On close examination, this match represents more than two strong sides in a high tempo, high energy encounter at Welford Road. Leicester have made a habit of confounding critics for some time now, but it is tempting to say that the ascendancy of the Quins in the Tigers' den may well give us a glimpse of England's rugby future.
IF they choose to go down that road...which is a big IF...
English rugby has been so risk averse for so long that it is etched into the red rose DNA. When coaches blithely talk about their charges playing "heads up rugby", they mean "Kick it as high and as hard as you can". The secret to the Quins system of recycling is that they don't even look for the supporting ball player. They just hear a call from behind them, then off load the ball into the hole for the next attacker to surge forward. When it works, they flood (sorry Toby...) the opposition midfield, throwing numbers at a weak point, punching holes. All in all, very difficult to defend against. Tacklers are chasing back, not surging forward into the hit. Defence is no longer King.
And that, for English rugby, is a sea change.
It is also great to watch, because Quins play it all at a high tempo.
Stuart Lancaster was at Welford Rd to see it all. He must be wondering how he could replicate the standard of this terrific game at international level. For too long now, English sides have been inferior to the club sides that feed them.
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