Wigan v Harlequins - 1996 Middlesex Sevens Quarter Final

[@British_Comedy_Clips]

Love watching these old middlesex 7s ...that Wigan team was pure class

[@PoweredbyRobots]

Remember watching this in the pub... those names. Not one of the ‘Quins players is on anyone’s lips currently. The Wigan boys all became household names, pretty much.

[@Geraint3000]

What a player Henry Paul was. Never the same in Union as he was too restricted in what he could do.

[@countycricklewood]

If you can’t score in league with less players on pitch? Must be something wrong

[@robertcottam8824]

@@countycricklewood That's strange. Remind me how many tries Bath scored against Wigan, under League rules - with less players on the pitch, natch...

[@JP1234815]

When he moved over to Union it took a while to place him in the correct position. When he was eventually moved to centre he actually played really well. He moved back to League after only 5 years in Union. Was a superb 7's player.

[@countycricklewood]

@@robertcottam8824Remind me how many Wigan And many did Wigan get in the return Union match? Only Helped via having ex union players!

[@robertcottam8824]

@@countycricklewood They scored rather more tries than had Bath, poppet. I think Wigan did rather well in Union 7’s round about then, too - despite not knowing the rules. I was there, dear boy - courtesy of free ticket, via my (Union) club to which I was a registered. Pip pip.

[@chanelopesu]

So good to watch this, Wigan in the late 1980’s and 1990’s were full of legends.

[@chrisblack4977]

Loved watching it back in 1996

[@ojpow]

Jeez, Henry Paul was class.

[@paulhayes2556]

Wigan greatest rugby team back then on the planet , super fit super strong, Connolly what a player n Edwards, Farrell look at them now , Robinson ended up winning England the R,U world cup , says it all when working class lads show the posh boys how rugby should be played

[@bfc2155]

Or here me out, the best players around, paid to move to a team where you practice daily, condition daily and get sufficient rest over several seasons vs reserve players who have full-time jobs 😂

[@boneidle626]

Looks like half the union players went to the same hairdresser as Hugh Grant😂😂

[@williamwallace2278]

Others?.Peaky Blinders.blind barber

[@boneidle626]

@@williamwallace2278 😂

[@robertcottam8824]

And your point,being?

[@boneidle626]

@@robertcottam8824 was I making a point or just an observation?

[@robertcottam8824]

@@boneidle626 Hard to say. Only you can answer that question. Personally, I don't give a shit. I'll employ the most talented, qualified folk - no matter their appearance. It works quite well.

[@boneidle626]

Credit to the crowd, obviously behind Harlequins, but generous applause for great Wigan play

[@robertcottam8824]

A bit too obviously behind Quins - given that Wigan lies within the parameters of England, too. Love both codes. Loved living in both North and South. III

[@janettemohan7739]

There was a Middlesex bookie offering odds of 25/1 against Wigan winning this tournament a fortnight before it took place...

[@robertcottam8824]

Oops

[@JP1234815]

I guess the bookie never watched Wigan play!

[@truckerfromreno]

Rugby league is in a different class.

[@xpat73]

well the union game had only just pro at this point.

[@xpat73]

The Wigan team is an all star list of international stars....I followed union and I only recognize 2 of the Quins players and none of them played for England or any other international team...probably mostly B or C team players.

[@xpat73]

*ANDY* 7 internationals v zero internationals - hardly a fair comparison.

[@xpat73]

this is a game v HARLEQUINS you muppet. Not Bath.and 36-24 is not bad showing for Quins considering who they put out.

[@xpat73]

bullshit self serving statement.

[@magiccat4316]

Second try reminder as to how great a player Henry Paul was.

[@psp66]

I was there and remember watching this game. To be fair I thought the Hairy Queens (I'm no fan) did pretty well against a star-studded Wigan side.

[@peterashton3554]

Wigan a little lost with the understanding of how to play the "ruck", but in a different class with ball in hand. Paul, Offiah, Robinson, Edwards et al unstppoable going roward. Sheer pace and power.

[@jamesrichards4294]

And inga!

[@williamwallace2278]

Yep! All ex union players

[@kenparr270]

@@williamwallace2278 the ex onion players had to train harder to evolve into league players.

[@itsinthetreesitscoming7431]

@@williamwallace2278 Robinson, Paul and Edwards? You sure about that?

[@PomBare]

I was trying to argue this point that there is nobody quicker over 30 meters who is as slow over 100 as Jason Robinson, it's curious. Watch how quickly he gets near flanker Richard Francis, not known for his pace, yet can't close him down after that, if anything before it turns to a jog Francis seems to pull away.

[@robicenco1]

See also: Robinson trying to chase down Doug Howlett in the England-New Zealand game in 2002.

[@ewaf88]

I remember watching this match live and thought Jason had him for sure - but it was the long strides of Francis that kept him ahead.

[@jamesrichards4294]

I remember a young Robinson playing against London Broncos and he was rapid over 100meters as well as the shorter distances he always had pace over. He scored a long distance try with some of the best top end pace I've ever seen. I think it's his incredible acceleration that makes hes top end look less fast. Anyway, he caused more than enough problems in both codes and won a fair bit too!

[@jamesrichards4294]

@@robicenco1 I think here we need to bare in mind Howlett and Robinson's positions. That try has been analysed and it's fair to say running onto the ball is the key advantage here.

[@carollinson]

It was early in a sevens game. A game played on a pitch designed for fifteen players per side. With the obvious gaps in the defensive line, there's no point burning all your energy chasing down an inevitable try. Better to save your energy for attack. As someone coming from Rugby league background it was interesting to hear how the crowd started singing Swing Low Sweet Charriot when Harlequins were two tries up, but stopped when Wigan came back. In fairness I thought the crowd were appreciative of the Wigan team. As we're some of the RU teams that signed some of them soon afterwards.

[@wobblertv8083]

Harlequins. ..ome back when your older! 😉 You would never have thought Jamie Salmon used to play for Harlequins. ..with his balanced commentary 😃

[@chrisedmunds1971]

yes big rich at 1:00

[@lapalad]

Why is the crowd singing an American slave song?

[@priehowell8825]

Are you trying to be funny?

[@lapalad]

@@priehowell8825 Look into the origins of the song

[@priehowell8825]

@@lapalad I know all about the song. Why are you coming on a rugby video trying to stir up a controversy? Everyone knows it was a slave song. It's been adopted by the English fans for many a year

[@lapalad]

@@priehowell8825 I was asking a question and I ask my Aussie Rugby mates why they sing about a suicidal sheep thief and they can take a joke, why can't you snowflake??

[@merrickforrester5238]

@@priehowell8825 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' What the fuck does that even mean?

[@kenrehill8775]

Two Borough road boys playing for Quins.

[@michaelbiggs1254]

Muppets singing Sweet Chariot. 🤣

[@bfc2155]

You tell em geezer 😂

[@jimmylot-jl5yn]

Stevo sounds more Australian back then, haha...

[@martinbirmingham4450]

Nothing but a RU scouting mission.

[@robertcottam8824]

Give over

[@martinbirmingham4450]

​@@robertcottam8824 there are three of the biggest names born an bred English RL lads of their generation in that line up for Wigan who could be playing a massive role today in a rapidly dying game we know as Rugby league. I don't think many people actually realised and still don't l, that the very day RU went officially professional, shortly before this tournament, well that was the day the whole purpose of RL and it's cause became redundant. Throw into that the re-emergence of South Africa and the Springboks re-entering the Arena around the same time, and I would say that signalled the downward path for RL in Europe. I think the NRL will survive, but our UK RL is dying on it's feet at club level and a waste of time as an international spectacle, failing time after time. Also if we look at many of the traditional Yorkshire and Lancashire RL towns so famous for producing great players, well today in 2023 the demographics of these places has changed astonishingly and there just are not those lads coming through any more. I hope I am reading it all wrong and there actually is a future for the 13 a side code, but I have my doubts. 🏉🍺

[@williamwallace2278]

Wigan? Nearly the whole team ex union players

[@dasrhinegold]

Name them ?

[@avebac1]

@@dasrhinegoldtuigamala (ex all black) martin offiah (ex union), scott quinell (ex welsh union) , henry paul(nz) . Wigan were full time professionals with plenty of international paid players against an amateur union club full of part time local players. Different story if played today

[@dasrhinegold]

Ted Josiah so wasps (who Wigan flogged in the final) non of there players ever received final inducements while playing rugby union ? By the way Henry Paul never came from Union.

[@avebac1]

@@dasrhinegold not at the level rugby league club players were receiving. Union at the time was only 1 year into semi professionalism and also english union clubs hadnt imported international players until later. Fact is wigan wouldnt be as dominant without those ex union and international players. Henry paul is a kiwi and every kiwi kid wouldve played union at some stage in school I'm a kiwi myself and I know for a fact when I was in high school henry paul was at Rutherford high school in west auckland and was quite a popular kid back then. Fast forward 2003 another clash of the codes this time sale vs league champions st helens in a hybrid match and yep guess who won that one?

[@dasrhinegold]

Ted Josiah so what your basically trying to say is that without ex rugby union rugby players , Wigan Rugby league club and rugby league would have never existed ? By the way the way the French kick and clap team where paying there players for years before it went officially professional.But Of course Rah Rah is the self-appointed flag-bearer of morality in sport and it was happily paying all its top players, and many of its lesser players, in the form of jobs and brown envelopes.

[@countycricklewood]

Harlequin’s playing some nice rugby dominating early play

[@priehowell8825]

It was one hell of the try to start with. Harlequins played really well

[@marcmelander1815]

Forward passes compulsory.....

[@michaelbiggs1254]

Every Wigan pkayer a househokd name. ThecQuinsxokayers not so much. The tables have turned in the intervening years.

[@1002l]

Jason robinson is deceptively slow, watch him chasing the first try he looks quick but actually isn't

[@robertcottam8824]

Interesting

[@iangregory54]

You should race him then champ. See how you get on. Like Balshaw when he gobbed off at him

[@lukesimpson3080]

The dodgiest refereeing I’ve ever seen which favoured Wigan.