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Another Premiership club fills the calendar with a Barbarians date

(Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images for Barbarians)

Harlequins have followed Northampton in securing a fixture with the famed Barbarians to help plug the unexpected gaps in their playing calendar following the sudden reduction in the Gallagher Premiership from 13 to eleven clubs. With Worcester and Wasps having both fallen by the wayside in recent weeks, the remaining top-flight clubs have been looking at ways to pad out their schedule.

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The Saints were first off the mark last Friday. They had been due to host Worcester on November 26 but will instead welcome Scott Robertson’s Barbarians to Franklin’s Gardens on that Saturday. Harlequins have now also muscled in on the act. They had already lost an away date at Worcester earlier this month and with their November 13 match at Wasps also scratched, they will instead host the Barbarians at The Stoop on November 17.

A club statement read: “Harlequins are thrilled to announce that the famous invitational side Barbarian FC will next month face a full-strength Harlequins team. Following disruption to the 2022/23 Gallagher Premiership fixtures and loss of match days, Harlequins have confirmed they will host the iconic Baa-Baas on Thursday, November 17.

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“Kicking off at 19:45 under the Thursday night lights at the Twickenham Stoop, this will be the first time the teams have ever met. It means that two of the most entertaining sides in world rugby will come blow to blow in what is set to be a thrilling encounter in London between two sides famed for their attacking brands of rugby.”

Harlequins head coach Tabai Matson said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome the Baabaas to The Stoop. If you talk about the great entertainers of the sport, the Barbarians are right at the top end of that list. First of all, it’s a huge privilege for the club to be able to host such a prestigious side, but it’s also a fantastic challenge for us as a team.

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“We will be going at this with a strong Harlequins team on a weekend that also sees our current Premiership Cup squad travel to Sale. We know that they are bringing an incredibly strong team too and so this promises to be an outstanding match and a real test for our players. I’m sure this will be an enthralling encounter and hope the Stoop faithful enjoy a bumper evening under the Thursday night lights.”

Barbarians head coach Robertson added: “We are thrilled to be bringing the Barbarians to The Stoop. We are building a very strong side and are looking forward to announcing some star names in the coming days. We will showcase the Barbarians’ signature style of flair and passion in what will be an electrifying match against an exciting Harlequins team. It promises to be a very special evening.”

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Later on Tuesday, another Barbarians fixture was announced, this time versus Bath on November 20. It will be the Baa-Baas’ first match at The Rec since 1994.

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Alex 748 days ago

I hope they stream this for free on Quins site.

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JWH 40 minutes ago
Are the All Blacks doomed to a 70% flatline?

Interesting take, crazy to see the amount of delulu NZ fans here. I am an NZ fan, but this is atrocious.


I am fine with 75%+, in fact I think that is excellent, but the main point of anguish is not IF we win or lose, it is how. I think that Razor has finally got us playing to our identity again; flowing, simple, and brutally decisive & efficient.


There are certainly some issues that the stats reflect, like the scrum and lineout. However, at scrum time, there isn't really much variation, in terms of attack, you can put on that. So at the end of the day, not much to do differently apart from 'scrum better'.


However, the lineout is quite interesting. As Ryan said earlier this week, the ABs have added a lot of depth and combinations to their lineout, with FOUR lineout options (Barrett, Vaai, Savea, Sititi). While they did only retain 80% possession from lineouts (not great), the stat line is actually 12/15, which is pretty good, considering Aumua did all those lineout with limited experience and tiredness after playing 75 minutes at Twickenham.


There are also some really good stats to back up the ABs. They managed to stay out of their own 22 for a lot of the game, however they also didn't set up camp in the opp 22 often either. They are also passing the ball a lot, clocking in at 211 passes, double that of England. These stats show a return to attacking, flowing rugby, and not playing your own 22, which is the ABs style.


What I think Razor wants to do is make effective use of draw and pass, simple rugby. This can be pre or post contact, but you have to draw more than 1 player. For example, that Sititi offload to Telea, or BB to Jordan. Those were excellent, yet overall simple passages of rugby This can be risky at times (just watch DMac play), but it is a medium risk high reward gameplan.


What we Kiwis want is exciting rugby. We want hard defense, big hits, cool plays, and quick linebreaks. I cannot imagine being an SA fan between 2018-2021, which was one of the most boring rugby teams of all time (respectfully). I also cannot imagine being an England fan right now, so dull. But the ABs are making rugby exciting again, playing like Scotland and Fiji, but better.

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LONG READ England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit
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