Nominally, a routine European Challenge Cup fixture for Harlequins at the Stoop – but do not be fooled. There was a disproportionate interest in Montpellier’s visit, not least from those across the road at English rugby’s HQ. Jake White, one of the leading contenders for a certain vacancy at the head of the England rugby team, was in town with his charges from the south of France.
If only they could have advanced his case more convincingly than they did. Despite an admirably Anglo-Saxon display in a rainswept first half-hour, during which they obliterated Harlequins’ scrum to take a 12-3 lead, they proceeded to capitulate – as so many French teams have in this competition. Or maybe it was just that Quins wanted to showcase the talent available to White, should he end up ensconced across the way.
He is currently the bookies’ favourite for the role. Apart from anything else, he is the only coach of the sort of international stature the RFU has stipulated who has made plain his interest. So far, however, the RFU has played it cool.
“I’ve always made clear that I have a burning desire to win another World Cup,” he said after his side’s 41-18 defeat, “so I’ve got to align myself with a side I think I can get the best out of. There’s a couple of teams in the world I think have the possibility of getting that right and I think England is one of them. It’s one of the top jobs in the world. If the opportunity arises – you’re crazy if you don’t make yourself available.”
White and the RFU have flirted with each other before. Twice he has applied for the role of head coach and been interviewed by a “10-man panel”; twice he was passed over for a man with no international experience – Martin Johnson in 2008 and Stuart Lancaster in 2012. He will not be suffering such an indignity again.
“If you are the right man for the job, and they genuinely think you are, there should be no process. I am who I am. My CV stands for itself and if they think it is the guy who can get England to win the World Cup again, that is basically what it is.”
In such a context, this 40-point hiding for Montpellier represented an unfortunate calling card. Quins recovered from that early trial to secure the full five points with ease. All six of their tries were scored by Englishmen. Conor O’Shea may be another candidate for the big job but he ruled himself out peremptorily. “Whoever gets it,” he said, “is a lucky man because this ain’t broke. There’s so many good players out there. I could name you a team without even thinking to get the juices flowing.”
The bonus point was earned by four tries from four driven lineouts, one for each of the back row and the fourth by the captain, Danny Care, before a parade of chastened Englishmen combined to set a hopeful one clear for a magnificent fifth.
Chris Robshaw came on at the break and sparked the move with a huge hit on the Australian Sitaleki Timani, which dislodged the ball. Marland Yarde chipped ahead, Care gathered and turned Jesse Mogg – another Aussie – inside out, and Mike Brown was in support to send Ollie Lindsay-Hague haring to the line.
As if that were not poetic enough, the last word went to Robshaw, on hand to drive through a tackler over the line. The England captain has cut a ghostly figure in white in recent weeks but a spell in the colourful shirts of his beloved club looks to be what he needs. Whether Jake White as a new boss is as well remains to be seen.
Harlequins Brown; Yarde, Hopper, Sloan, Visser (Lindsay-Hague, 63); Evans (Botica, 74), Care (capt; Dickson, 66); Marler (Lambert, 58), Ward (Buchanan, 75), Jones (Sinckler, 53), Matthews, Twomey (Treadwell, 50), Clifford, Wallace (Robshaw, h-t), Easter.
Tries Wallace, Easter, Clifford, Care, Lindsay-Hague, Robshaw. Cons Evans 3, Botica. Pen Evans.
Montpellier Mogg; Fall, Nagusa, Tuitavake, O’Connor; Trinh-Duc, Paillaugue; Nariashvili, Burden (Ivaldi, 57), Mas (Cilliers, 70), Tchale Watchou (Timani, 46), Willemse, Ouedraogo (capt), Liebenberg (Galletier, 70), Qera.
Pens Paillaugue 6.
Sin-bin Nariashvili 34.
Referee I Davies (Wales). Attendance 7,136
