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

Harlequins	26 – 26	Leicester Tigers
Try: Brown Monye Con: Evans (2/2) Pen: Evans (4)	Report	Try: 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

Harlequins	20 – 21	London Wasps
Try: Care 68' c Strettle 79' c Con: Evans (2/2) Pen: Evans (2) 13', 18'	Report	Try: 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

Harlequins	28 – 18	London Irish
Try: Lowe 69' c Con: Evans (1/1) Pen: Evans (7) 6', 14', 20', 26', 36', 40', 54'	Report	Pen: 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

Harlequins	11 – 19	Saracens
Try: Marler 47' m Pen: Evans (2) 18', 40'	Report	Try: 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

Harlequins	26 – 15	London Irish
Try: Care 51' c Penalty try 77' c Con: Evans (2/2) Pen: Evans (4) 6', 22', 42', 57'	Report	Pen: 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

Harlequins	22 – 6	Exeter Chiefs
Try: Evans 2' c Walker 31' m Brown 39' c Con: Evans (2/3) 3', 40' Pen: Evans (1/3) 62'	Report	Pen: 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) Harlequins	25 – 30	Northampton Saints
Try: Lowe 5' m Clifford 59' c Twomey 76' c Con: Swiel (2/3) Pen: Swiel (2/3) 9', 52'	Report	Try: 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) Harlequins	39 – 39	Gloucester (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'	Report	Try: 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

Harlequins	28 – 24	Gloucester
Try: Marchant (2) 26' m, 58' c Clifford 41' c Con: Jackson (2/3) Pen: Jackson (3/3) 37', 40', 50'	Report	Try: 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) Harlequins	50 – 21	Northampton 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'	Report	Try: 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

Harlequins	20 – 13	Wasps
Try: Dombrandt 0' c Marchant 63' c Con: M. Smith (2/2) 2', 64' Pen: M. Smith (2/2) 18', 37'	report	Try: 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

Harlequins	30–30	Leicester 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'	Report	Try: 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 Women	47–26	Leinster 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 Women	29 – 5	Wasps Women
Try: Breach 37' c Kildunne 43' m Cowell 47' c Konkel 63' m Fletcher 78' c Con: Tuima (2) 38', 48'	Report	Try: Boatman 40' +1 m

Twickenham Attendance: 9,000 [9] Referee: Nikki O'Donnell

Men's fixture

27 December 2021 17:00

(1 BP) Harlequins	41 – 27	Northampton 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 Women	25 – 54	Exeter Chiefs Women (1 BP)
Try: Packer 24' c Dow 43' m Sims 62' c Con: McKenzie 25' Tuima 63' Pen: McKenzie (2) 22', 34'	Report	Try: 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

Harlequins	40 - 5	Exeter 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 Women	19 – 31	Gloucester–Hartpury (1 BP)
Try: Sims 33' c Scott 42' m Latsha 56' c Con: Tuima (2/3) 34', 57'	Report	Try: 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) Harlequins	32–26	Gloucester (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'	Report	Try: 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 - 17	Leicester 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'	Report	Try: 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

Harlequins	34-34	Leicester Tigers

Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

References

1. "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. "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. "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.