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Harlequins have already qualified for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals as runaway group leaders but they will want to secure top seed in the pairings when they travel to the Basque country to face Biarritz Olympique. - 16/01/2013 17:07
Harlequins have already qualified for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals as runaway group leaders but they will want to secure top seed in the pairings when they travel to the Basque country to face Biarritz Olympique.
The reigning English champions are the number one ranked side in the quarter-finals shakedown at the moment but a victory over the French Top 14 side at the imposing Parc des Sports Aguilera would send a real message out to the rest of Europe and could ensure a meeting with the lowest ranked side in April.
The English aristocrats’ impressive bonus point 47-8 victory over Connacht in their last Pool game at the Stoop proved they have the pace and the power to be genuine contenders in this season’s tournament.
England and Harlequins captain Chris Robshaw will want his side to keep their impressive unbeaten record in the Pool stages as they prepare for the sharp end of the competition.
Qualification is a long shot for the French side, who were Heineken Cup finalists in 2006 and 2010, and they simply have to beat ‘Quins to come into the reckoning as qualifiers for the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
They will also be looking for revenge for their 40-13 defeat to Harlequins in the Pool opener at the Stoop back in October.
The Basques managed a 32-6 win over Zebre in Italy in their last game but will want to take the scalp of the form side in Europe when they host the Londoners on Friday evening.
Match Facts
- Biarritz have won their Round 6 match for the past 10 seasons.
- The Frenchmen have been defeated only once at Stade Aguilera in the Heineken Cup since 2001 – 6-10 to Cardiff Blues on 13 December 2008.
- Harlequins’ only win in their last five Heineken Cup round six encounters was 29-24 at home to Scarlets in 2008/09.
- Quins have made the perfect start in the Heineken Cup this season with five wins out of five – equalling their best start to any ERC season, when they won their first five games in the 2003/04 Challenge Cup (in a knockout format).
- Harlequins average of 45.4 points per match is the highest of all clubs in the Heineken Cup this season.
Les Biarrots ont dit adieu à la H Cup avec une troisième défaite dans cette phase de poule
Harlequins did their hopes of securing the Heineken Cup’s top seeding the world of good with a 16-9 win over Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque on Friday night.
Conor O’Shea’s men already had Pool 3 sewn up prior to the last round of group matches but they sent out a message to the other tournament contenders with a hugely mature display at the Parc des Sports Aguilera.
A first-half try from Tom Guest and three penalties and a conversion from the boot of the ever-reliable Nick Evans ensured Quins finished with six wins from six and 28 points from a possible 30.
Biarritz led 3-0 through an 11th-minute penalty from Dimitri Yachvili in atrocious conditions in France but Quins were level five minutes later courtesy of Evans’ first strike of the night.
The wet weather meant whoever claimed the opening try was always going to be in the box seat and it was Quins who were celebrating on the half hour.
Back rower Guest, who replaced the injured Nick Easter in the Quins line up, powered over from a well-worked lineout to put the visitors in control.
Evans’ successful conversion had the English Champions 10-3 to the good and it stayed that way until the end of the half, although there was still drama to come in the closing 10 minutes as both teams had a man yellow carded. Quins prop Joe Marler and Biarritz blindside Wenceslas Lauret were both binned to ensure the first six minutes of the second period featured just 14 men apiece.
Yachvili cut the gap to four points after 45 minutes when Mike Brown was penalised for playing the ball off his feet when attempting to clear up Jean-Pascal Barraque’s chip ahead halfway inside his own 22 and Quins’ lead was down to one when the scrum-half struck again eight minutes later.
But the visitors stayed calm and composed despite the threat of a first defeat of the campaign and two further penalties from Evans after 56 and 73 minutes saw them finish the job in some style.
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