Richards rues ‘loose’ end to the season
Registering the four-try bonus point but not managing to secure Champions Cup rugby, Richards said: “We’re disappointed, in the end.
“We always said that if we allowed it to get loose then there was a chance Quins would run away with it a bit – being on home soil and everything like that.
“It’s just one of those things whereby we’ve got to learn to be a bit tighter in situations like this, and it didn’t work in our favour by allowing it to become loose.”
Richards added: “We scored some lovely tries, and some of our play was actually really good.
“It was one of those games whereby you’ve got to have that nous and discipline to not allow them to run away with it – especially with a nine and ten like they’ve got.
“They’ve got flair and ability in abundance, and if you allow them to dictate and control the game then you’ll come a cropper.”
With his squad members heading off on international duty or for a well-deserved break, Richards said: “We’ll go away now for a few weeks and look to come back strongly for next season.
“We’ve got a good squad in place with the emphasis more on stability and continuity rather than wholesale change.
“We’ve kept most of the guys we wanted to keep and have brought in some quality additions, so we’ll go away and refresh now before coming in to attack 2021-22.”
