Speak to anyone who holds Harlequins close to their heart and a word that often comes up is “fragility”. Fragile in defence against Gloucester last weekend but mentally fragile too. The scars of recent seasons are deep and the problems entrenched. A club that is famed for its swagger has, in short, lost its mojo and the more you pull back the curtain, the longer it appears it will take to return.
A caveat. It would be oh so very typical of Harlequins to swashbuckle their way past Sale Sharks on Sunday but in many ways, that feels like part of the problem. During pre-season Harlequins set themselves the target of following in the footsteps of Exeter, who finished ninth two seasons ago before reaching the final last June. As Marcus Smith pointed out, it was not so long ago that Quins were seventh in January with only two wins and champions five months later. But in the eyes of supporters, these former glories, these roadmaps out of their current malaise are doing little but masking the extent of the problems, offering but false hope.
