As George Ford orchestrated his latest masterclass at a half-empty Twickenham Stoop on Saturday night, you had to wonder what was the biggest concern for under-pressure Harlequins chief executive Laurie Dalrymple as he watched on.
Was it the fact the European Champions Cup defeat by Ford’s Sale means his team’s season is already over despite the clocks having only just gone back? Or was it the fact the game took place with large swathes of empty seats and more than 6,000 tickets unsold? In the cold light of day, it may well be the latter that worries Dalrymple more.
Money talks in professional sport and at the highest level of English rugby’s club game, it is nothing short of vital. Without full houses, Harlequins will see their bottom line hit and with it, their ability to invest in their playing squad and achieve much-needed on-field success.
Their base in affluent south west London and attractive playing style has meant that historically, Harlequins have become used to playing in front of full houses with tickets sold at high prices.
But while the Saturday night kick-off time for the Sale match on an Easter weekend was far from ideal for supporters, it will be hugely alarming for Dalrymple and other leading Harlequins executives that the club’s fans voted with their feet.
Ninth in PREM Rugby and with their play-off hopes already over after just three wins from 12, the Sale match was a do-or-die contest for Harlequins’ season. What’s more, it was a rare all-English European knockout clash. If fans aren’t turning up for that, what does it say about the state of the club?
There were swathes of empty seats at Twickenham Stoop on Saturday night as Harlequins’ season came to an end with their Champions Cup defeat by Sale Sharks
Elsewhere around Europe there were packed houses as the likes of Bordeaux romped into the quarter-finals
Elsewhere around Europe, Northampton, Bath, Toulouse and Bordeaux all managed sellouts – and it may not be a coincidence that they all racked up points and booked a quarter-final spot. But at Harlequins, the only home team not to win in the Champions Cup last 16, it seems apathy is growing – and it was reflected in a disappointing flop on the pitch.
Only when the match was already lost did Quins show some spirit, through the likes of England back-rowers Alex Dombrandt and Chandler Cunningham-South.
Dalrymple has big questions to answer. Jason Gilmore was given a tough task when put in charge of the team at the start of the season following Danny Wilson’s abrupt departure for Wales.
But Dalrymple’s decision to appoint him as permanent head coach for the coming years had an underwhelming feel considering there was talk of a more high-profile arrival and the fact he hasn’t delivered results so far this term.
Robbie Deans, who will join as performance director in the summer, does bring international prestige, but will not be at the club in person on a full-time basis. One has to wonder how much Deans will be able to impact the London club when not a regular presence.
Deans will be charged with using his knowledge to help recruitment. Cunningham-South has re-signed (on a mammoth salary, by the way), but there has been no news of significant arrivals. The fact Harlequins are yet to get their dalliance with Saints full-back George Furbank over the line tells you everything about their current woe.
And if they continue to struggle on the field and ticket sales stay as they did for Sale, will the club be able to recruit the players needed to turn things around?
Top-end adult tickets at The Stoop cost in the region of £80, and a conservative estimate of an average ticket price of £60 would establish that Harlequins lost out on at least £360,000 at the Sale game with all those empty seats. The reality may well be worse.
Only when England back-rower Chandler Cunningham-South came off the bench (right, scoring a try late on) did Quins show any kind of fight
How long before Marcus Smith decides he needs a new home to revive his England hopes?
This is not an insignificant sum. Tickets for their next two home games – a rematch with Sale and a ‘Big Summer kick-off’ clash with Exeter at nearby Allianz Stadium are still readily available.
The recent appointment of long-term Harlequins owner Duncan Saville to the club’s board suggests he is not happy at the state of play and wants a closer eye on proceedings. That doesn’t bode well for Dalrymple either.
Harlequins are also set to lose Marcus Smith’s understudy Jarrod Evans who looks poised to return to Cardiff. How long before Smith, who is signed up to 2028, becomes frustrated too, especially in the wider context of his struggles to seal a regular starting spot with England?
There are big problems for Harlequins to solve on and off the field. But the biggest one may well be getting the fans back on side. Without them and the financial revenue they bring, what has been a horror season could get even worse next term. And that could spell big trouble for Dalrymple.
