.” James Wilson, Twickenham
Rucked prediction: 9th. Lots of talent but quite a few decent and influential players have departed so they struggle to compete as they did last term.