The Big Game (rugby union)

An aerial view of Twickenham Stadium. The Stoop can be seen in the top left-hand corner.

The Big Game is an annual rugby union match hosted by Harlequins since 2008 and Harlequins Women since 2021.[1] It is held during the Christmas holiday season each year. It is one of the regular home matches in Premiership Rugby for the men's team and in Premiership Women's Rugby for the women's team. The fixture is moved from their usual home ground at the Twickenham Stoop (with a capacity of 14,816[2]) to the much larger Twickenham Stadium (with 82,000 seats[3]).

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.

Since 2022 Harlequins have also hosted an additional match at Twickenham near the end of the season known as Big Summer Kick-off.[4]

Big Game 1

See also: 2008–09 Premiership Rugby
27 December 2008
16:00
Harlequins26 – 26Leicester Tigers
Try: Brown
Monye
Con: Evans (2/2)
Pen: Evans (4)		ReportTry: Murphy
Croft
Con: Flood (2/2)
Pen: Flood (4)
Twickenham Stadium
Attendance: 50,000
Referee: Dave Pearson (RFU)

Big Game 2

See also: 2009–10 Premiership Rugby
27 December 2009
16:15
Harlequins20 – 21London Wasps
Try: Care 68' c
Strettle 79' c
Con: Evans (2/2)
Pen: Evans (2) 13', 18'		ReportTry: Simpson 2' m
Hart 74' c
Con: Walder (1/1)
Pen: Cipriani (2) 23', 35'
Walder (1) 62'
Twickenham Stadium
Attendance: 76,716
Referee: Dave Pearson (RFU)
  • Big Game 2 set a record Premiership attendance of 76,716.[5]

Big Game 3

See also: 2010–11 Premiership Rugby
27 December 2010
16:30
Harlequins28 – 18London Irish
Try: Lowe 69' c
Con: Evans (1/1)
Pen: Evans (7) 6', 14', 20', 26', 36', 40', 54'		ReportPen: Malone (6) 13', 18', 29', 38', 47', 59'
Twickenham Stadium
Attendance: 74,212
Referee: Andrew Small (RFU)

Big Game 4

See also: 2011–12 Premiership Rugby
27 December 2011
16:30
Harlequins11 – 19Saracens
Try: Marler 47' m
Pen: Evans (2) 18', 40'		ReportTry: Strettle 19' c
Con: Farrell (1/1)
Pen: Farrell (4) 8', 10', 13', 24'
Twickenham Stadium
Attendance: 82,000
Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU)
  • 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.[6]

Big Game 5

See also: 2012–13 Premiership Rugby
29 December 2012
14:15
Harlequins26 – 15London Irish
Try: Care 51' c
Penalty try 77' c
Con: Evans (2/2)
Pen: Evans (4) 6', 22', 42', 57'		ReportPen: Humphreys (5) 12', 24', 48', 55', 61'
Twickenham Stadium
Attendance: 82,000
Referee: Greg Garner (RFU)

Big Game 6

See also: 2013–14 Premiership Rugby
28 December 2013
15:00
Harlequins22 – 6Exeter Chiefs
Try: Evans 2' c
Walker 31' m
Brown 39' c
Con: Evans (2/3) 3', 40'
Pen: Evans (1/3) 62'		ReportPen: Steenson (2/2) 7', 43'
Twickenham Stadium
Attendance: 74,827
Referee: JP Doyle (RFU)

Big Game 7

See also: 2014–15 Premiership Rugby
27 December 2014
16:30
(1 BP) Harlequins25 – 30Northampton Saints
Try: Lowe 5' m
Clifford 59' c
Twomey 76' c
Con: Swiel (2/3)
Pen: Swiel (2/3) 9', 52'		ReportTry: Manoa 18' c
North 42' c
Fotuali'i 71' c
Con: Myler (3/3)
Pen: Myler (3/3) 11', 37', 54'
Twickenham Stadium
Attendance: 82,000
Referee: Wayne Barnes

Big Game 8

See also: 2015–16 Premiership Rugby
27 December 2015
16:30
(1 BP) Harlequins39 – 39Gloucester (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'		ReportTry: 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'
Twickenham Stadium
Attendance: 70,718
Referee: Wayne Barnes

Big Game 9

See also: 2016–17 Premiership Rugby
27 December 2016
16:00
Harlequins28 – 24Gloucester
Try: Marchant (2) 26' m, 58' c
Clifford 41' c
Con: Jackson (2/3)
Pen: Jackson (3/3) 37', 40', 50'		ReportTry: Evans 48' c
Hook 62' c
Matu'u 70' c
Con: Laidlaw (2/2)
Burns (1/1)
Twickenham Stadium
Attendance: 77,567
Referee: JP Doyle

Big Game 10

See also: 2017–18 Premiership Rugby
30 December 2017
16:00
(1 BP) Harlequins50 – 21Northampton 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'		ReportTry: Horne 47' c
Groom 52' c
Haywood 72' c
Con: Myler (3/3) 47', 54', 73'
Twickenham Stadium
Attendance: 77,825
Referee: JP Doyle

Big Game 11

See also: 2018–19 Premiership Rugby
29 December 2018
16:00
Harlequins20 – 13Wasps
Try: Dombrandt 0' c
Marchant 63' c
Con: M. Smith (2/2) 2', 64'
Pen: M. Smith (2/2) 18', 37'		reportTry: Stuart 57' c
Con: Sopoaga (1/1) 58'
Pen: Daly (1/1) 31'
Sopoaga (1/2) 68'
Twickenham Stadium
Attendance: 82,000
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys

Big Game 12

See also: 2019–20 Premiership Rugby

Men's fixture

28 December 2019
Harlequins30–30Leicester Tigers
Try: Lasike 28' c
M. Smith 48' c
Robshaw 54' c
Con: M. Smith (3/3) 29', 49', 55'
Pen: M. Smith (3/3) 3', 35', 63'		ReportTry: Eastmond 43' c
Taufua 60' c
Veainu 72' c
Con: Ford (3/3) 44', 61', 73'
Pen: Ford (3/3) 7', 24', 65'
Twickenham Stadium
Attendance: 75,500
Referee: Matthew Carley

Women's friendly

28 December 2019
16:30
Harlequins Women47–26Leinster Women
Twickenham Stadium
Attendance: 7,600[7]

Big Game 13

See also: 2021–22 Premiership Rugby and 2021–22 Premier 15s

Pending developments with the COVID-19 pandemic, Big Game 13 was planned to be held in spring 2021.[8] The game never came to fruition and Harlequins would instead return to Twickenham twice the following season. Big Game 13 was the first time that Harlequins Women had played a Premier 15s match at Twickenham Stadium.[1]

Women's fixture

27 December 2021
13:00
(1 BP) Harlequins Women29 – 5Wasps Women
Try: Breach 37' c
Kildunne 43' m
Cowell 47' c
Konkel 63' m
Fletcher 78' c
Con: Tuima (2) 38', 48'		ReportTry: Boatman 40' +1 m
Twickenham
Attendance: 9,000[9]
Referee: Nikki O'Donnell

Men's fixture

27 December 2021
17:00
(1 BP) Harlequins41 – 27Northampton Saints
Try: Dombrandt (3) 6' c, 40' m, 79' c
Murley (2) 17' c, 30' c
Lynagh 54' m
Con: Edwards (3/5) 7', 18', 31'
Esterhuizen (1/1) 80'
Pen: Edwards (1/1) 72'		Try: Augustus (2) 2' c, 9' c
A. Waller 14' c
Con: Biggar (3/3) 3', 10', 15'
Pen: Biggar (2/2) 33', 44'
Twickenham Stadium
Attendance: 72,785
Referee: Wayne Barnes

Big Game 14

See also: 2022–23 Premiership Rugby and 2022–23 Premier 15s

Harlequins intended to play Big Game 14 during the normal festive period. However, due to industrial action they were forced to play their festive fixture against Bristol Bears at Twickenham Stoop and would instead move their round 19 match against Exeter Chiefs to Twickenham.[10] They would return to Twickenham the following month for their annual 'Big Summer Kick-Off' match

Women's fixture

4 March 2023
14:30
Harlequins Women25 – 54Exeter Chiefs Women (1 BP)
Try: Packer 24' c
Dow 43' m
Sims 62' c
Con: McKenzie 25'
Tuima 63'
Pen: McKenzie (2) 22', 34'		ReportTry: Zackary (2) 3' c, 76' c
Allen 13' c
Johnson 36' c
Jefferies 46' c
MacDonald (2) 58' c, 68' m
McGillivray 74' c
Con: McGoverne (7) 4', 14', 37', 47', 59', 75', 77'
Twickenham
Attendance: 15,420[9]
Referee: Dan Jones

Men's fixture

4 March 2023
15:00
Harlequins40 - 5Exeter Chiefs
Try: Murley 11' c
Bassett 23' c
Riley 29' m
Marchant (2) 32' c, 57' c
Lewies 65' c
Con: M. Smith (5/6) 12', 24', 33', 59', 66'		Try: Innard 46' m
Twickenham Stadium
Attendance: 54,669
Referee: Matthew Carley

Big Game 15

See also: 2023–24 Premiership Rugby and 2023–24 Premiership Women's Rugby

Women's fixture

30 December 2023
14:30
Harlequins Women19 – 31Gloucester-Hartpury (1 BP)
Try: Sims 33' c
Scott 42' m
Latsha 56' c
Con: Tuima (2/3) 34', 57'		ReportTry: H. Jones 3' c
Monaghan 13' c
Venner 22' m
Tuipulotu 27' c
Lund 80' m
Con: Sing (3/5) 4', 14', 28'
Twickenham
Attendance: 16,237
Referee: George Selwood

Men's fixture

30 December 2023
17:30
(1 BP) Harlequins32–26Gloucester (2 BP)
Try: David (2) 7' m, 19' m
Dombrandt 23' m
Lamb 43' c
Care 54' c
Con: M. Smith (2/5) 44', 55'
Drop: M. Smith (1/1) 70'		ReportTry: Hastings 11' c
McGuigan 51' c
May 71' m
Penalty try 77'
Con: Hastings (2/3) 13', 52'
Twickenham Stadium
Referee: Adam Leal

Big Game 16

See also: 2024–25 Premiership Rugby and 2024–25 Premiership Women's Rugby

This would be the first Big Game in the Renamed, "Allianz Stadium".[3]

Women's Fixture

28 December 2024
15:00 GMT
Harlequins Women F.C.42 - 17Leicester Tigers Women
Try: Hidalgo (2) 10', 39'
C. Powell 19'
K. Powell 28'
Neumann 32'
Phillips 60'
Kildunne (2) 65', 71'
Con: Tuima (1/8) 29'		ReportTry: Jones 6'
Henrich 56'
Sanele 74'
Con: Jones (1/3) 7'
Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Referee: Holly Wood

Men's fixture

28 December 2024
18:00 GMT
Harlequins34-34Leicester Tigers
Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

References

  1. ^ a b "The Big Game Is Back At Twickenham". Twickenham Stadium. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Club-by-club guide - Harlequins". BBC. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Twickenham Stadium". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  4. ^ "Big Summer Kick-Off". www.quins.co.uk. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  5. ^ Sheppard, Callum (23 December 2011). "Big Game 4 ticket sales set new record". The Big Game. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  6. ^ "Harlequins 11-19 Saracens". BBC Sport. 27 December 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  7. ^ "Leinster make history in first women's club match at Twickenham". The Irish Times. 29 December 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  8. ^ "Premiership fixtures announced". Harlequin FC. 29 September 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Harlequins Women Set New World Record For Club Game Attendance At Big Game 14". 4 March 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  10. ^ "'We are devastated' - Harlequins forced to postpone 'Big Game'". amp.rugbypass.com. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.