Sensational Harlequins turn season around with underdog victory in Premiership final
Harlequins won their first Gallagher Premiership title for nine years after Louis Lynagh’s two late tries saw them overcome defending champions Exeter 40-38 after a remarkable Twickenham final.
Quins wing Lynagh, whose father Michael helped Australia win the World Cup with victory over England 30 years ago at the same venue, struck twice during the closing eight minutes of an epic encounter.
It means Quins became the first team since Saracens six years ago to finish fourth after the regular season and be crowned champions.
For a club whose head of rugby Paul Gustard departed his job in January, it is an astonishing turnaround as they triumphed following arguably English rugby’s greatest final.
Quins matched Exeter blow for blow during an unforgettable game, scoring four tries and leading by 12 points early in the second half.
But Exeter rapidly wiped out that deficit before Quins staged a majestic finale.
Jonny Gray, Alec Hepburn, Sam Simmonds, Ollie Devoto and Stuart Hogg scored tries for Exeter, while Joe Simmonds kicked five conversions and a penalty.
Quins, though, would not go away, as an early penalty try was followed by Lynagh’s double and scores for Wilco Louw, Alex Dombrandt and Andre Esterhuizen, with fly-half Marcus Smith, who was also sin-binned, landing four conversions on a day when Quins prop Joe Marler was named man-of-the-match.
There was an injury scare for Exeter and the British and Irish Lions, meanwhile, when hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie went off after making a second-half tackle.
A stretcher was called for, but Cowan-Dickie was able to return to his feet and walk off the pitch, being replaced by Jack Yeandle.
Scotland captain Hogg had to be content with a replacements’ bench role for Exeter, with Jack Nowell retained at full-back, but Hogg’s Lions colleagues Cowan-Dickie, Jonny Hill and Sam Simmonds all started.
Quins showed three changes following last weekend’s dramatic play-off victory over Bristol as Esterhuizen, wing Cadan Murley and flanker James Chisholm were all called up.
A 10,000 crowd created a carnival atmosphere ahead of kick-off, and Quins flew out of the blocks.
They monopolised possession, and after Smith rifled a penalty into touch just short of Exeter’s line, Chiefs collapsed the resulting maul and referee Matthew Carley awarded Quins a penalty try.
And as they moved seven points ahead, Quins also enjoyed a temporary one-man advantage after Carley sin-binned Hill for pulling down the maul.
Exeter were rocked by the ferocity of Quins’ opening, yet they gradually put some threatening passes of play together and Hill returned without any further scoreboard damage.
And Hill had barely reappeared before Exeter drew level, with the England international’s second-row partner Gray crashing over from close range for a try that Simmonds converted.
It was a fast and furious final, and another lengthy Smith penalty into touvh put Exeter under renewed pressure, but they managed to clear the danger and keep things tied at 7-7 early in the second quarter.
Exeter’s forwards began to assert a degree of control, and Chiefs went ahead 11 minutes before half-time when Hepburn dived over for a try, with Simmonds again converting.
Carley looked at several replays before the score was awarded, and Quins also collected a yellow card for their pains as Smith was sin-binned for deliberate offside.
It was an impressive response by the champions, yet Quins rallied while Smith looked on, setting up an attacking platform just five metres from Exeter’s line as half-time approached.
Exeter initially held Quins out, but it could not last, and Louw notched his team’s second try, before Smith’s goalkicking deputy – centre Joe Marchant – saw his conversion attempt hit the post.
Smith rejoined the action as Quins produced some impressive Louw and Joe Marler-inspired scrum power, and they stole an interval lead when Smith sent Dombrandt over for a try following an exquisite pass, and the fly-half’s conversion made it 19-14 at half-time.
Quins began the second half exactly as they ended the first – in try-scoring mode.
Brilliant handling between backs and forwards produced a flowing move that ended when Marchant sent his midfield partner Esterhuizen over for Quins’ fourth try, with Smith’s touchline conversion opening up a 12-point gap.
Hogg had joined the action by this stage, replacing an injured Alex Cuthbert and a pulsating final continued at an extraordinary pace as Chiefs number eight Sam Simmonds claimed his 21st Premiership try of the season, with his brother’s conversion making it 26-21 after 50 minutes.
Exeter took a total of five minutes to wipe out a worrying deficit, with Joe Simmonds slicing open Quins’ defence and sending centre Ollie Devoto over for a try.
The Chiefs then sensed a fifth touchdown as Quins showed signs of tiring, but it was a Joe Simmonds penalty that took them past 30 points with 14 minutes left, before the late Lynagh-inspired drama.
Comments on RugbyPass
Did 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?
1 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.
16 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
16 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 comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
16 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
16 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to comments