Seven years after they were relegated and three years after they became enmeshed in one of the biggest scandals in the history of English rugby – Bloodgate – Harlequins won the Premiership for the first time by defeating Leicester 30-23 at Twickenham. And they are anticipating more titles.
"We are going places," said Conor O'Shea, the director of rugby who helped rebuild Harlequins after the club's reputation had been trashed by the fake blood substitution perpetrated during the 2009 Heineken Cup quarter-final against Leinster.
"Good teams win; great teams kick on. A number of people at the club have been through some tough times, ducking and diving over the last 10 years to get us where we are today. This win can only be a start because we have a long way to go and the players will be back in on 24 June to start preparing for next season."
Both teams scored two tries and the first of the match came from the Quins wing Tom Williams, who was at the centre of the fake blood substitution and whose changed testimony sparked a rash of resignations at the club and hefty bans at a disciplinary hearing.
"Tom is a class act and I tried to sign him when I was at London Irish," said O'Shea. "We were determined a couple of years go to write a new chapter for Harlequins and we are doing that. We will enjoy tonight but we want to be a great club and there is work to do."
Quins finished at the top of the table at the end of the regular season, having been out in front from the middle of September. "People said then that we were only in that position because of the World Cup," said the Quins and England captain, Chris Robshaw, who was named man of the match. "We have finished on top and we proved those who wrote us off wrong."
It was Leicester's eighth successive Premiership final and their fifth defeat. "We made too many mistakes," said their director of rugby, Richard Cockerill, who added that the England outside-half Toby Flood, who withdrew yesterday on Saturday morning with a groin strain, would be fit to tour South Africa with England.
