QUIRKE OF ART
THE KITTEN stalks across the keyboard as Raffi Quirke Zooms in, giving a whole new meaning to the phrase nine lives. But this is where the Sale and England scrum-half is most comfortable – with his family and other animals in Chorlton.
There cannot be many Tier One internationals still living at home. However, given how the nine has buzzed through the elite game for Sale and England, it is easy to forget that 20-year-old Quirke is still so new to all this. So new in fact that he is saving up for a place of his own (though you’d bet dollars to doner kebabs that Chorlton’s estate agents will be the first contacted).
If you haven’t avidly tracked Sale through the Gallagher Premiership over the last few seasons, your abiding sight of Quirke may be of a blazing try against South Africa in the autumn, in just his second Test appearance. Having come on for the vastly-experienced Ben Youngs, near to the hour mark and with the Springboks a point ahead, Quirke took clean ball off the top of the lineout. Henry Slade was at first receiver and with Marcus Smith sliding in behind, all eyes were on him. No one tracked Joe Marchant steaming in for the short pass.
Better yet, no one blocked Quirke’s cheat line as he slithered between Bok forwards and backs, knowing exactly where Marchant
