This week we sent our secret agent to Adams Park to keep an eye on Harlequins...as it turned out he struggled to keep it open but still managed to compile this dossier for us...
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TARGET - Harlequins
WHO, WHEN, WHERE - They outlasted Wasps 23-16 in Round 2 of the Rugby Champions Cup on Sunday - Leinster face them in a "back to back" series in December
OFFENCE - A dismal 1st half of boshing came to life at the end when Quins got it wide to exploit overlap and Matthews finished. It was more or less back to the bosh in the 2nd half and though Wasps did draw level at one point the visitors always had more points in the tank.
DEFENCE - tackling abysmal for Simpson try but good showing overall from back row who led the tackle stats
SCRUMS & LINEOUTS - Surprisingly owned both set pieces. Robson & Matthews took flawless catches and stole 3 from opposition; in scrum they won all 7 put-ins including a pen try and turned 3 over.
BREAKDOWN - Wasps back row missed Haskell and Robshaw, Wallace & Easter kept Quins on top of this area throughout
DISCIPLINE - pretty good all told - Goode had to kick two from long range to keep Wasps in with a shout
INDIVIDUALS -
Ward - Found good lines, can struggle with darts though not on this occasion as they showed little variation in calls. Sean Cronin lite
Yarde - high on pace but low on confidence
Evans - Kicked his goals when it mattered, nothing fancy in open play but generally Mr Dependable as ever
Brown - Will always be involved when something positive happens for Quins
Care - showed his conservative side to good effect but I'd expect more urgency v Leinster
VERDICT - Awful match entertainment-wise where Quins won by screwing up less than opposition. Should have won by much more to be honest. They will struggle against Leinster’s D but if we're still having our own issues with the ball Conor O'Shea's men will always feel they have a shout.
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NEXT WEEK - Time to start examining Ireland's November opposition - our spy will have a look at how the Springboks overturned the All Blacks.
