Canny Richards plays down chances

DEAN RICHARDS may have been a master of the dark arts during his playing days, but last night he demonstrated he still knows the value of the oldest trick in the book: playing down your chances before your biggest game of the season.

The Harlequins director of rugby has transformed the club from a National League One side to European contenders in four years, with their impressive progress set to be fully tested when Brian O’Driscoll and Leinster visit the Stoop for Sunday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final.

To say Quins are in a rich vein of form would be an understatement — they have won nine of their last 10 games in all competitions. But despite that run Richards is refusing to accept the tag of favourites ahead of a game which will see the winner face Munster or Ospreys in the last four.