Last Season

Harlequins' reputation as the top flight's great under-achievers reached new heights last season as they stared relegation in the face until the campaign's final week.

Two league wins in five months summed up the form that saw coach John Kingston demoted as his star-studded squad hit rock bottom in February.

Only victory over fellow strugglers Leeds in the penultimate game eventually hauled them out of the bottom three.

Quins actually won fewer matches than any other Premiership club, but they gained enough bonus points to preserve something of their dignity.

The fact that they dumped Leicester out of the cup for the second successive season merely made their league form all the more frustrating.

Quins made an early signing in former South Africa skipper Andre Vos as a back row replacement for David Wilson.

The Wallaby great has been forced to retire by the knee injury that kept him out for the whole of last season.

However, Vos will not arrive at The Stoop until October, leaving the early limelight to exciting Fijian centre Viliame Satala.

Satala was one of the outstanding backs of the 1999 World Cup and has since spent two seasons in France, helping Mont-de-Marsan to the second division title last term.

Quins have also recruited Australian full-back Nathan Williams from Stade Francais and props Laurent Gomez and Pablo Cardinalli from Montferrand and Argentina.

Wilson aside, the notable departures are forwards Garrick Morgan and Steve White-Cooper and assistant coach Richard Hill, the latter being replaced by Paul Turner.

Rising stars

Nick Duncombe

When Harlequins chief executive Mark Evans arrived from Saracens, one of his first acts was to persuade Nick Duncombe to follow him from the Sarries academy.

And Evans' judgement was backed by England coach Clive Woodward last season, when he gave the scrum-half his international debut after just two starts in senior rugby.

Duncombe, 20, might have emerged even sooner but for a broken neck suffered with England Under-18s.

After playing for England Sevens last term he is set to making a more lasting impression this season.

David Slemen

England under-21 cap David Slemen joined Quins from Orrell a year ago and got his first senior chances at full-back.

But the son of former England wing Mike Slemen has since reverted to his favoured fly-half berth and impressed sufficiently to be given a contract extension

Now the departure of Mark Mapletoft could see him rivalling Paul Burke for the number 10 jersey.

Prediction

Harlequins have tended to struggle when their star names are away on international duty.

This season, they are banking on having sufficient strength in depth to cope with those absences.

Five of their seven signings are experienced at the highest levels but only Satala is a current international.

The likes of Williams and Vos should help comensate for the regular loss of Will Greenwood, Keith Wood, Dan Luger and Jason Leonard.

Vos will also give them the back row presence they missed in Wilson's absence last term, but the Quins pack still looks under-powered in its back five.