Sweet sixteen for Marcus Smith as Harlequins win battle of the Stoop
Marcus Smith scored 16 points against London Irish as Harlequins won the battle of the Stoop 38-15 to virtually seal their European Champions Cup spot for next season. Their bonus-point victory saw them rise to sixth in the table and, with a 13-point gap over ninth-placed Irish, the required top-eight finish is almost guaranteed with only three games remaining.
Despite the Stoop being Harlequins’ home ground, it was technically a home fixture for Irish as Quins have granted them temporary occupancy while their London rivals await their move to their new stadium in Brentford.
Since the resumption, Irish have only picked up a point while losing all six games. Their tries came from Dan Norton and Ben Donnell with Jacob Atkins kicking a penalty and conversion.
Harlequins responded with two tries from Smith with Scott Baldwin, Cadan Murley and Scott Steele scoring one apiece. There was also a penalty-try award, with Smith adding three conversions. Harlequins lost the first two lineouts on their own throw but they still made the better start to take an eighth-minute lead.
Centre James Lang made a couple of telling bursts before the ball was recycled for Smith to skip outside Norton and score. Norton soon made amends with his side’s first try. Irish built up their first period of pressure and came close on a couple of occasions before former Irish scrum-half Steele was sin-binned for a deliberate offside.
Round 19 is done and dusted and the results are all in 🏉
Top 4 sides @ExeterChiefs, @SaleSharksRugby, @BristolBears and @WaspsRugby all claim important victories 👊
Which side impressed you most in the midweek #GallagherPrem action? 👀 pic.twitter.com/F0cI2qlUhB
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) September 9, 2020
The hosts immediately made their numerical advantage count when they moved the ball wide to provide Norton with an easy run-in. Atkins converted before the home side extended their lead thanks to an excellent piece of skill from James Stokes.
The full-back cleverly chipped over a defender before collecting and sending his skipper Jack Cooke away. The flanker was hauled down just short of the try-line but Donnell was up in support to score. Steele then returned in time to see Quins score their second try when Baldwin finished off a lineout drive.
Smith again missed the conversion, with Atkins kicking a penalty before Aaron Morris burst through a hole in the Irish defence and looked a certain scorer until a superb cover tackle from Ollie Hassell-Collins slammed the full-back into touch.
Irish were therefore able to retain their 15-10 lead for the half-time break but nine minutes after the restart their opponents scored the best try of the game. From inside their own 22, Quins counter-attacked in style by producing a flowing move which saw Murley and Luke Northmore combine cleverly to send Smith in under the posts.
That try was the catalyst for Quins to take control and it came as no surprise when first Steele darted over from close range for the bonus point before victory was sealed with a penalty-try award and and then their sixth try from Murley.
Tigers scraping the barrel at this dire rate https://t.co/jjtAueFP9z
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 9, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Except for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to comments