Quins get helping hand from the Irish

13 April 2012

Harlequins start the countdown to their European Shield quarter-final against Brive today with a little help from London Irish.

Quins go to the French hotspot of Brive next weekend and the Irish, who were there eight days ago, will lend Quins the video tape of their game.

Mike Scott, Quins' team manager, said: "Brive have a good reputation in Europe but looking at their results they seem to score a lot of points and concede a lot at the same time."

Quins have to travel to a ground renowned for its passion and where Brive laid the foundations for their European Cup success in 1997 when they beat Quins on the way.

The Brive team does not contain as many well known players as that championship side, but Quins know they will be up against Tom Smith, the Scotland and 1997 British Lions prop.

Quins won their final pool game against Ebbw Vale 45-22 in a match which had to start early because of a power cut. It meant there were no floodlights and no bars open afterwards.

But now that they are in the last eight they can add two players to their squad and will probably bring in Scottish internationals Craig Chalmers at fly-half and No 8 Eric Peters.

Chalmers was not signed up for the pool games when he joined Quins to help their fly-half shortage.That situation is further eased by the return of Ireland fly-half Paul Burke who played for 20 minutes against Ebbw Vale and kicked a goal from the touchline to mark his return.

Meanwhile, in the Heineken Cup race Leicester and Gloucester have home ties against Swansea and Cardiff respectively.

Bath have to score 12 tries against Newport tomorrow night to ease out Pau from the draw. The Bath-Newport match was twice postponed over the weekend.

Meanwhile, after-match drinking is back on the menu at Twickenham with England matches still to come in the Lloyds TSB Six Nations' championship against Italy, Scotland, and France, as well as the Tetley's Bitter Cup final between Quins and Newcastle.

Drinking was banned by the police after complaints by residents but is expected to be restored.

HEINEKEN CUP DRAW: Stade Francais v Pau or Bath; Leicester v Swansea; Gloucester v Cardiff; Munster v Biarritz.

EUROPEAN SHIELD DRAW: Brive v Harlequins; Newcastle v Mont-de-Marsan; Agen v Beziers; Narbonne v Perpignan. The winners qualify for the Heineken Cup.

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