The Big Game (rugby union)
The Big Game is an annual rugby union match hosted by Harlequins during the Christmas holiday season each year. It is one of Harlequins' regular home matches in the Premiership Rugby but it is moved from their usual home ground at the Twickenham Stoop (14,816 capacity[1]) to the much larger Twickenham Stadium (82,000 seats[2]).
There have been other high-profile matches in London between Premiership Rugby clubs at other times, including the London Double Header (2004-2017), Bath's The Clash at Twickenham and Saracens' games at Wembley Stadium, London Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Big Game 1
Big Game 2
27 December 2009 16:15 |
| Harlequins | 20 – 21 | London Wasps |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Care 68' c Strettle 79' c Con: Evans (2/2) Pen: Evans (2) 13', 18' |
Report | Try: Simpson 2' m Hart 74' c Con: Walder (1/1) Pen: Cipriani (2) 23', 35' Walder (1) 62' |
- Big Game 2 set a record Premiership attendance of 76,716.[3]
Big Game 3
27 December 2010 16:30 |
| Harlequins | 28 – 18 | London Irish |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Lowe 69' c Con: Evans (1/1) Pen: Evans (7) 6', 14', 20', 26', 36', 40', 54' |
Report | Pen: Malone (6) 13', 18', 29', 38', 47', 59' |
Big Game 4
27 December 2011 16:30 |
| Harlequins | 11 – 19 | Saracens |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Marler 47' m Pen: Evans (2) 18', 40' |
Report | Try: Strettle 19' c Con: Farrell (1/1) Pen: Farrell (4) 8', 10', 13', 24' |
- Going into the game Harlequins had won all of their Premiership games, but fell to defeat in this their eleventh game to the team second in the table. As Twickenham had a capacity 82,000 crowd this game set a global rugby union attendance record for a regular-season club fixture.[4]
Big Game 5
29 December 2012 14:15 |
| Harlequins | 26 – 15 | London Irish |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Care 51' c Penalty try 77' c Con: Evans (2/2) Pen: Evans (4) 6', 22', 42', 57' |
Report | Pen: Humphreys (5) 12', 24', 48', 55', 61' |
Big Game 6
28 December 2013 15:00 |
| Harlequins | 22 – 6 | Exeter Chiefs |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Evans 2' c Walker 31' m Brown 39' c Con: Evans (2/3) 3', 40' Pen: Evans (1/3) 62' |
Report | Pen: Steenson (2/2) 7', 43' |
Big Game 7
Big Game 8
27 December 2015 16:30 |
| (1 BP) Harlequins | 39 – 39 | Gloucester (1 BP) |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Yarde 15' m Care 34' c Easter 52' c R. Chisholm (2) 54' c, 76' c Con: N. Evans (4/5) Pen: N. Evans (2/2) 12', 70' |
Report | Try: Thrush 6' c Hook 30' c Trinder (2) 47' c, 56' m Cook 68' c Con: Laidlaw (4/5) Pen: Laidlaw (2/3) 20', 60' |
Big Game 9
Big Game 10
30 December 2017 16:00 |
| (1 BP) Harlequins | 50 – 21 | Northampton Saints |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Ward 10' c Walker 18' c Visser (2) 20' c, 42' m Care (2) 30' c, 56' c Luamanu 67' c Con: M. Smith (6/7) 11', 18', 21', 31', 57', 68' Pen: M. Smith (1/1) 16' |
Report | Try: Horne 47' c Groom 52' c Haywood 72' c Con: Myler (3/3) 47', 54', 73' |
Big Game 11
Big Game 12
Big Game 13
Pending developments with the COVID-19 pandemic, Big Game 13 was planned to be held in spring 2021.[5] The game never came to fruition and Harlequins would instead return to Twickenham twice the following season.
References
- "Club-by-club guide - Harlequins". BBC. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- "Twickenham Stadium". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- Sheppard, Callum (23 December 2011). "Big Game 4 ticket sales set new record". The Big Game. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- "Harlequins 11-19 Saracens". BBC Sport. 27 December 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- "Premiership fixtures announced". Harlequin FC. 29 September 2020.
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