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Marcus Smith's late conversion miss sees Harlequins eliminated
England star Marcus Smith suffered missed conversion misery as comeback kings Harlequins fell agonisingly short of another spectacular recovery act despite beating Heineken Champions Cup opponents Montpellier 33-20. The Quins fly-half drifted a straightforward conversion attempt of wing Louis Lyangh’s 75th-minute try wide, and Montpellier won the round-of-16 clash 60-59 on aggregate.
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The English champions, 14 points adrift after last weekend’s first leg when they trailed 34-0 at one stage, looked on course to secure a European last-eight spot for the first time since 2013. They needed to evoke memories of last season’s stunning Gallagher Premiership playoff victory over Bristol when Quins were 28 points down before winning after extra time.
And first-half tries from full-back Huw Jones, number eight Alex Dombrandt, centre Joe Marchant and Lynagh – all converted by Smith – underlined Harlequins’ appetite for another memorable turnaround. Montpellier, the French Top 14 league leaders, stayed in contention through tries centre Yvan Reilhac and full-back Julien Tisseron. Fly-half Louis Forsans kicked two conversions and a penalty, while South African World Cup winner Handre Pollard added a penalty to edge Montpellier through.
Quins showed a solitary change from last weekend’s defeat, with flanker Will Evans preferred to Tom Lawday in the back row. Montpellier boss Philippe Saint-Andre, though, made 13 switches, including South Africa’s World Cup-winning fly-half Pollard lining up at inside centre and former Bath number eight Zach Mercer – a two-try performer six days ago – on the bench.
It took Harlequins just 33 seconds to open their account as they struck from a first visit to Montpellier’s 22. Dombrandt surged through a huge gap in the Montpellier defence, and his pass sent an unmarked Jones sprinting over for a try that Smith converted. Pollard missed a long-range penalty chance to open Montpellier’s account, but the visitors were level after 11 minutes when Forsans’ sharp break was rewarded by a strong finish from Reilhac.
Pollard’s conversion tied things up, only for Quins to score from their next attack as quickly recycled possession produced enough space for a Dombrandt try, again converted by Smith. Montpellier stayed firmly in the contest, though, and a Forsans penalty cut their deficit midway through the second quarter and underlined the size of Quins’ task. Quins then scored a stunning third try after a length-of-the-field move started by Smith. He could have taken a safe option of kicking to touch, but he opted to run instead, before sending wing Cadan Murley clear, and he delivered a scoring pass that Marchant gratefully accepted.
Smith again added the extras as Quins looked to take charge, yet Montpellier hit back eight minutes before half-time when Tisseron touched down following more impressive work by Foursans, who added the conversion and made it 21-17. But a breathless first half had one more try to deliver, and it was Quins who pounced for the fourth time.
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A strong attacking scrum provided exactly the platform they required and Lynagh scored in the corner, with Smith’s touchline conversion putting Quins 11 points ahead at the interval. Quins could not add to their tally in the third quarter, and a Pollard penalty meant that Montpellier had a six-point aggregate advantage with 25 minutes left. But Quins laid siege to the Montpellier line during a spell of concerted scrum pressure as a pulsating encounter entered its final instalment.
Referee Mike Adamson was lenient on the French side, opting not to show a yellow card despite them conceding eight successive, but his patience then snapped and replacement hooker Jeremie Maurouard was sin-binned. Smith then pounced for what appeared to be Quins’ fifth try, but Jones was penalised for crossing, and Montpellier escaped as the clock ticked down.
Lynagh then sent the Harlequins fans wild when he claimed his second try five minutes from time, but the missed conversion from Smith meant that Montpellier prevailed.
Comments on RugbyPass
Super rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
8 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
8 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 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.
9 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…??? 🤑🤑🤑
16 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
16 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)
4 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?
5 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.
6 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.
22 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
22 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.
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