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Paddy Jackson denies Harlequins at the death

By PA
Harlequins v London Irish – Gallagher Premiership – Twickenham Stoop

Paddy Jackson landed a tricky conversion in the final minute to rescue London Irish a 27-27 Gallagher Premiership draw at The Stoop that extended Harlequins’ victory drought to over a month.

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Oli Hoskins celebrated his 100th appearance for the Exiles by crossing for the 78th-minute try that gave Jackson the opportunity to secure a share of the spoils, complete with a try-scoring bonus point.

Harlequins Paddy Jackson
Billy Meakes on the charge for London Irish /PA via Getty Images
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Former Ireland fly-half Jackson had a stoppage-time chance to snatch victory from a penalty won by replacement flanker Sean O’Brien but his long-range kick drifted wide of the right post.

It was a major setback for Quins, who at one point led 27-15 with Marcus Smith the ringmaster as his team closed in on the end of their three-match losing streak.

England head coach Eddie Jones watched from the stands as a player who has dropped down his fly-half pecking order, slipping behind Wasps’ Jacob Umaga, ran in one try and saved another with a critical tackle.

Smith also kicked 12 points in a lively London derby that saw both teams return from coronavirus-enforced breaks, the Exiles’ absence spanning two matches.

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But Quins head of rugby Paul Gustard will be seething with his team’s game management that saw a comfortable match-winning lead thrown away.

Harlequins started with intent as Alex Dombrandt was denied by a try-saving tackle down the left touchline but the raid ended with the reward of a Smith penalty.

But a recurring vulnerability of the season to date was exposed yet again in the 12th minute when feeble defending in the wake of direct running allowed Curtis Rona to force a route over the whitewash.

Quins responded by exploiting an overlap with Smith riding a tackle by full-back Tom Parton to score in the left corner and frantic pace continued with the England prospect stopping Albert Tuisue as he careered towards the line.

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Harlequins v London Irish - Gallagher Premiership - Twickenham Stoop

Hoskins spilt the ball over the line and pressure continued to mount, but this time the home side showed resilience and on their next visit to the 22 they capitalised when Mike Brown drove over from close range.

Quins showed some neat flourishes in attack but when they were pinned back on their own line, they leaked a try too easily from a line-out drive that was finished by Motu Matu’u.

The second half began with Smith and Jackson exchanging penalties and while they trailed by only five points, Irish were slowly and surely being driven backwards.

A period of sustained Harlequins pressure followed as a series of scrums tested the Exiles and finally they cracked when Dombrandt was stopped short before Scott Steele dived over the ruck.

Harlequins v London Irish - Gallagher Premiership - Twickenham Stoop

It was far from over, however, as Irish kept the ball alive through a clever series of offloads until Tuisue rounded off the move by storming over.

And they continued to press for the next score and were rewarded when Hoskins touch down, allowing Jackson to do the rest.

Harlequins v London Irish - Gallagher Premiership - Twickenham Stoop

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Trevor 1 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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