Conor O'Shea refuses to blame his huge injury list for Harlequins inconsistent start to the season, but hasn't ruled out bringing in some replacements.

No fewer than 13 players – Paul Doran Jones, Joe Gray, Charlie Matthews, Nick Kennedy, Maurie Fa'asavalu, Sam Stuart, Tom Casson, Jordan Turner-Hall, Harry Sloan, George Lowe, Ugo Monye, Ollie Lindsay Hague and Ross Chisholm – were missing from the side which lost 23-16 at Clermont Auverge on Sunday to effectively end Quins' Heineken Cup hopes.

Of those, Chisholm is not expected to play again this season, while Turner-Hall and Fa'asavalu will not see any action until the new year, and December is the earliest Gray and Lindsay-Hague will return.

But despite admitting it will be a tough couple of months coming up coping with the absences, director of rugby O'Shea reckons Quins will come out it stronger.

He aid: “I don't want to us it as an excuse. It's tough, but it's a challenge. It will be a tough six or seven weeks, but as the season goes on we will get more players back, and we have to make sure we're still in the game.

“We may need to bring replacements in, but I have every faith in the young players who have been filling in, and I believe we will be a stronger squad as a result.

“There are huge positives to take from the Claremont game, but we're not in it for moral victories – we're in it to be winners.”

Quins return to Premiership action with a visit from Sale Sharks tomorrow, and may even have Matthews and Kennedy back for Monday's A League game against London Wasps.