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Harlequins CEO apologises to fans over Saracens hiding
By Ian Cameron
Harlequins CEO Laurie Dalrymple issued a public apology to fans following the team’s overwhelming 52-7 loss to Saracens at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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The match – which saw Saracens dominate to secure London bragging rights – left Harlequins searching for answers after a display that saw them outplayed in nearly every facet of the game in front of 60,000 fans.
Saracens’ performance was nothing short of spectacular, with the team clicking into gear from the outset. Tries from Alex Lewington, Theo Dan, and a double from Sean Maitland set the tone for the day, giving Saracens a commanding lead by half-time. The onslaught continued in the second half, despite a solitary response from Quins’ Alex Dombrandt, with Argentina’s Lucio Cinti and Juan Martin Gonzalez adding to the tally before Alex Goode rounded off the scoring with an eighth try.
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The victory was made even more special by the tribute paid to Owen Farrell on his 250th club appearance, a milestone that Saracens were keen to celebrate with a win. Their wish was granted emphatically, propelling them into second place in the standings, just behind leaders Northampton.
Reacting to the loss, Dalrymple took to X (formerly Twitter) to address the Harlequins faithful: “One very poor performance doesn’t define this group, that’s for certain. But the travelling fans deserved much more yesterday, and we expect more of ourselves. We’ll review honestly, and move on. The support, as always, is incredible. Well done @saracens. On and off the pitch.”
One very poor performance doesn’t define this group, that’s for certain. But the travelling fans deserved much more yesterday, and we expect more of ourselves. We’ll review honestly, and move on. The support, as always, is incredible. Well done @saracens. On and off the pitch 👏
— Laurie Dalrymple (@LaurieDalrymple) March 24, 2024
Former England flyhalf Andy Goode wrote on Twitter: “No going out for the Harlequins boys tonight after taking 50! Saracens were class, Quins got bullied.”
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It’s been a tough fixture for Harlequins of late, having lost their last eight games against their London rivals. With limited time to address their issues, they must prepare for another tough match, this time against title-chasers Bath, who visit The Stoop next Saturday.
As a Quins supporter who was there the Quins were awful. No fight, no passion, disappearing players. What I never understand is the ball comes out from the slow ruck, it is passed to a forward who immediately ships it to a stationary Marler who immediately goes to ground where he stands so we have another slow ruck. Marler is not the only forward who does not go forward (so the word forward is an oxymoron). The game was so one sided to be a poor spectacle both at the stadium and on TV. The Quins players deserve a roasting.
Not sure the coaches and players will appreciate the CEO apologising for them! Question teams like Quins, Leicester and Saints should be asking is why Saracens always hit the ground running straight after the 6N and they don’t?