IT WAS not so much a massacre of the innocents as a clinical destruction of London Irish by Harlequins, in the Courage League first division tie at the Stoop Memorial Ground on Saturday.

Harlequins fielded a cosmopolitan array of international talent drawn from five nations. The occupations given for some of the team "rugby player." Truly is Rugby Union now a business within a game. On both counts the colour of the money is now a greater incentive than the colour of the jersey. It was bad enough to be overwhelmed, but what made it particularly galling for London Irish is that the main agents of their destruction were three of their former players, who between them accounted for seven of the 11 tries Harlequins scored.

Wing Michael Corcoran, who scored 301 points when helping London Irish to promotion last season, scored three tries, a dream league debut in the Harlequins shirt and he also kicked a penalty and conversion. Former Ireland full back and former London Irish captain Jim Staples scored two tries, and former London Irish flanker Rory Jenkins scored two.

Then for bad measure from a London Irish perspective, the `man of the match' award went to Ireland hooker Keith Wood. He scored two tries in the 11th and 14th minutes handing the initiative and a 17 points lead to Harlequins. Wood is back to his vibrant best after his season out of the game because of a shoulder operation.

Wood laid a very dainty dish before the Ireland manager Pat Whelan, coach Murray Kidd and selector Frank Sowman. But there was no call to the Ireland squad in the aftermath of this tour de force. "That was only his third match in 16. months," said Whelan. He played very well, but we will be fully aware of his form and fitness as the weeks go by there is no rush."

If the ears of the Ireland selectorial trio were burning on their way home, then it was because of the fire aimed in their direction by London Irish coach Clive Woodward after the match: "You saw that team last week and the performance they gave. I am not one for excuses but the difference was immense. Look at the number of our players who had to travel to Limerick last week and play a hard match for the Irish side 24 hours after our league match. Then you have the travelling to and from Ireland. They came back tired and some with injuries. It disrupted their training and that tiredness showed out there.

Now you have the same situation again this weekend. Two of the side are due to play again within 24 hours, others are substitutes, then all the players have an Ireland squad session on Monday and again the travelling. We will get them back tired once more and we have a league match again next Saturday. No other club side is suffering like that in the league. Right now my inclination is not to play the Ireland squad players for London Irish next Saturday. There is no use sending out players at this level who are clearly tired. I am all for co-operating with the Irish selectors, delighted to see our players honoured, But I did point out the problems of these two weekends to Pat Whelan. We are paying the price. Not much room for doubt there and Woodward was not short of supporters for his point of view.

The Stoop ground and Harlequins supporters do not have the same sense of community that exists at Sunbury but there were a lot of smiling faces in the Harlequins camp, none wearing a broader smile than director of rugby Dick Best. "That was by some way our most impressive performance to date. It was an 80 minute performance. Our support play and alertness were superb as was our defence. We expected a much tougher match that we got. London Irish will play much better than they did out there." On Wood's performance Best said: "He represents a massive attacking threat to any side in the game. He is an Ireland player and - I am absolutely sure - a Lions player too. I think at this stage the Ireland selectors are probably right not to call him into the squad. He will get better and fitter although he is the fastest forward in the club."

The London Irish team was a pale shadow of a week earlier. Gone the conviction, the power up front, the authority and the confidence.

London Irish started as it they were going to ruck and maul with great effect and Gabriel Fulcher got some good line-out ball early on. But even then they could not break over the gain line. London Irish lost shape, effect and direction, and with Laurent Cabannes revelling in the sunshine, Harlequins assumed total control and made very effective use of their possession. Their forwards got on top and their backs prospered. And while London Irish cut the 20-0 deficit they earned after 26 minutes to 20-7 by the interval, the second half was one-way traffic with Harlequins running in five tries in the last 20 minutes as the London Irish side were out on their feet.

Rugby league international Gary Connolly made his debut for Harlequins in the centre and he played a major role in the creation of three tries and scored one. But it was a mistake by him which led to the London Irish try scored by Paul Flood.