England legend on why Harlequins still face ‘some question marks’ despite resounding Stormers triumph
Ex-England and Leicester Tigers scrum-half Ben Youngs (inset) and Harlequins flanker Zach Carr celebrates after scoring a try.
Ben Youngs is uncertain whether Harlequins can continue with their fine Investec Champions Cup form after their emphatic victory over the Stormers at Twickenham Stoop on Sunday.
As the scoreline suggests, Harlequins were full value for their victory as they held the upper hand for long periods and eventually outscored their opponents by nine tries to two.
That result means Harlequins move above the Stormers into second position in Pool Three of the Investec Champions Cup and they have also booked their spot in the tournament’s round-of-16 alongside Leinster, who are sitting pretty at the top of that group.
Harlequins have a tough assignment against La Rochelle
However, Harlequins’ next match is against La Rochelle at Stade Marcel Deflandre on Sunday while the Stormers are hosting Leicester Tigers in Cape Town on Saturday.
If the Stormers clinch a bonus-point victory over Leicester and Quins lose against La Rochelle, then the men from the Cape will move above the PREM Rugby outfit back into second spot in the pool and, in doing so, they will secure a home round-of-16 clash.
Harlequins have been struggling in PREM Rugby this season and are currently occupying eighth position in the 10-club tournament after winning just two out of seven matches in that competition so far.
With the Stormers resting several of their first-choice players for Sunday’s clash with Quins, Youngs feels that not much can be taken from that result.
“Stormers sent a very, very mixed team. And they were poor and got totally outclassed against a Quins team that has got no form. So that probably tells you all,” he told the For the Love of Rugby podcast after that match.
“Quins had a bit of soul searching this week. And we saw moments of the Quins that we expect. I think this will give them a good boost.
“But of course they face La Rochelle next week. So a good win for them today but could easily be humbled again next week. Stormers, from their point of view, they didn’t need anything out of this game.
“They of course have Tigers next weekend at home. You’d expect them to win that. That means they’ll have enough points to get through.
“So overall, Stormers, very mixed team, very underwhelming performance from them. And Quins, we saw bits.”
The Stormers came into their clash with Harlequins after winning all their matches in all competitions this season and Youngs revealed that the home side’s fans were wary of the men from the Cape prior to that encounter.
‘They were a bit nervy’
“The fans, to be fair, I caught up with a lot of them, asking a lot of questions. They were a bit nervy going into today’s game,” he said.
“I think that Stormers have won 10 games on the bounce. I think they weren’t quite aware of the side that Stormers have put out.
“So people are walking away happy. You know, they were entertained. There was plenty of tries, but I think they know that Quins aren’t out of it yet.”
Youngs believes Harlequins’ squad still face several questions ahead of their upcoming clash with La Rochelle.
“The performances haven’t been as consistent or at the level that you’d expect from a Harlequins team and therefore, I think today’s a step in the right direction,” he said.
“But the fans certainly want the consistency back.
“I think today’s a win, can they go to La Rochelle next week? Can they get anything out of the game? Can they perform? What does that performance look like?
“I think there’s still some question marks amongst the Quins fans. Although they were well-entertained, but it wasn’t sort of captivating entertainment.
“You know what I mean? It was very one-way traffic.”
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