Monday 30 April 2007

Saints rout Quins at The Stoop

It took just ten minutes for Saints to show why they swept all before them last year, at The Stoop yesterday. The early minutes of the game saw both sides tentatively sounding each other out before a couple of dodgy refereeing decisions against Quins, most notably an imaginary ball strip at the play the ball, gave Saints an attacking platform the home side could ill afford and from which Leon Pryce weaved his way over for the opening try.

Saints skipper Paul Sculthorpe missed the first conversion attempt, but less than five minutes later he was adding a conversion to his own try to take the champions into a 0 – 10 lead. Quins posted their response, and only points of the game, twenty three minutes in when a break from Mark McLinden released Chris Melling to go in at the corner, with Rob Purdham adding the extra two points to make it 6 – 10.

With five minutes to go to the break Saints predictably stepped up the intensity with ex-Kangaroo centre Matt Gidley crossing for a try to make it 6 – 14. The Quins side did attempt to lift their game, but a rash decision to kick away possession on the first tackle in the final minute backfired when Saints halfbacks Sean Long and Pryce coolly linked up to put Kiwi winger Francis Meli away, with Sculthorpe’s goal sending his side into the break with an ominous 6 – 20 lead.

After the break Quins resolve appeared to falter with the side lacking organisation and direction, the Saints predictably took advantage running in five unanswered tries. At times the sheer quality of Saints attack bamboozled the disorganised Quins defence with smart lines of running and slick handling. Tries from youngster Steven Tyrer, veteran centre Willie Talau, a second for Gidley and two for Great Britain fullback Paul Wellens completed the Saints rout.

The Quins performance leaves many areas of concern going into this weekend’s Millenium Magic clash against Catalans Dragons, particularly the way in which the side lost is its way in the second half. Allegations of disquiet in the camp were not helped by rumours that stalwart centre Paul Sykes was dropped for the clash or the very public spat between workhorse back-row Lee Hopkins when he was briefly and unceremoniously substituted for disciplinary reasons (although it appeared Hopkins may have had some justification for feeling angry given that he appeared to be punished for the imaginary ball steal penalty).

Quins will desperately need to improve their performance for the Dragons, on this evidence they were desperately missing the Sykes and the injured Henry Paul, whilst concerns over the fitness of Daniel Heckenberg, David Mills and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook have seen young prop Luke Burgess brought in on loan from Leeds Rhinos as cover.

Harlequins RL: (6) 6
Tries: Melling
Goals: Purdham

St Helens: (20) 44
Tries: Pryce, Sculthorpe, Gidley 2, Meli, Tyrer, Wellens 2, Talau

Goals: Sculthorpe 3, Wellens

Sunday 29 April 2007

Workington tough it out against Skolars

Cumbrian side Workington Town ran out 12 – 22 winners away to London Skolars yesterday. The game leaves the Skolars still without a win this season, but they did pick up a second successive bonus point for holding Workington to less than a 13 point margin, which keeps them above Keighley Cougars and Blackpool Panthers at the foot of National League Two. A full match report is here.

London Skolars: (8) 12
Tries: Reid, Hodgkinson
Goals: Webster 2

Workington Town: (16) 22
Tries: L Campbell 2, King 2
Goals: Forber 3

Mixed results for South London Storm

South London Storm’s first team overcame a strong challenge for St Albans Centurions to maintain their 100% record in this seasons RLC Premier, running out 26 – 22 victors yesterday. Match report here.

Things were not so bright for the Storm second team, who went down 22 – 38 to London ARL new boys London Griffins. Match report here.

South London Storm: 26
St Albans Centurions: 22

South London Storm “A”: 22
London Griffins: 38

Saturday 28 April 2007

Quins hope to do double on champions

Quins RL face champions St Helens at home on Sunday afternoon, with both sides coming off the back of comprehensive defeats.

Saints have been somewhat erratic performers this season when compared with their imperious form in 2006. A crushing defeat by Leeds last weekend underlining their vulnerability, but that will be no surprise to the Quins who took the points in the team’s first encounter at the start of the season.

The visitors are likely to be missing winger Ade Gardner with an eye injury sustained in an assault in his home town of Barrow, loose forward Jason Hooper is out for most of the season, Lee Gilmour is likely to be out for a couple of months following surgery on a knee injury, whilst Jon Wilkin has a broken hand. Sean Long is also an injury worry, but is expected to play.

On the home front Quins also have a mini injury crisis with Matt Gafa, David Mills and Henry Paul definitely missing the match, hooker whilst Julien Rinaldi and prop Louis McCarthy-Scarsbrook are injury worries but remain in contention to make the seventeen.

Head coach Brian McDermott will be hoping his side can put on a greater performance last weekend’s outing against Huddersfield, and shake off the tiredness that has dogged the side coming out of the hectic Easter schedule.

South London double header

Both of South London Storm’s sides will face a tough test today in their first home games of the season. The first team, reigning RLC Premier champions, face the imposing prospect of St Albans Centurions, whilst the second team, reigning London ARL champions, will face London Griffins.

St Albans will arguably pose the greatest test to South London’s hopes of defending the RLC Premier title, having dropped down from playing in National League Two. West London based Griffins are a new team to the London League having been established as a tag-rugby side.

Storm v Griffins kicks off at 1.00 p.m. with the Storm v Centurions following at 2.30. Both games are played at Storm Park in Thornton Heath.

Skolars face Workington

London Skolars will be facing Cumbrian side Workington Town, at 3:00 p.m. today at the New River Stadium.

Skolars will buoyed by picking up their first points of the season against Swinton last weekend, face a Workington side disrupted by the recent departure of coach Ged Stokes.

The under-14's will be taking on Brixton Bulls at 11:00 a.m. with the reserve grade side taking on West London Sharks in the RLC Premier at 1:30 p.m.

Monday 23 April 2007

Giants stride past Quins

Quins RL fell to a 46 – 16 defeat away at the Galpharm Stadium yesterday. The resurgent Giants were simply too strong for a Quins side which had looked very tired in the closing stages of their previous game against Wakefield following a punishing travel schedule over the last couple of weeks.

The Quins sorely missed the defence of injured loose-forward Henry Paul, whilst the sin binning of second-row Lee Hopkins in the second half only exacerbated their problems. Brian McDermott will be hoping that his side can regroup and focus on the impending visit of Champions St Helens to The Stoop on Sunday.

Full match report from Sporting Life can be found here.

Huddersfield Giants: (20) 46
Tries: Lolesi, Reilly 2, Snitch 2, Nero, Thorman, Wild
Goals: Thorman 7

Harlequins RL: (10) 16
Tries: Randall, T Smith, Grayshon
Goals: Purdham 2

Friday 20 April 2007

Quins RL aim to chop down Giants

Quins RL go into Sunday’s game away at the Galpharm Stadium on the crest of a three match unbeaten run, but a hectic travel schedule across the Easter period, which saw the team make two trips to the South of France and back in as many weeks has taken its toll. The team looked very tired in the closing stages of the hard fought draw against Wakefield last Saturday and injury worries are emerging on the horizon.

The apparent inability of Scott Hill to play a full match is a concern for Quins fans. The former Kangaroo playmaker has struggled to find a fluent relationship with his teammates; not helped by a persistent bout of flu, but has shown flashes of brilliance and there are growing signs that an understanding is gradually building. There will be no reunion for the Paul brothers, with both Robbie and Henry out for the meeting, but key organisers Danny Orr and Mark McLinden are named.

Zebastian “Lucky” Luisi, who suffered a hand injury pre-season, comes into the squad for the first time in place of the injured Chris Melling. Whether Luisi makes it into the final seventeen will probably depend on whether Hill starts at standoff with McLinden at fullback or whether he plays from the bench as an impact player. With Paul dropping out of the back-row and former Huddersfield forward Jonny Grayshon still out with a hamstring injury a potential opportunity opens up for youngster Michael Worrincy to join skipper Rob Purdham and Lee Hopkins in the back-row.

Huddersfield had a horror start to the season, dropping their first seven games, albeit most by the smallest of margins resulting in them having the second meanest defence is the league behind St Helens, but ominously for Quins they have won their last three games. The Giants ability to remain competitive even during such a bad losing streak should send out warning signals to Quins coach Brian McDermott whose side has frequently switched off during games and has regularly faded in the closing stages of both halves, particularly in their most recent game when the signs of fatigue were obvious.

The key danger men for Quins to watch will be former London Bronco Chris Thorman and explosive hooker/halve Brad Drew. In the backs Martin Aspinwall and Jamahl Lolesi offer plenty of attacking threat whilst the Giants boast one of the most mobile packs in Super League featuring the likes of Ryan Hudson, Chris Nero and Stephen Wild.

This match presents an intriguing clash, both sides are unbeaten in three games; Quins lapses in intensity may come to haunt them against the parsimonious Huddersfield defence, but the fans will still be hoping that the Orr – Hill – McLinden axis has the arsenal to cut down the Giants resurgence!

Monday 16 April 2007

Lions edge out Skolars

London Skolars fell to their third consecutive National League Two defeat away at Swinton Lions yesterday going down 34 – 26.

The Skolars looked dead and buried at half-time on the wrong end of a 26 – 8 score line, but fought back to push the Lions all the way and pick up a bonus point to lift themselves off the foot of the table.

A full match report is here.

Swinton Lions: (26) 34
Tries: Williams 3, Johnson, Billy, Brocklehurst, Woods
Goals: Marsh 3

London Skolars: (8) 26
Tries: Jonker, Hodgkinson, Webster, Maitua 2
Goals: Webster 3

Sunday 15 April 2007

Storm blows away the Sharks

South London Storm yesterday ran out convincing winners over arch-rivals West London Sharks in the opening game of the RLC Premier at The Twickenham Stoop.

The Storm started the first half strongest, with impressive standoff Mick Walker crashing over for the first try after eight minutes, before converting his own score. Five minutes later fullback Darren Bartley went over in the corner to push the scores out to 10 – 0, with Walker pulling wide with the conversion attempt. On fifteen minutes the lead was extended again when an attacking kick from scrumhalf Richard Spence took a wicked bounce to beat the Sharks fullback Tom Howden allowing him to recollect and add the third Storm try, Walker was again wide with the conversion, but at 14 – 0 the signs were looking ominous for West London.

However, the Sharks began to find some form of their own and put together a passage of good play consistently pressuring the Storm defence which eventually resorted to holding down to slow the fight back. From the resulting penalty powerful Sharks centre Graham Robbings forced his way over, with loose forward Nick Elliott adding the extras to make the score 14 – 6.

On the half hour mark Storm interchange Neil Templeman punished a tiring West London defence with some strong running out wide to go in for a try in the corner to make it 18 – 6. The Sharks hit back on thirty-six minutes through winger Dan Coffey, with Elliott’s conversion from the touchline scraping over via the crossbar to narrow the scores to 18 – 12.

The final minutes of the half saw a flurry of activity with both sides looking to punish tired legs, first Sharks fullback Howden made a blistering break down the eastern touchline only to be pulled down short by some desperate Storm defence; then Storm winger Carl Zacharow almost went in at the opposite end but strayed over the touchline on his way to the try line.

After the break it was the Storm who again started the quickest with hooker Luke Bonner pulled down just short of the line, only for quicksilver winger Neal Ayers to scoot over from the resulting play the ball. Two minutes later Zacharow added another try, this one converted by fullback Bartley, and at 28 – 12 it looked as if the floodgates had burst on the Sharks.

To their credit the men from West London did not capitulate, some reorganisation gave Howden the chance to break with another brilliant, jinking run, only this time there was no last ditch tackle to save the Storm from conceding in the corner. Elliott missed the conversion but at 28 – 16 with fifty minutes gone the Sharks were back within two converted scores.

The South London reaction was to step-up another gear and on fifty-five minutes Craig Guthrie’s try made it 32 – 16, whilst a few minutes later winger Zacharow almost added another but was forced into touch before he could get the offload away. But there was to be little respite for the Sharks, departing ex-skipper Tane Kingi jinked over on the hour, with Bartley’s conversion making it 38 – 16. Not to be outdone Kingi’s back-row partner and successor as captain Al Emerson was to get his name on the score sheet just two minutes later, with Bartley again converting to push the score line out to 44 – 16.

Just as it seemed the Storm were running rampant West London made a late attempt at a comeback with a good period of possession resulting in an effort held up in goal, predictably the Storm only upped their game in response with two much deserved tries in the last ten minutes to the hugely influential Bonner, whose clever running lines and distribution around the rucks was a major force in putting the South London side on the front foot throughout the game.

This win should send out the message to the rest of the RLC Premier South that South London Storm are well primed to defend their title, with the creative axis of Walker and Bonner giving the side real direction. Credit must also go to West London, who showed they can be competitive and who with a few more run-outs to work off the rustiness and to adjust to the summer conditions will offer a far stiffer test when the sides meet again at Storm Park in July.

West London Sharks: (12) 16
Tries: Robbings, Coffey, Howden
Goals: Elliott 2

South London Storm: (18) 56
Tries: Walker, Bartley, Spence, Templeman, Ayers, Zacharow, Guthrie, Kingi, Emerson, Bonner 2
Goals: Walker, Bartley 5

Quins share spoils with Wildcats

Quins RL took a point from their enthralling battle with the Wakefield Wildcats at The Stoop yesterday, with Brian McDermott’s side unlucky not to take both points.

It was Wakefield who got off to a flying start with Paul March touching down after seven minutes despite the officials missing the blatant forward pass that sent him clear of the home defence. Jamie Rooney missed with the conversion attempt, but he was on target five minutes later when Matt Blaymire added the second try, leaving Quins 0 – 10 with less than a quarter of the game gone.

Quins fans couldn’t help but feel it wasn’t going to be their night when Olivier Elima, operating in a two man tackle, reaped the ball from Paul Sykes grasp as the latter crossed the line and the video referee decided he hadn’t played for the ball (had the incident not occurred over the try line the interpretation may have been very different). However, it was Scott Hill, whose influence is steadily growing at the club, who finally got Quins off the mark dummying his way through the Wakefield defence after twenty minutes. On the half hour winger Andy Smith’s powerful run provided the Quins second and Henry Paul’s conversions had turned the score line to 12 – 10.

On the stroke of halftime Skyes was finally rewarded with a try when he linked up with a deceptive kick from skipper Rob Purdham. Paul missed the conversion but at 16 – 10 Brian McDermott would have happy with his men’s capacity to turn around such a sluggish start in the light of their recent fixture list which had seen them shuttle back and forwards between to South of France to take on Pia and Catalans with a tough home game against Hull FC in between.

Five minutes into the second half a try from Waine Pryce, converted by Rooney levelled the scores, but Ian Smith’s refusal to refer the touchdown to the video referee enraged home fans who felt that Pryce’s grounding the ball looked suspiciously like a knock-on.

On the hour mark Quins centre Tyrone Smith batted a back a high kick from scrumhalf Danny Orr into the arms of second-row Lee Hopkins who skipped through the Wakefield defence to restore the lead. Purdham’s conversion made it 22 – 16, but a tired Quins defence was unable to keep out Blaymire’s second try four minutes later, with Rooney again levelling with a conversion.

The final quarter of an hour saw both sides grind out sets of possession with two very tired looking sets of players unable to find the advantage to gain both points.

Harlequins RL: (16) 22
Tries: Hill, Smith, Sykes, Hopkins
Goals: Paul 2, Purdham

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats: (10) 22
Tries: March, Blaymire 2, Pryce
Goals: Rooney 3

Friday 13 April 2007

Quins aim to tame Wildcats

Quins RL will face a patched up Wakefield Trinity Wildcats at The Stoop tomorrow.

The Wildcats who narrowly avoided the drop last season by virtue of a last round relegation deciding win over bitter local rivals Castleford Tigers have been one of the surprise packages of the 2007 Super League Season. Coach John Kear who was brought in late last season with a mandate to save the club from relegation has remoulded the playing staff over the off-season, with a move away from the journeymen antipodeans that dominated Wakefield sides in recent seasons bringing in more British players.

The Wildcats who won four of their opening five Super League games have suffered defeats from Bradford and Huddersfield in their last two league outings as injury problems start to bite. Former St Helens prop Ricky Bibey is set to make his debut for the club replacing another former Wigan player, Danny Sculthorpe , whilst youngster Dale Ferguson will make his Super League debut in place of Jason Golden.

Despite their injury problems the visitors still pose a major threat to the Quins defence, the creative centre of the team is undoubtedly England international standoff Jamie Rooney who has impressed many with his form this season. Elsewhere on the pitch Australian Ben Jeffries is an effective presence at scrumhalf, Kiwi hooker Tevita Latu and young England loose forward Brett Ferres offer pace and guile in the forwards, whilst former Castleford winger Waine Pryce offers genuine speed out wide.

A Quins win will equal their best run of league results for two years, following maximum points over the Easter weekend. The main changes to the squad are Chris Melling who drops out due to a knee injury and is replaced by Matt Gafa, whilst Jon Grayshon remains sidelined by a hamstring problem but Henry Paul should shake off concussion to play.

The game kicks off at 6.00 p.m. will be preceded by a curtain raiser game between RLC Premier champions South London Storm and arch-rivals West London Sharks at 3.45 p.m.

Skolars away to Swinton

London Skolars will be hoping to get their National League Two campaign off the ground on Sunday when they face Swinton Lions away at Sedgley Park. The Skolars currently sit at the bottom of the league following defeats to Celtic Crusaders and York City Kinghts in the opening two rounds, but will be hopeful that some promising spells in those games can be extended out for a full match. Kick off is 3.00 p.m.

Thursday 12 April 2007

Champions Storm to open against Sharks

Rugby League Conference Premier champions South London Storm will kick-off the 2007 RLC season this Saturday at the Stoop when the take on arch-rivals West London Sharks as a curtain raiser to Quins RL Vs Wakefield.

Croydon based Storm, who are celebrating their 10th anniversary as a club, enter the 2007 RLC season in a commanding position with the first team reigning Conference Premier champions, whilst the club’s second team also won the London League.

West London Sharks will be tough opposition for the Storm, also founded in 1997 the club based at Grasshoppers in Osterley have been one of the most consistent performers in the RLC Southern region.


The game kicks off at 3:45, with special £10 ticket offer available from Quins to watch both matches.

Wednesday 11 April 2007

Skolars fail at York

London Skolars fell to their second successive National League Two defeat away at York City Knights on Easter Monday.

Despite both sides having early efforts ruled out it was York who were first to score with winger Lee Mapals crossing after seventeen minutes, with further first-half tries following from Dave Buckley, George Raynor and Rob Spicer, all converted by Lee Lingard. It was the stroke of halftime before Skolars winger Dene Miller finally crossed for his side’s first points, making the scores 24 – 4 at the break.

After the halftime interval it was York who again started the stronger of the two sides with a try from Dan Potter, but Skolars hit back with a try from Alan Barker converted by skipper Paul Thorman, followed by another try from Miller to close the scores to 28 – 14. Tabua Cakacaka settled the Knights nerves with the next try that was also converted by Lingard who was having an almost immaculate day with the boot, essentially ending the clash as a contest at 34 –18.

Former South London Storm flyer Corey Simms added a late try for Skolars, which was cancelled out shortly afterwards by Knights loose forward and man of the match Lee Esders, with the scores finishing at 40 – 18.

York: (24) 40
Tries: Mapals, Cakacaka, Potter, Spicer, Esders, Rayner, Buckley
Goals: Lingard 6

London Skolars: (4) 18
Barker, Miller 2, Barker, Simms
Goals: Thorman

Tuesday 10 April 2007

Quins make it 4 points from 4 over Easter

Quins RL completed the Easter weekend in style yesterday with a 16 – 38 win against fellow expansion club Catalans Dragons in Perpignan.

Winger Jon Wells opened the scoring after four minutes, with further tries added by hookers Randall and Rinaldi, standoff Orr and two from an impressive Mark McLinden who guided the side around the park from scrum-half in a reshuffled half-back combination that saw Scott Hill playing from the interchange bench. Henry Paul also added seven goals, putting to bed nagging doubts about Quins capability in the kicking department.

Coach Brian McDermott was reported as being delighted with his side’s defensive effort, following a late collapse on Good Friday which almost saw Hull FC gain a share of the spoils. Quins will be looking to continue the Easter form into Saturday’s home game against a rejuvenated Wakefield side.

Catalans Dragons: (6) 16
Tries: Bosc, Pelo, Fellous
Goals: Bosc 2

Harlequins RL: (24) 38
Tries: Wells, Randall, Orr, McLinden 2, RinaldiGoals: Paul 7

Sunday 8 April 2007

Skolars open campaign with a loss

London Skolars opened their National League Two campaign on Good Friday with a defeat at home to league favourites Celtic Crusaders.

The Welsh side took an early 12 lead with tries to Terry Martin and Gareth Dean with Damien Quinn adding both conversions. Skolars back row Jermaine Coleman pulled back a try and conversion to make it 12 – 6, before setting up centre Chris Shears for a try to close the gap to just two points.

Twenty minutes in and the Crusaders extended their advantage through winger Craig Richards with a conversion from Quinn. The visitors then pulled away from Skolars with further tries from Paul Ballard, a second from Richards and an effort on the stroke of half time from Richard Johnston to send them in with a 22 point advantage.

After the break Johnston added his second try, followed by another from Dean Fitzgerald to effectively end the match as a contest. Late tries to Kurt Pittman and a second for the impressive Coleman were to give the Skolars some consolation.

London Skolars: (10) 18
Tries: Coleman 2, Shears, Pittman
Goals: Coleman

Celtic Crusaders: (32) 42
Tries: Richards 2, Martin, Fitzgerald, Johnson 2, Ballard, Dean
Goals: Quinn 5

Saturday 7 April 2007

Quins hang on against Hull FC

Quins RL picked up their first win in five Super League outings yesterday when they hung on to narrowly defeat Hull FC at the Stoop.

For the first hour the Quins were by far the more dominant side, with the front row combinations of Heckenberg, Mills, Temata and McCarthy-Scarsbrook all impressive punching holes down the middle of the park. In the final twenty minutes Hull hit a purple patch of form with a little bit of assistance from a few dubious refereeing decisions and mounted a recovery which almost grabbed them a share of the points.

It was Hull who scored first, exploiting Quins soft left hand defence through some good running from the impressive Sid Domic. However the lead was short lived with tries from Jon Wells and Daniel Heckenberg and a conversion from Henry Paul bringing the scores to 10 – 4. Hull’s second try came from Kirk Yeaman despite the officials missing an obvious forward pass from Danny Washbrook, reducing the Quins advantage to two points.

The final ten minutes of the half saw Quins open up the gap with a penalty from Paul, followed by a try from Andy Smith also converted by Paul, taking the sides in 18 – 8 at the break.

After the half-time break it was Quins who were to pick-up the next points, with Julien Rinaldi’s darting run eluding the Hull defence, with Paul adding the conversion. Richard Horne then produced arguably the pick of the tries with his own elusive run, weaving through some desperate Quins defence to put Hull back within two converted scores at 24 – 12. Mark McLinden alternating between fullback and the halves was next up to score, with Paul’s conversion taking the scores out to 30 – 12, lulling Quins fans into the belief that the points were in the bag.

However, the final quarter of the match was to stage a brilliant comeback from the men in black and white, Horne went over for his second try, followed by a try by Super League debutant Craig Hall, who also converted both efforts. Quins can feel aggrieved by some soft refereeing including a penalty to Hull for a one on one ball steal despite the player not being tackled, which allowed the visitors some good field position.

With five minutes left former Kangaroo winger Matt Sing went over to close the scores to 30 - 28, but Hall was unable to add the conversion to level the match, leaving the Quins fans to face a nervous final few minutes where it looked like a predictable second half slump would see the points snatched away.

Quins coach Brian McDermott will be grateful that his side picked up their first points in five league matches, and encouraged by the way in which his forward pack dominated up front for the first hour, but will equally be concerned about their inability to maintain the intensity for a full match.

Harlequins RL: (18) 30
Tries: Wells, Heckenberg, Smith, Rinaldi, McLinden
Goals: Paul 5

Hull FC: (8) 28
Tries: Domic, Yeaman, R Horne 2, Hall, Sing

Goals: Hall 2

Wednesday 4 April 2007

Quins Easter weekend in focus

Quins RL face two tough fixtures over the course of the Easter weekend, facing last season’s Super League runners-up Hull FC at home on Good Friday, with another trip to the South of France booked for Easter Monday when they take on fellow expansion club Catalans Dragons.

Coach Brian McDermott will be hoping last weekend’s comfortable victory over French Elite side Pia in the Challenge Cup will be a turning point in a miserable run of form which has seen his side lose its last four Super League games. Whilst the recent run of league results has been a disappointment the side has played some solid rugby league in that period, and has been competitive in all outings this season.

Hull FC have largely failed to recreate the form which saw them finish second last season, producing a highly erratic start to the season, but they remain entirely capable of defeating any side in the league as their recent demolition of St Helens demonstrates. Much of the dip in form has been attributed to the loss of influential playmaker Paul Cooke to injury, fortunately for Quins Cooke is not expected to make his comeback until the Hull derby match on Easter Monday.

Despite the absence of Cooke, Hull FC still have plenty of talent and experience across their side, in the backs young centre Kirk Yeaman had a breakthrough year in 2006 making the Great Britain test side, whilst the close season signing of veteran ex-Kangaroo winger Matt Sing offers real pace and guile out wide. The movement of the side is likely to come from Great Britain halfback Richard Horne and vastly experience former Kiwi hooker Richard Swain, Swain in particular will be a key player for the Hull FC side with his legendary work rate the rock on which their defence is based.

Up front Hull FC have a good balance of power and aggression with Hutch Maiava, Ewan Dowes and Paul King all effective ball carriers, whilst skipper Radford and interchange hooker Wayne Godwin provide good mobility in the forwards.

Easter Monday’s opponents Catalans Dragons are arguably the most improved side in the competition having finished their inaugural Super League campaign at the foot of the ladder. Coach Mick Potter has made some astute signings from his native Australia to complement the core of talented but relatively inexperienced French players in the squad, including incumbent Queensland State of Origin back Adam Mogg and veteran second-row forward Jason Croker.

Undoubtedly the lynch pin of the Dragons side is Kiwi legend Stacey Jones, whilst the crafty halfback may be reaching the end of his career he remains a top class player. Jones who missed the opening four rounds of Super League has been an influential figure in their last two victories, including landing the crucial drop-goal that granted the Dragons victory by the slenderest of margins against Huddersfield.

Mick Potter’s main injury worriers are versatile former Brisbane Broncos utility Casey McGuire and recent signing hooking signing from Newcastle Knights Luke Quigley although McGuire is named in the squad for their Good Friday game away at Hull KR.

On the Quins front Brian McDermott’s main injury worries are form Jon Grayshon who drops out of the squad for Good Friday with a hamstring injury and Lee Hopkins who remains in the squad despite continued problems from a recent rib injury. New signing Richard Villasanti continues to be overlooked as he builds his match fitness in the reserves following off-season knee surgery.

Quins have a realistic chance of getting a result from both of the Easter fixtures, Hull FC have struggled to find their best form this season and have won just one out of their last four encounters against Quins. McDermott will also be hoping to exploit the Catalans Dragons injury worries, although the French outfit are a far tougher proposition at home than on the road.


Monday 2 April 2007

Challenge Cup roundup

Quins RL are the capital’s sole representative left in the 2007 Carnegie Challenge Cup following the round four fixtures at the weekend.

Quins cruised to a comfortable win away at French Elite side Pia, running out 8 – 64 winners, whilst neighbouring National League Two outfit London Skolars went down to Super League opponents Wakefield 4 – 52 away at Belle Vue.

Head coach Brian McDermott will be hoping that the Quins victory will act as a kick start for his sides league form having lost their last four Super League games. An away fixture at National League Two side Oldham in the Challenge Cup fifth round should also see them into the quarter-finals.

Skolars head coach Latham Tawhai was positive about the encounter despite the score line, whilst Chairman Hector McNeil was keen to stress the opportunity the tie had given his side to take reserve and junior sides up to Wakefield to play curtain raiser matches.

Wakefield (22) 52
Tries: Pryce, Murphy, Golden, Fox, P March, Ferres, Catic, Henderson 2, Jeffries, Buchanan
Goals: P March 3, Ferres

London Skolars (4) 4
Tries: Shears
Goals:


Pia: (0) 8
Tries: Carrere, Muniesa
Goals:

Harlequins RL: (22) 64
Tries: Gafa 2, Hill, Hopkins, McCarthy-Scarsbrook 3, Randall, Smith, Sykes 2Goals: Paul 7, Purdham 3

Sunday 1 April 2007

April 2007 Fixtures

Super League:

Game: Quins RL Vs Hull FC
Location: Twickenham Stoop
Date/Time: Friday 06th April, 15:00.

Game: Catalans Dragons Vs Quins RL
Location: Perpignan
Date/Time: Monday 09th April, 18:00.

Game: Quins RL Vs Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Location: Twickenham Stoop
Date/Time: Saturday 14th April, 18:00

Game: Huddersfield Giants Vs Quins RL
Location: Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield
Date/Time: Sunday 22nd April, 15:00.

Game: Quins RL Vs St Helens
Location: Twickenham Stoop
Date/Time: Sunday 29th April, 15:00

National League Two:

Game: London Skolars V Celtic Crusaders
Location: New River Stadium, Tottenham
Date/Time: Friday 6th April, 15:00

Game: York City Knights V London Skolars
Location: Huntington Stadium, York
Date/Time: Monday 9th April, 15:00

Game: Swinton Lions V London Skolars
Location: Sedgely Park, Whitefield, Manchester
Date/Time: Sunday 15th April, 15:00

Game: London Skolars V Workington Town
Location: New River Stadium, Tottenham
Date/Time: Saturday 28th April, 15:00

Amateur Rugby League:

Details of Rugby League Conference fixtures can be found here.

Details of London Amateur Rugby League fixtures can be found here.

We will bring news, previews and reports of amateur game as and when possible.

Disclaimer:Please note that all fixtures information is as published by the RFL and or the clubs. However this may be subject to change and it is best to check with the clubs before travelling.