JONES HOPING QUINS “BUILD A HEAD OF STEAM”
Having already qualified for the quarter-final of the Heineken Cup, the pressure has decreased for Harlequins ahead of their final Pool Four game against Llanelli Scarlets on Saturday at The Stoop. But Welsh prop Ceri Jones knows that if the London club are march further in the competition, it is important to defeat the Welsh region and gain a home advantage for the last eight – especially after a run of four games in all competitions without a win.
Last Saturday Quins lost 21-10 to Ulster at Ravenhill, in conditions that the coach Dean Richards described as the worst he has ever seen. Jones agrees, saying: “It was pretty difficult in those treacherous conditions, particularly in the second half – the crosswind was virtually unplayable. But Ulster played well and we did have opportunities to get back in the game.
“We have had some tough games in the last month – against Bath, Leicester, Wasps and a good Northampton side. It has not been easy. But I think we are playing well and are perfectly in place to push on from here.
“I think this is a perfect weekend for us, because the pressure is off and it is not all dependent upon qualification – we have already done that. We have a big game against the Scarlets to see if we can do an even better job of qualifying – we are hoping to get a home draw.
“But no matter who you play in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup it is going to be a tough game. They were saying that if the results stayed as they were we could play [reigning champions] Munster at Thomond Park, which most people were thinking would be a tough game – but I think it is an exciting prospect.”
Jones, who won two caps for his county in 2007, signed for Quins in February 2003, initially on loan as cover for injured props Jason Leonard, Laurent Gomez and Bruce Starr. After impressing he put pen to paper on a permanent deal and has play over 150 times for the club – through relegation-battles, in National League Division One, and now in Europe.
“It’s brilliant,” says the 31-year-old, “I’ve gone full circus at Quins. Since I have been here I have seen everything you can see in rugby. It’s been a real roller-coaster ride, but at the same time it has been very enjoyable. Quins are a great club to be part of and the way things are going, with the team constantly developing, there are exciting times ahead.
“We are only two wins off top spot in the Guinness Premiership, and whoever we play in the last eight of the Heineken Cup we are going to go out there and give it our very best. And who knows? We could play very well and get to the semi-final, and perhaps even further. You can’t help but get drawn in by these exciting times.”
Scarlets pulled off a terrific 36-17 win over Stade Francais at their new ground, Parc y Scarlets, last weekend. And Jones expects the game will be far from a foregone conclusion, especially with some of the players the Llanelli side have at their disposal.
“Regan King is a fantastic ball player and he is on top form – we will have to watch him carefully,” he adds. “His partnership in the centre with Jonathan Davies is really flourishing. Steven Jones is a class No10 – he can do it all. And even with the injuries they have got they have some very exciting backs and experienced forwards. They are a class team and, after their performance against Stade, I’m sure they are going to come out with much more confidence and wanting to do a job against us.
“We are very excited about the game, too. We don’t want to go into the quarter-finals on a defeat – we want a win and to get as many points from our group as possible. We want to go through to the last eight with a head of steam.”
Having already qualified for the quarter-final of the Heineken Cup, the pressure has decreased for Harlequins ahead of their final Pool Four game against Llanelli Scarlets on Saturday at The Stoop. But Welsh prop Ceri Jones knows that if the London club are march further in the competition, it is important to defeat the Welsh region and gain a home advantage for the last eight – especially after a run of four games in all competitions without a win.
Last Saturday Quins lost 21-10 to Ulster at Ravenhill, in conditions that the coach Dean Richards described as the worst he has ever seen. Jones agrees, saying: “It was pretty difficult in those treacherous conditions, particularly in the second half – the crosswind was virtually unplayable. But Ulster played well and we did have opportunities to get back in the game.
“We have had some tough games in the last month – against Bath, Leicester, Wasps and a good Northampton side. It has not been easy. But I think we are playing well and are perfectly in place to push on from here.
“I think this is a perfect weekend for us, because the pressure is off and it is not all dependent upon qualification – we have already done that. We have a big game against the Scarlets to see if we can do an even better job of qualifying – we are hoping to get a home draw.
“But no matter who you play in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup it is going to be a tough game. They were saying that if the results stayed as they were we could play [reigning champions] Munster at Thomond Park, which most people were thinking would be a tough game – but I think it is an exciting prospect.”
Jones, who won two caps for his county in 2007, signed for Quins in February 2003, initially on loan as cover for injured props Jason Leonard, Laurent Gomez and Bruce Starr. After impressing he put pen to paper on a permanent deal and has play over 150 times for the club – through relegation-battles, in National League Division One, and now in Europe.
“It’s brilliant,” says the 31-year-old, “I’ve gone full circus at Quins. Since I have been here I have seen everything you can see in rugby. It’s been a real roller-coaster ride, but at the same time it has been very enjoyable. Quins are a great club to be part of and the way things are going, with the team constantly developing, there are exciting times ahead.
“We are only two wins off top spot in the Guinness Premiership, and whoever we play in the last eight of the Heineken Cup we are going to go out there and give it our very best. And who knows? We could play very well and get to the semi-final, and perhaps even further. You can’t help but get drawn in by these exciting times.”
Scarlets pulled off a terrific 36-17 win over Stade Francais at their new ground, Parc y Scarlets, last weekend. And Jones expects the game will be far from a foregone conclusion, especially with some of the players the Llanelli side have at their disposal.
“Regan King is a fantastic ball player and he is on top form – we will have to watch him carefully,” he adds. “His partnership in the centre with Jonathan Davies is really flourishing. Steven Jones is a class No10 – he can do it all. And even with the injuries they have got they have some very exciting backs and experienced forwards. They are a class team and, after their performance against Stade, I’m sure they are going to come out with much more confidence and wanting to do a job against us.
“We are very excited about the game, too. We don’t want to go into the quarter-finals on a defeat – we want a win and to get as many points from our group as possible. We want to go through to the last eight with a head of steam.”
Labels: Ceri Jones, Heineken Cup, Llanelli Scarlets, London Harlequins, Ulster
