RUGBY: Jones praised by Quins director of rugby (From Witney Gazette)

RUGBY: Jones praised by Quins director of rugby

9:54pm Sunday 6th January 2013 in Rugby

HARLEQUINS director of rugby Conor O’Shea hit the headlines for his criticism of referee Llyr Apgeraint-Roberts, but he was also full of praise for London Welsh.

“I would like to start by just crediting London Welsh and Lyn Jones for what he is doing,” said O’Shea.

“He is making them scrap for everything they have got.

“Everything that we expected from them, we got.

“What an incredible spirit he has forged in such a short space of time. I would never ever be disparaging about what they are doing.”

O’Shea felt Apgeraint-Roberts had failed to spot a number of infringments, which left him frustrated.

He said: “I thought we played some fantastic rugby for 45 minutes. We should have been further ahead.

“Bafflingly, we were losing the penalty count at half-time..”

Asked what was wrong with the referee’s display, O’Shea replied: “Everything. Backing in at the maul, people not rolling away from the tackle, tackler not releasing, scrum, everything.

“It was incredible. Offside line, well there was none. It was irrelevant.

“Lazy runners coming back when you are making clean breaks, that was irrelevant.”

O’Shea added: “I hope what you saw out there was some absolutely magnificent rugby.

“Ollie Lindsay-Hague coming in at full back and dazzling people with his feet. That is what you want to be sitting here talking about.”