Derby of Emotions
By JonnyC
December 3 2021
My preparation for watching this derby game was disorganised to say the least. Kick off time clashed with a family birthday party, so I couldn't make it to Brentford. Therefore a quick "press record" on the telly, avoid live reporting on social media, not looking at text updates from friends; just so I can watch the game in "live later" mode.
The weekend marked the start of the Rainbow Laces LGBT+ solidarity campaign that rugby is for everybody, commentators pundits and players wearing the rainbow laces. With two attacking teams; Quins the entertainers, Irish the comeback kings, it was set to be an exciting match played with width on the ball and sometimes very loose in fashion.
Irish came into the match with three wins (one league & two cup) and a draw, Quins with two wins and a loss.
Quins without three of their influential England internationals; Markus Smith, Alex Dombrandt and Joe Marchant. Irish with their newest international in Ollie Hoskins. I was concerned with the team sheet showing our young back rowers at 7 Tom Pearson and 8 Olly Cracknell. Our centres Curtis Rona and BVR needed to be wary of the considerable threat from Andre Esterhuizen. And even without Smith, Dombrandt and Marchant, Quins are still a very good team (Green, Marler, Kenningham, Care, Allen).
The matchday referee, Christophe Ridley was taking a break from his day job as lead singer of a Haircut 100 covers band. Irish chose to play into the wind in the first half after winning the coin toss. The weather forecast was not looking good, ruffling the luxurious locks of Kyle Rowe.
Quins were penalised for a breakdown infringement in the third minute. Paddy Jackson kicked a clean strike with the aid of a steadying hand from Benhard Janse van Rensberg. There was plenty of movement around the pitch for the first quarter of the game, but not the style and flow expected. Harlequins new lad Oscar Beard was lucky to pounce on a bobbling chipped ball from Danny Care on the 22nd minute to score the first try. The conversion was kicked over by Tommaso Allan 7-3. Irish then worked their way up field, won the lineout, maul and plenty of go forward pick and go were awarded two penalties, resulting in a kick to the 5 metre line. Quins captain Lewise impinged in the lineout, Irish went for the same tactic, kick into the corner, rolling maul and Gus "Guess Who" Creevy scores a try on the 29th minute. Conversion kicked successfully by Paddy with Benhard the Ball on windy ball duty again 7-8.
The score line reflected the penalty count to some degree 8-2, but Irish possession was just 40%, the red-zone efficiency was shining through.
Quins had a penalty on 32 minutes inside the 10 metre line, kicked for the corner, but Irish lock Adam Coleman makes a great steal on the 5 metre line, the ball is cleared. However the next set of plays sees Coleman come off with injury replaced by Steve Mafi. He'd played well until then.
A lovely try from a Quins lineout move; ball passed quickly through the hands of Care, Esterhuizen, Care, Walker and Luke Northmore to run in under the posts on 36 minutes. Irish defence was broken as Esterhuizen made a hole in the line. Allen converts for a 14-10 half time score. However Parton nearly scored in the right hand corner but not for Danny Care's covering tackle. Tommaso Allan suffered a shoulder injury in a second covering tackle on Phipps in the same move. Replacement Will Edwards trotted on.
Half time score 14-10
Quins kicked off into the wind, which had strengthened, to start the second half. Ball swirling dangerously on every high kick had fullbacks and wings chasing shadows. After a few minutes Irish were on their 5 metre line with a scrum against for a knock on, then penalty at the scrum, then advantage - Irish scrum was creaking as Hoskins was taking on Marler in the front row. Jackson made a great try saving tackle on Tyrone Green when the ball came wide, followed by a quick follow up by Rowe. After 7 minutes of energy sapping but steely defence, Irish got a turnover as the ball came loose through a centre combo of BVR and Rona the turnover. Relief and kick to clear to the half way line.
Irish get the ball after a knock on at 50 minutes and Tom Parton goes on a crazy mazy run doing a fair impression of a chicken in a farmyard through the Quins defence, picked up from a set of rucks by Phipps, passing to Rona and Simmons for his first try in the corner for his club. Paddy Jackson missed the conversion, score 14-15, two tries each.
Nick Phipps comes of on 54 minutes for Ben White, and Albert Tuisue replaces Olly Cracknell who's had a good solid game. Ref stops play for a head injury to Northmore who was on the wrong side of Rona in a tackle. In the build up Rona picks the ball up off the back of a worm (very low) and makes a superb out the back pass, a few phases more and Ben White barges past Creevy and shimmies through two Quins defenders to touch down for a third try on the right in the 58th minute. Red zone efficiency is mentioned again by the commentary. Paddy converts for a 14-22 score.
Creevy performs a comedy lineout when Quins forwards are still gasping for breath and well away from forming up, by throwing to Will Goodrick-Clarke some 2 metres back. Not straight! Scrum to Quins in front of Irish's 10 metre line. More quick hands and sharp running from their back line ends in a knock on, Irish defence is snappy. Quins loose another ball in the midfield snatched by Pearson, they appear to be emotionally off the boil. Penalty against Ollie Hassell-Collins on Care, tackled in the air. Penalty Quins, kick to touch, I'm getting nervous. Creevy comes off for Mike Willemse on 64 minutes. But again Quins lose the ball in play after a few more attacking phases of short pass moves. From the resultant scrum, Ben White must extract the ball from the groaning Irish pack and using an unorthodox body twisting shape, throw it out to the back. But Quins get the penalty from a ruck as Rona held ball on floor. The ball is kicked to the line between 10-5 metres. Lineout won and Beard scores a sliding second try in the left corner from a Lawday pass after a midfield bosh from Esterhuizen. Tough conversion kick attempt from Willams drifts wide. Score 19-22 on 68 minutes, I'm very nervous now.
Irish replace the props, Dell and Parker on for 11 minutes; and on the attack again. Ruck after ruck in the forwards under the posts, ball flung wide to the backs, cross field movement to Hassel-Collins with a two player overlap, but he doesn't make the pass. Ball is retained with 20 phases completed on their try line. Quins win a penalty holding on at the ruck, cheers go up. Viliami Taulani on the pitch for a while grabs the ball and muscles his way through the Irish defence to half way, alas he drops the ball under pressure from Albert Tuisue on 73 minutes. This game is so close. Scrum to Irish, will they creak? Another back twisting pass from Ben White from the scrum, was he a gymnast in a previous life? Ball is kicked down field and the Quins player is wrapped up by quick Irish pressing attacking defence in their 10 metre line.
A lineout for Irish just over half way on the left of field, quick ball passes through the backs with a lovely diagonal run from Rona to Hassel-Collins who has two players out on his right, and, and, he didn't pass to Kyle Rowe who was understandably upset. The second was not such an easy looking chance. Two missed opportunities to put the score beyond Quins. Taulani again grabbed the ball and ran up field to knock on just by the halfway line. Another scrum to Irish, who manage somehow to retain the ball and gain a penalty in a battle of the half backs on the deck, White and Care. Lineout is won by Tuisue, attacking again on 78 minutes, best form of defence apparently. Scrum to Quins deep in their half after a knock on, Huw Jones makes an existing full length run through the defence, Irish hold firm. Clock goes red but play continues. A few more phases and a Quins forward rumbles up and then down to ground and finds Rona on him in the ruck. Penalty to Irish, kick to touch and game over - game won.
That was 21 minutes of hard graft concentrated defence since Irish's last score, Benhard Janse van Rensberg awarded man of the match for his defensive efforts. And in the post-match interviews Les Kiss mentioned the emotion needed by the squad to come to the Stoop and beat the current Premiership Champions. He needed emotion to live big and strong in defence to beat a free scoring team.
Final score Harlequins 19 - 22 London Irish
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Living in the Scottish Borders, used to support London Irish, now following Kelso (newly promoted to the Scottish Premiership)
