I don't often select a club of the week but felt that the Harlequins deserved to be recognised for an amazing effort last Saturday.

Viewers on Sky Sports would have seen their first team defeat the Leeds Rhinos by 28-24. This was despite the fact that the Quins were forced to play without some of their star players.

They had two local lads making their debuts and a total of 11 English players, of which six were from London and surrounding areas. (A better record than some teams who have existed for over 100 years!).

Tony Clubb: British talent

Leeds may have looked a little flat, but they still had at least six players who will feature in this year's World Cup.

On its own this would have made it a day to remember at the club, but their development as a force in rugby league was evident in their second team's performance.

Again playing against Leeds Rhinos, who were secnd in the table and had only lost twice all season, the Quins outscored them by 42-34.

This follows victories over Bradford and Hull FC to put them in a play-off position in the reserve team table.

The hard work, perseverance and dedication of some of the staff at Harlequins (and the RL Development team in the South) gave them possibly their biggest weekend.

And made it the most exciting frontier in finding new players for the game.

Phil answers your questions...

Hi Phil, I have an issue with the overseas quota in Super League, and certain clubs breaking it already. It's my understanding that the quota limit is 10 non 'home-trained' players per squad for this season, and for the figure to drop by 1 each year until it is 5 per squad. If that is the case, how is it that this season Cas have now signed 12 non-home trained players and Hull KR 11. Is the RFL going to enforce the rules on this issue or not, as effectively both of these clubs are cheating. Please offer your view or any more information on the subject.
Chris

PHIL SAYS: I'm with you, Chris. It's ridiculous that we seem to be attempting to bring down the number of overseas players, when it is in fact increasing. Whatever the focus of the licence applications, taking away people's attention from this issue, or a reluctance by the RFL, Player's Union and Home Office to address the qualification requirements, the recent news about new players in Super League tends to be about unwanted players from Australia. The stated long-term goal is to reduce the number of overseas players at a club to five by 2011. This is an admirable goal, but knowing how often the rules change, I'd be surprised if we hit that figure. The current rules state that to qualify for a work permit, the player must have played in 75 per cent of first team games for his club in Australia (the NRL) over the last two seasons. If you look closely at the most recent arrivals, this has not been the case. I cannot understand why the RFL and Players Union have approved these deals? When I have tried to investigate the reasons I have hit a brick wall. Nobody else seems interested. Thank heavens for Brian McDermott and Harlequins, who are prepared to give local lads a chance. It's amazing when you consider that Harlequins beat Leeds with less overseas players than Wigan used at the weekend!

Phil, I think your response to the email re the Keepmoat semi-final missed the point. Hull fans have already been told that unless you are a season ticket holder it is unlikely you will get a ticket as the RL will not allow unsold Wakefield tickets to be sold to Hull fans! A stadium capable of housing 20000 would have been realistic. Can anyone answer what the split of the allocation is ie 50/50 or was it based on average attendances? With 8000+ season ticket holders and an average of over 13000 this season many of those without season tickets will probably miss out. Your own stats Hull v St Helens had an attendance over 16,000 and the vast majority from Hull (I was there).
Andrew

PHIL SAYS: In a perfect world a slightly larger stadium would ease your concerns about getting a ticket for this match, Andrew. However, I reiterate my point about attendance figures at recent semi-finals. I'll dress up as your team's mascot if this proves to be a sell-out. This season alone tells you that most season ticket holders don't attend the Challenge Cup games, especially when it's live on television and not played at their home ground. If I'm wrong and the game does sell out, then it might be a good thing. It will look great for national TV, force people to buy their tickets earlier and force the RFL to find a larger stadium for next year's semi-finals. Tne crowd of over 16,000 in the last eight semi-finals doesn't suggest that the Keepmoat Stadium is far from being the best choice for this game.

back to top