Pre-season fixture in Abu Dhabi may be next for Harlequins

Club's director of rugby hints at capital clash instead of the LV Cup tie.

London Wasps v Harlequins in an LV Cup game at the Emirates Palace hotel in 2011.

Conor O'Shea, the Harlequins director of rugby, says it is unlikely the English Premiership club will return to these shores to play another competitive fixture.

However, it is possible the Premiership champions could stage a pre-season friendly in Abu Dhabi, as their affiliation with the capital continues to grow.

Quins played an LV Cup match against the London Wasps on the lawns of the Emirates Palace hotel back in February 2011.

The occasion met with a lukewarm response, however, with supporters of the two sides complaining that 7,000 kilometres was a long way to travel for a domestic cup tie.

"It was a special occasion," O'Shea, who made a flying visit to the capital this week ahead of today's Etihad Airways Junior Rugby Festival, said of the Wasps encounter.

"You see a lot of matches like that now, but that is for the commercial people to decide.

"It was a great occasion and it is not something you would rule out, but season ticket holders are the most important thing.

"It would take a lot for us to move away, and it would be more likely for it to happen in a pre-season game."

Despite its low-key beginnings in Abu Dhabi, the concept of playing competitive domestic matches at neutral venues in foreign countries has gained some favour in recent times.

For example Saracens, the London rivals of Harlequins, recently staged a high-profile Heineken Cup match in Belgium. The venture was deemed a success.

Saracens had also planned to take part in an exhibition match against the best side from Fiji in the UAE last season.

The fixture, due to be played at Al Ain Amblers, fell through but Saracens still travelled to Abu Dhabi as guests of their UAE-based associate club of the same name.

Quins have a strong bond with Abu Dhabi, via their sponsors, Etihad, and the city has become something of a lucky charm for them.

The club's first team travelled to the capital for a week's rest and recuperation ahead of their Premiership grand final against the Leicester Tigers last season, which they promptly won. They return to action tonight in the Anglo-Welsh Cup against Bath.

O'Shea said: "We are unbeaten every time we spend the week in Abu Dhabi so I was happy to make the trip [this week]."

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