Programme Notes
Friday 16th April 2004: v Rotherham Titans
Still much to play for!
Tonight we welcome the fellow supporters, players and officials of Rotherham to the Stoop for our penultimate home league game. We hope that their short stay in the capital will be largely enjoyable.
Our Parker Pen Challenge Cup game lies intriguingly balanced after last week’s game. In fact both semi finals do. Bath will find it tough against Montferrand and might well struggle to defend a small lead. Quins take an even smaller lead to Galway despite outscoring our visitors four tries to one. The backs were in fine form with Will Greenwood having one of his best games at the Stoop for years. The forwards, however, had a few slight problems with some quixotic refereeing upsetting both players and fans alike.
Tonight it’s back to the league. The table currently is very close with three sides on 44 points and two on 40. Arguably it’s Leicester on 40 points who are in pretty good form at the moment. If our Heineken Cup plans are to materialise then we need to top this mini-table as none of this group of five sides is likely to catch Gloucester. We have three games left, two at home and all must be seen as winnable. If we want to join Europe’s elite then we will have to go to tougher places than Franklin’s Gardens and win. So there is still much to play for.
Rotherham have had a hard season and never recovered from a disappointing start. Next year they will regroup in National League 1 whilst mounting a challenge to get back with the elite. We wish them luck. Tonight, yet again travelling fans are dealt a rough deal with some less than friendly fixture scheduling. Having had to twice this season travel up to Yorkshire on a Friday night tonight our opponents make the similar reverse journey. Some of you reading this will no doubt be just old enough to remember when rugby was played at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. So how many of out first team’s twenty eight fixtures (including today’s) have been played at that time? Have a guess. It’s just eleven. With all but one being at home, the other was Gloucester. Sunday kick times have also included, 12.30, 1pm and 6pm. Doesn’t playing a game at 6pm on a Sunday seem moderately daft to anyone else? How about a game on Easter Sunday? Connacht did well to bring so many fans over, although their numbers were swelled with many local Irish from both the Sunbury and Reading areas!
At the Quinssa desk tonight in the East stand and before the game, there will be the chance to renew your subscription for one or two years and to book a place on the Northampton coach on Saturday May 8th. Quinssa members will shortly be receiving details of our first AGM on the 10th June. We will also be updating our travel advice for Galway to brief members about the smoking ban and other matters. So pop along to our desk to see what’s happening. Coach places can also be booked by emailing me on will@quinssa.org.uk.
So enjoy the game and that unique Quins experience!
Will Warner
Quinssa Chairman
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