Harlequins are hopeful their star wing Jess Breach will be available for the inaugural Tyrrells Premier 15s final on Sunday after flying in from England sevens duties in Japan.
The Harlequins coach, Gary Street, admitted he does not yet know how much of a part Breach will play on Sunday, if at all, following her exploits in Kitakyushu, which came a week after the 20-year-old scored the decisive try for England in the Commonwealth Games bronze medal match.
Breach’s availability would be a huge boost, however – she scored 16 tries in the regular season, despite juggling her sevens commitments, and touched down a stunning 11 times in her first two England Tests in November before switching to the shorter form. As a result Harlequins will be keeping their fingers crossed that she lines up against Saracens at Ealing Trailfinders’ ground on Sunday. “We’re waiting to get the all clear on Jess over the next day or two when she arrives back from Japan,” said Street. “We’re really hoping she’ll be available or at least play some part in it. We’re pretty much at full strength, as much as you can be at the end of a season.”
Saracens topped the regular season table by three points from Harlequins, while Wasps and Gloucester-Hartpury completed the semi-final line-up. While Saracens cruised past Gloucester-Hartpury in their semi-final, Harlequins battled past Wasps in theirs but, with both finalists winning one each of their two encounters this season – on each occasion away from home – Street is expecting a titanic tussle in west London.
“It’s the two best teams in the league without doubt who are in the final,” he added. “We’ve been the best two throughout the season. We’ve both got physical sides, we both like to move the ball. We’re very similar in some ways and the side that can execute and bring something a little bit different will be the side that wins.”
