Harlequins emerged victorious in group C of the JP Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series and skipper David Ward insisted securing the title tomorrow at the Rec is well within their grasp.
After a 26-19 victory over London Wasps and an emphatic 42-19 defeat of London Irish, Ward and co upset hosts Saracens (24-21) to top the group and seal a place in the finals.
Centre Charlie Walker was in particularly devastating form, scoring a hat-trick in the deciding game against Sarries, while England U20s captain Jack Clifford also starred having led his country to a Six Nations and Junior World Championships title this year.
And Ward believes, with such young talent showcasing what they can do when given space, anything is possible in Bath – but getting off to a good start is vital.
"It was a really tough day at the office. We started really well and carried that through to the last game against Saracens which was the toughest one and we got across the line," said Ward – who will face off against Sarries, Worcester Warriors, Newcastle Falcons, Gloucester Rugby and Leicester Tigers for the silverware at the Rec.
"We talked about momentum all night, we get the momentum on the pitch and by winning games and we did that in the first two and when we faced Saracens it showed.
"On their home ground of course we wanted to beat them and it could of gone one of two ways and it was an interception in the end that won it and that was lucky for us.
"It was the guys around me like Jack Clifford, Ollie Lindsey-Hague and Charlie Walker who did the work and they will all certainly be playing some first XV rugby for Quins this season.
"Guys like Jack Clifford in space and in this format, he can utilise his skills really well and when you put those guys on a XVs pitch they will bring their skills like they did here.
Man of the match: Charlie Walker
"It is going to be tough in Bath. There are six teams and you have seen from the previous two rounds that there are some really good 7s players and teams.
"We are certainly going to win it and whether we do or not will depend on the momentum like we got here. If we get that early we can definitely go on and win and hopefully we will."
While Ward was skippering the Quins side there was no doubt who the star of the show was at Allianz Park with centre Walker helping himself to six tries on his way to picking up the Player of the Round award.
Harlequins now head to Geneva for a pre-season trip but the 7s side will fly back early for the Series Finals and 20-year-old Walker is relishing another crack at the shorter form of the game.
"It's about letting the young boys play," Walker said.
"We don't focus too much on tactics or anything like that - just let the boys play kind of off the cuff and see what they can do.
"Quins v Sarries is always going to be a big game. We just went out there and tried to express ourselves as a group of young boys who like playing together.
"I think it showed - there were smiles on faces all around. We did what the coaches wanted us to do and we've ended up with some silverware.
"The Finals are looking really strong. I think Sarries are going to be another hard game - I'm sure they're going to be hard to beat next week.
"We've played against the other teams before and we look forward to it.”
For tickets to the J.P. Morgan Premiership Rugby Series Final at 7pm on Friday, 9 August at The Rec, Bath visit: bathrugby.com/tickets
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