Adam Williams presents his prediction for the Premiership Rugby Cup match.
London Scottish have never reached the Premiership, so they've never faced Harlequins in league play, and the draw for the Premiership Cup never placed them in the same group. Now, they finally meet in what becomes another London derby.
London Scottish
London Scottish have consistently lingered near the bottom of the second division, only managing a higher finish when someone performs worse. Two seasons ago, that team was Richmond; last season, they climbed to ninth place out of 11, finishing ahead of Caldy and Cambridge. This season, after five rounds, London Scottish are in seventh place, thanks to wins over runners-up Cornish Pirates (26:15) and mid-table team Doncaster Knights (12:0). Due to their 11th-place finish in the 2022/23 season, the team did not participate in last year's Premiership Cup.
Harlequins
London Scottish will have to start against another London club, who settled for a draw against another Championship side, Coventry (21:21) in last year's Premiership Cup. However, Coventry are regarded much higher in the second division than London Scottish, having finished third in the past two seasons. Harlequins themselves are currently fifth. Despite three losses in six matches, the start of their season can be deemed successful: the team defeated Saracens for the first time in years in the London derby (17:10) and narrowly lost to champions Northampton (29:33), runners-up Bath (24:26), and last season’s bronze medallists Sale Sharks (11:12).
London Scottish vs Harlequins Prediction
Harlequins will be playing away, but that shouldn’t impede them from securing a convincing victory. Naturally, the full-strength squad won't be on the field against London Scottish, but the gap is too large for the margin to be less than 30 points.
