Ex-Harlequins centre tells secret behind 2012 Premiership success

As these are the weeks in the year where many northern hemisphere competitions would usually be drawing to a close, players have been reminiscing about past victories given the lack of rugby at the moment. Harlequins, in particular, have been celebrating the eight-year anniversary of the day they toppled Leicester Tigers 30-23 to win their first Premiership crown. 

The south-west London side took England by storm during the 2011/12 season under Conor O’Shea, playing a high-octane style of rugby with the goal of keeping the ball alive. 

This barnstorming season at the Stoop was the launchpad for a number of Quins players’ international careers, chiefly Chris Robshaw as the flanker was named England captain in 2012 having been on the periphery of the Test squad before the 2011 World Cup. Likewise, Mike Brown also became a regular for England on the back of this season. 

Another player who benefited from Harlequins’ success was Jordan Turner-Hall, who debuted for England during the 2012 Six Nations. The powerful centre recently reflected on the historic season for Quins, saying the key to their success was “enjoyment”. 

Taking to Twitter, he said: “Hands down the best day of my rugby career. The expansive high tempo rugby we played that year was a byproduct of a group of lads who would work hard for each other and trust one another. I often think about what the winning recipe was, and it all comes down to enjoyment.”

Directed by the former All Blacks fly-half Nick Evans, Harlequins played a style of rugby that proved very popular, and it is easy to believe that this was an enjoyable system to be part of. 

Despite being a crucial member of the Harlequins Premiership winning team and a powerhouse in the middle of the field, Turner-Hall could not add to his two caps after the 2012 Six Nations, partly due to injury. He was forced to retire from the game in 2015 at the age of 27.