Alarm bells ring for Stormers after Quins' 'fighting' words
SPOTLIGHT: Judging by the comments coming out of the Harlequins’ camp this week, it seems they are itching to take out their frustrations on the Stormers in Round Three of the Champions Cup.
The sides will meet at Twickenham Stoop on Sunday, and ahead of the clash, Harlequins head coach Jason Gilmore warned his players that they are playing for their futures.
The English club had a nightmare season so far, with four wins from 15 matches in all competitions. Meanwhile, the Stormers have won all their games.
With Harlequins under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, especially after the club’s hierarchy warned that results must improve, the pressure is now on the players to prove their worth.
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“The fact of the matter is, we do have a lot of players on contract,” said Gilmore.
“We’re looking at the spend that we put into the squad to make sure that we’re getting the most bang for our buck. And the boys are aware of that.
“What is the ideal number of contracts? Where do we put our spend into and what do we actually need?”
One of those players in the headlines is former captain Stephan Lewies who has been linked with a return to South Africa at the end of the season.
Meanwhile, Gilmore wants his side to return to their attacking roots, while bringing a physical edge on defence against the Capetonians.
“How much are we prepared to fight?” he said.
“It’s just not about being on the back foot, it’s about arresting momentum in the game and making sure that we keep on top.”
While the results haven’t been there for Quins’, the passion has not dwindled.
“I put my body on the line every time I play for Quins – I love the club,” said 26-year-old flanker Jack Kenningham.
“It means a lot to me, having been a season-ticket holder when I was about 11 years old. So, it hurts me probably, potentially more than others when we do lose.”
Additional source: BBC
