Harlequins will not ditch cavalier style

aviva premiership: Conor O’Shea refuses to rein in Harlequins’ attacking ambition as they seek to regain the Aviva Premiership crown seized by Leicester last season.

Quins are unstoppable when in full flow according to Wasps’ director of rugby Dai Young, but it has been suggested the 2012 champions lack the variety of game to mount a consistent title challenge.

When Newcastle boss Dean Richards was asked last week which teams are chasing a place in May’s Premiership final, he overlooked the club he once coached, picking out only Leicester, Saracens and Northampton.

Quins open their campaign against Wasps today and O’Shea is convinced their high-tempo game will prove to be successful once again.

“There’s been a lot of talk that Quins have been worked out, which is rubbish,” the club’s director of rugby said. “Everyone knows the way we play and we ain’t changing it! We’ll bring that to the party this season, but with an added mental edge.

“We have a certain way we want to play, it’s our style and identity. All our players buy into it and we develop our players on that basis. We’ve won three trophies in three seasons, which doesn’t happen by accident. We know that if we can bring our game to the party, we’ll be successful.”