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Nick Evans believes Harlequins are beginning to find form at just the right time in the European Rugby Champions Cup.
Quins were convincing 32-12 winners over Leicester in the Aviva Premiership last weekend as they prepare to hosts Wasps in a crunch Pool 2 clash at the Twickenham Stoop.
The race for top spot is fiendishly tight. Harlequins lead the group but are level on 13 points with second-placed Leinster, while Wasps are just a point further back after picking up two bonus-point wins over Castres last month.
All of which means this weekend’s losers will find themselves with plenty to do in the final round of fixtures if they are to get out of the pool, either as a winner or a potential best runner-up.
Evans and Quins are determined not to find themselves in such a situation, and the former All Black believes the game comes at a good time.
“We are getting back to a style of rugby that has caused problems for a lot of teams,” the fly-half told the Evening Standard.
“We are in a fantastic position in our pool but we all know there is a lot of rugby to be played and now it is about kicking on.
“The guys are working hard and we know it is about consistency and putting a run of games together.”
While Quins enter the fixture on the back of a positive result, Wasps will make the trip south on the back of their defeat to Bath.
The loss came at the end of a positive week for the two-time champions, which had seen director of rugby Dai Young and several first-team players extend their contracts.
Young has demanded his side bounce back quickly, saying: “We have got to lick our wounds, go away and come back better next week.
Rugby gives you a reality check very quickly – when you start thinking everything is rosy in the garden, you get your trousers pulled down.”
Match Facts
- Harlequins have won their last three games against fellow English opposition in this tournament, this after losing their first five against fellow sides from their own domestic competition.
- Wasps have lost both their away games against teams from England.
- This fixture could boast two of the top three turnover winners, with Wasps’ Ashley Johnson and Harlequins’ David Ward both having won nine each in the competition this season – only Steffon Armitage can match that tally.
- Wasps have scored nine first half tries in the tournament this season; no side has managed more in the first 40 minutes of their games.
- George Robson has stolen more lineouts than any other player in the tournament so far (5), as well as ranking joint-top for catches on his own side’s throw. He has also made the most tackles of any player yet to miss one this season (37/37).
Wasps stunned Premiership rivals Harlequins to boost their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.
First-half tries from England international Christian Wade and scrum-half Joe Simpson were enough to earn Wasps a crucial win at the Twickenham Stoop.
Inspired by a man-of-the-match display from captain James Haskell, the victory ended Wasps’ run of four straight defeats against Quins.
It moves Wasps to second in Pool 2 behind leaders Leinster, who had a bonus-point win over Castres earlier in the day, and sets up a mouth-watering clash between the two sides at the Ricoh Arena next week.
Andy Goode put Wasps in front with an early penalty after Tom Williams brought down Alapati Leiua with an illegal tackle.
Wasps then got the first try of the game when Quins centre George Lowe dropped a pass from Danny Care and Wade collected the ball and sprinted 80 metres to score.
Simpson got Wasps’ second try midway through the half when he threw a dummy in midfield and went through a gap to go straight under the posts.
Quins clawed their way back into the contest and had the visitors under immense pressure but struggled to get past a stubborn Wasps defence.
Nathan Hughes was shown a yellow card for not rolling away from a tackle but with 14 men Wasps somehow managed to hang on until the interval to lead 17-0 at the break.
Goode put Wasps further in front with a second penalty immediately after the break before Ben Botica finally got Quins on the scoreboard with three points.
But Wasps centre Elliot Daly nailed a huge 56 metre penalty to restore their 20-point advantage and seal the crucial win.
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