Harlequins turn another seemingly lost cause into a fabulous win
Comeback kings Harlequins booked their place in the Gallagher Premiership playoffs after another spectacular turnaround saw them beat Gloucester 28-24 at Twickenham. The Premiership champions, renowned for turning seemingly lost causes into victories, did it again as they wiped out a 17-point interval deficit.
England centre Joe Marchant scored two second-half tries before wing Cadan Murley’s 69th-minute try completed the recovery mission. Marcus Smith kicked all four conversions, including the extras following Alex Dombrandt’s first-half try, to leave Gloucester crestfallen.
For the entire opening 40 minutes, Gloucester did their utmost to gatecrash Quins’ Big Summer Kick-Off in front of a 47,000 crowd. The visitors raced into a comfortable interval lead after tries from impressive number eight Ben Morgan, lock Freddie Clarke and centre Chris Harris, while Adam Hastings converted all three scores and dropped a goal.
There appeared only one winner at that point, but Quins rattled up 21 unanswered second-half points, leaving Gloucester with scant consolation of a losing bonus. The West Country club remain fifth – level on points with Northampton – and in play-off contention ahead of their final regular-season game against Saracens on June 4, but they will see their trip to Twickenham as a huge missed opportunity.
Harlequins made their intentions clear after they gained a kickable penalty in the opening minute, but Smith opted for touch and an attacking lineout in pursuit of a try before Gloucester cleared. The visitors also showed plenty of early endeavour with Harris prominent and wing Ollie Thorley twice given chances to run at the Harlequins defence.
Gloucester struck first on the scoreboard, executing one of their trademark lineout drives to set up an imposing attacking platform before Morgan touched down with Hastings converting. But it took Quins just five minutes to respond as centre Marchant’s surging run was only halted by a Louis Rees-Zammit tackle, yet quickly recycled possession created space for Dombrandt to cross from close range, and Smith converted.
A fast and furious opening quarter still had one more scoring act, though, and this time it was Gloucester’s creativity that left Quins reeling. Full-back Santiago Carreras weaved his way clear and then delivered a superb inside pass to Clarke, who sprinted 30 metres, brushing off Louis Lynagh’s attempted tackle and then celebrating with a Chris Ashton-style dive.
Hastings’ conversion made it 14-7, yet despite Quins’ deficit, they refused to be shackled and full-back Huw Jones’ invention deserved more than a Lynagh knock-on. Gloucester then showed their opponents how it should be done, handling brilliantly before skipper Lewis Ludlow got behind the home defence and delivered a scoring pass to Harris. Hastings converted and then landed a drop-goal six minutes before the break, opening up a 17-point advantage, and Quins’ misery was underlined by Dombrandt spilling possession deep inside Gloucester’s 22.
Harlequins needed a rapid response in the second period and they threatened after Morgan limped off, but an error allowed a Gloucester counter-attack that was only thwarted by Marchant’s tackle on Thorley. Marchant brought Quins back into the contest, gathering scrum-half Danny Care’s clever kick and claiming a try converted by Smith that set up an enthralling final 30 minutes.
Marchant then struck again entering the final quarter, with Smith’s conversion closing the gap to just three points and asking serious questions of Gloucester, especially after Rees-Zammit was yellow-carded following a deliberate knock-on. Harlequins were now well and truly in the mood, and they went ahead for the first time when the away side ran out of defensive numbers and Murley crossed unopposed, with Smith again converting.
Comments on RugbyPass
A lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
3 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
1 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
2 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
2 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
3 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
21 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
21 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments