The Harlequins director of rugby, Conor O’Shea, has launched a passionate defence of Chris Robshaw, questioning whether there were those with “an agenda” concerning the 28-year-old England captain.
O’Shea had just seen Robshaw score the try that swung the game away from Wasps, helped create another and put in an 80-minute performance that shaded his personal contest with another England flanker, James Haskell.
However, O’Shea was equally as concerned about some of the flak Robshaw received after Harlequins’ drubbing by Saracens earlier this month: “It’s absolutely ridiculous if there is an agenda against a player who is as outstanding as Chris is. It’s sad, absolutely sad.
“He has been outstanding for England; he’s been outstanding for Quins. He is an absolutely magnificent rugby player. Any team would be the lesser without him. I find it insulting the stuff that’s done … sometimes its easy to make a cheap and easy headline. It’s annoying and so cheap.”
Earlier, Wasps had come crashing down to earth. Six days after beating the champions, Northampton, Dai Young’s rapidly improving side ran into a brick wall, Harlequins scoring 17 points in nine minutes early in the second half to take a game they could easily have lost.
Wasps scored three tries to two, the third a rumbling forward affair from Thomas Young, the director of rugby’s son, which got them back to within three points with four minutes to go, but left their London rivals empty handed and largely because Robshaw had helped turn the tide, rounding off an ambitious move launched by the scrum-half Danny Care. Stung by being four points down at the interval, Harlequins launched themselves at the Wasps line. Marland Yarde and Asaeli Tikoirotuma almost got through but it was a Care chip that worked wonders.
Christian Wade should have caught it easily, but the Wasps wing’s fumble left the easiest of presents for Robshaw, who was a the heart of things four minutes later when Harlequins took their lead to 10 points.
Mike Brown should have scored a straightforward try, set up by a chip from Ben Botica, but the England full-back dropped the ball over the line. Unfortunately for Wasps, the television evidence also showed the clumsiest of trips on Botica by the Wasps lock Kearnan Myall. The result: a penalty try, which Botica converted and 10 minutes in the sin-bin for the Wasps lock.
Add a snap drop goal from Danny Care and Harlequins had added 17 points and although Tom Varndell reduced the lead to eight points with a try made by an the impressive Joe Simpson, the lead was just too big for Wasps, who have now beaten Harlequins only once in 11 attempts.
Initially, there was little evidence to suggest things were about to change. In fact Wasps hardly touch the ball in Harlequins territory until they took the lead in the 15th minute and even then it was far from being a straightforward affair.
Varndell looked to have spoiled a run across the field by ignoring a three-man overlap on his right. However, when the ball was recycled Elliot Daly tiptoed up the line and around his marker Jordan Turner-Hall before finding Guy Thompson ranging inside him and then heading for the Harlequins posts.
