By Laurie Fitzgerald
After 22 rounds of intense action, the cream of the crop in English rugby has emerged as Harlequins and Leicester Tigers prepare to battle it out in the Aviva Premiership final this Saturday.
Both teams emerged as the top two during the domestic season, and then came through tough tests in the semi-finals to reach the showpiece event at Twickenham.
Quins needed a late try from Joe Marler to edge out the Northampton Saints at the Stoop, while Leicester gained revenge over Saracens for their defeat at rugby HQ 12 months ago to reach their eighth consecutive final.
For Connor O’Shea’s side, while the trip across the road will not be of great distance, this match will represent a giant leap for a side that have fully overcome the trauma that ‘Bloodgate’ caused and stand just one win away from their first ever Premiership title.
The Londoners have led the league since mid-September and haven’t looked back, maintaining their position at the summit and having the chance to cement their belief as the best team in the country.
17 wins over the regular season have proven that the growing potential shown in this side over the past couple of years has matured into a consistent outfit that know how to win in different ways.
Whether it’s digging deep to grind out wins at the likes of Exeter and Worcester, playing scintillating attacking rugby to outclass Gloucester and Newcastle or showing fierce resilience in defence to edge out Saracens and Northampton, Harlequins have many facets to their game that make them a match for anyone.
This is a good thing considering they are playing a team that for the past couple of months have produced by far the best rugby in the country and once again have timed their push for a tilt at the title to perfection.
Leicester have scored 70 tries this season – 30 more than the Premiership average and 17 more than their final counterparts – and they recently set a league record for gaining six consecutive bonus point wins by scoring four tries or more, a run that included victory over Quins at the Stoop in the penultimate round of the campaign.
Richard Cockerill has defied mid-season criticism following the Tigers’ early exit from the Heineken Cup to get his team producing powerful running rugby combined with a destructive pack and a back-row that dominates the breakdown.
Leicester undoubtedly have the greater experience at these kind of occasions in comparison to O’Shea’s side, but Quins’ Amlin Challenge Cup triumph last year proved they are able to deliver when it matters.
There will be fascinating battles in all areas; Joe Marler’s England credentials will be severely tested up against the likes of Dan Cole and Martin Castrogiovanni in the Tigers’ tighthead role, while the second row pits two excellent lineout duos in Harlequins’ Ollie Kohn and George Robson and Leicester’s George Skivington and Geoff Parling.
Player of the Year Chris Robshaw aims to cap a trememdous year by captaining Quins to glory, but he and back-row colleagues Mau Fa’asavalu and Nick Easter will have their work cut out against the trio of Steve Mafi, Craig Newby and the runaway train that is Thomas Waldrom.
Danny Care and Ben Youngs will be auditioning in front of England coach Stuart Lancaster to get the nod at scrum-half for the tour of South Africa this summer, while the respective fly-halves of Nick Evans and Toby Flood will be instrumental to their side’s chances on Saturday afternoon.
George Lowe and Jordan Turner-Hall will provide the brains and brawn in the Quins midfield, while Manu Tuilagi will be crucial in getting Leicester over the gainline alongside Anthony Allen.
Manu’s brother Alesana will want to end his outstanding Leicester career with a fourth Premiership title, and it’s easy to see why the Samoan winger is part of a back three that scores tries galore with the also-departing Horacio Agulla and Geordan Murphy.
However, the Quins have plenty of pace of their own in Ugo Monye, Sam Smith and this season’s outstanding full-back Mike Brown.
So it’s all set for a thrilling final between undoubtedly the best two teams in the Premiership this season; full of power, pace and big-game players, the sell-out crowd at Twickenham this weekend could witness a real classic.
Prediction: Two teams that are full of tries and attacking intent, this could turn into a high-scoring affair. But Leicester’s previous experience of Premiership finals could be telling in the final 20 minutes. Leicester to win by six points.
So what do you think? Who will prevail in this season’s Premiership Final? Leave a comment and let us know your views.
