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Harlequins in must-win territory against Toulon, says Chris Robshaw

Harlequins in must-win territory against Toulon, says Chris Robshaw

By Paul Eddison, Sportsbeat

Harlequins find themselves in must-win territory against a rejuvenated Toulon according to club legend and Premier Sports pundit Chris Robshaw.

Currently sitting third in their Investec Champions Cup pool, Quins face a daunting trip to the south of France to take on the three-time champions, before hosting reigning URC champions Glasgow Warriors in their final pool game, with both games live on Premier Sports.

And with their league form currently up and down, Robshaw knows the magnitude of the task facing his former team.

“Toulon have looked really good recently. They obviously went down to the Stormers and got a win in a pretty bruising game,” said Robshaw, who is part of a 34-strong TV team delivering the Champions and Challenge Cup for Premier Sports, the new broadcasters of international club rugby's premier competitions.

“Quins really need to get something out of this because I don’t think they can rely on the last game against Glasgow. Glasgow will want that home knockout game because you know how rewarding those are financially.

“They have had some really good performances but they have had some tough ones. Even if you go back to that first game against Racing, even though it was in horrendous conditions, they had so much possession and territory but they just couldn’t unlock them. Before, they probably would have scored three tries from that sort of territory.”

Quins made it all the way to the semi-finals of the competition last year, their best-ever run in the Champions Cup.

Along the way, they won away to both Bordeaux-Begles and Racing 92, before narrowly losing out to eventual champions Toulouse.

They will need to rediscover some of that French magic to boost their chances of another long run, and Robshaw believes that young prop Fin Baxter will have a big role to play as he goes up against former Quins fan favourite Kyle Sinckler, who is part of a strong English contingent at the Mayol.

Robshaw added: “Going down to France can bring the best out of the players. Harlequins know that on their day, they can match anyone. With Joe Marler stepping away, that has left a lot of work for the likes of Fin Baxter to step up and to probably earn his stripes a couple of years ahead of time. Being a young man, he is developing quickly.

“When you play against someone who knows the club (in Sinckler), you want to get one over on them, and they want to get one over on you, it’s as simple as that.

“You always want to perform your best against the ones you love. You want to show them what you are about. There will definitely be a bit of that, with a big English contingent there, Ludlam is going well, David Ribbans is doing well. They want to do well against an English side.

“Quins will enjoy being the underdog down in Toulon. They will enjoy the sun in the south of France, and they will try to throw the ball around. They know they need to score tries because they didn’t get anything out of the Racing game. You probably need at least two wins and a couple of bonus points to get through. They definitely need something substantial from this game.”

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