It is three years since Quins, Northampton or Bath made the Premiership play-offs and anxiety is growing at these traditionally big clubs
At this stage of the domestic rugby season the table seldom lies. It is not enough simply to blame under-achievement on injuries or match officials or the weather. If, after seven months of league rugby, a high-profile, well-backed club is wallowing in lower-table mediocrity the only remaining place to look is the bathroom mirror.
Perhaps the defining aspect of this year’s Premiership season has been the unusual number of big sides conducting major inquests with three weekends of the campaign left to play. The bottom three clubs – London Irish, Worcester and Northampton – had already parted company with their directors of rugby this season and the announcement that John Kingston is to leave ninth-placed Harlequins at the end of the season has maintained the sorry sequence.
Related: John Kingston to leave Harlequins as London Irish defeat proves final straw
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