Nick David hat-trick helps Harlequins bounce back in style

Rampant Harlequins returned to form in style by blowing away previously unbeaten Stormers 61-10 at the Twickenham Stoop to secure their place in the Champions Cup knockout stages with one group game remaining.

Stormers had won all their 10 competitive fixtures so far this season, two in this competition and eight in the United Rugby Championship, but left their first-choice team in Cape Town and paid the price with a desperately poor display.

Quins, with Marcus Smith and Tyrone Green pulling the strings, scored nine tries. Nick David touched down for three of them, with Jack Kenningham, Cadan Murley, Alex Dombrandt, Chandler Cunningham-South, Zach Carr and Jarrod Evans bagging the others. Smith converted eight.

Unconverted second-half tries from replacement Imad Khan and Dylan Maart were all Stormers could muster in response.

Early pressure from Harlequins was rewarded with a try from man of the match Kenningham, who completed a flowing move involving Guido Petti and David.

Stormers then suffered two further setbacks in quick succession. First their skipper Damian Willemse had to leave the field for an HIA, before a chip ahead from Smith fell kindly for Quins and Luke Northmore was able to send Murley flying over.

The disjointed and lethargic South African side conceded a third try in only 15 minutes when Dombrandt powered onto a well-timed pass from Jack Walker before running 25 metres to score.

Willemse was able to return but it made no difference as Quins picked up their bonus-point try. A clearance kick from scrum-half Dewaldt Duvenage was charged down by Kenningham, with Cunningham-South on hand to pick up the pieces.

The fifth try soon arrived and it was the best of the afternoon with Murley and Tyrone Green combining beautifully to create a run-in for David.

It took Stormers 35 minutes to gain an entry into the opposition 22 but they were unable to capitalise and went in at the interval trailing 33-0.

The visitors seemed content just to frustrated Quins in the opening exchanges of the second half but, after 51 minutes, the hosts scored again when Cunningham-South and Dombrandt both made bursts to provide David with his second.

Stormers then changed five personnel but it made no difference as an alert David pounced on a loose ball to run 45 metres for his hat-trick.

It was now Quins’ turn to make wholesale changes and one of their introductions, Carr, immediately galloped away for try number eight.

A try from Khan put Stormers on the scoreboard after 65 minutes and Maart added a further consolation seven minutes later, but Quins had the final say with a last-minute try from Evans.