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Flannery makes a 'brilliant' Premiership vs Super Rugby comparison

(Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Harlequins assistant Jerry Flannery believes the Gallagher Premiership has eclipsed Super Rugby as a spectacle and insists that the product remains world-class despite the recent loss of Wasps and Worcester, who have been forced into administration and reduced the league to an eleven-team tournament. Quins take on London Irish at the Twickenham Stoop on Saturday with Mick Crossan, the owner of the Exiles claiming he would be happy to give that club away for free as long as a new owner took over their debts.

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Flannery accepted that financial problems were hampering clubs in the English top flight but the Harlequins lineout and defence coach said: “This year’s Premiership is as good as I have seen as a spectacle. When I was with Munster we used to watch Super Rugby games and it was a different type of rugby and we were asking, ‘What are they playing down there?’ It looks like that up here now (in England) and it is really entertaining and a brilliant product.

“While there are a lot of questions about how have we lost two great clubs like Wasps and Worcester, the league as a product is really, really good. It is so tight in the Premiership. If it was one team winning all the time you would get bored with it.”

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Having ended Sale’s unbeaten start with a Marcus Smith-inspired win at the AJ Bell Stadium last Sunday, Harlequins take on Irish with both teams missing their England squad players. However, with the fit-again Alex Dombrandt back from injury to make his 100th appearance, the hosts intend to take the aggressive defence they showed against Sale and use it to negate the Irish attacking threat by flooding the breakdown.

“We don’t want to get drawn into a Harlem Globetrotter spectacle with London Irish but it is difficult because they hold the ball for long periods,” suggested Flannery, who has been with Harlequins since 2020.  “We have to make them play in areas of the field they don’t want to and contest their rucks to slow it down and bring as many bodies into the breakdown as possible so they don’t have those multiple layers at the back they are so good with.

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“We spoke in the leadership group that after this match there is a three-week break and the worst thing you could do is to lose on the back of a landmark game at Sale that we can reference back to because it isn’t the stereotypical style of Harlequins play. We want to take aspects of that into the Irish game, which is enormous for us, and we don’t want to drop off from that impressive performance at Sale.

“We are going to try and carry that over and regardless that different styles of collisions are still a big part of the game, if you can win them it goes a long way to freeing you on both attack and defence. I thought we defended well and I thought our kicking game made our defence look good. The main thing was the physical commitment to win the collisions. Alex Dombrandt trained this week and looked good and any chance to get a guy like him on the field we will take it.”

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Comments

4 Comments
H
Henry 825 days ago

England rugby needs to stop poaching talent. Same as the rest of the European clubs.

Clearly the product is good.
It's also obviously unsustainable.

C
Chris 828 days ago

Yes
The advantages are many;

  1. The teams have a fan base and there are people turning up to watch
  2. The set up is simple and you can tell where your team is on the table
  3. They don’t change the format every year
  4. There is some money in the game
  5. Super rugby is dying

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R
RedWarrior 4 hours ago
The reason given by Steve Borthwick for latest England setback

So England are allowed to have a tsunami whinge fest about the ref but if an Irish fan points out that some decisions hurt Ireland also they are being petulant.

Honestly some English supporters are all politeness until they lose then the claws and fangs come out.

Ok here we go, not complaints just pointing out where England got away with roul play:

1: M Smiths headbutt on James Lowe that started the fracas with Stewart. If the ref spots that in time then thats a second yellow if not a straight red for Smith. Probably worth another 14 points with England gassed so a 41-10 final scoreline?

2: Itoje's several stamps on Hansens instep in a clear attempt to damage metatarsals. Straight red or if he is lucky, 10 in the bin.

3. Currys block on Baird to create a gap that Smith used to break the line. Penalty and possession for Ireland deep in England 22 with score at 0:0.

4: The correct decision for the Cunningham South dangerous tackle was a yellow. Lowe blew it by confronting him. The ref didn't give South or Lowe a yellow. The ref couldn't give Lowe a yellow anyway as the TMO would have informed him that m Smith alone started the previosu fracas and its not unreasonable for a player to react to being headbutted.


One last thing missing from English analysis

How is coming over to Dublin acting like you own the place, committing filthy cowardly off the ball cheap shots working out for you? I mean you clearly dont care that we think your team are a crowd of a$$holes but...... rugby wise, how is riling the Irish team to focus and get the best out of themselves against such unpleasant opposition working for you on the scoreboard?


Food for thought old boy!!!!

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