NEC Harlequins 34-17 London Irish

By Old King's No.8
April 11 2007

London Irish arrived at the Stoop hoping to consolidate their Heineken Cup position and potentially improve their chances of a play-off place with a victory over seventh-placed Harlequins.

Quins, on the other hand, could still hope of sneaking into sixth place if a win over their rivals from Reading provided some momentum for a strong finish to the season. The good weather certainly suggested that the sell-out crowd could expect a fast, running game and plenty of tries. They certainly weren’t disappointed.

Quins kicked off playing towards the South Stand and with David Strettle chasing. Irish set up a ruck outside their 22 and the ball was cleared to just outside Quins 22. Immediately, the absence of Tani Fuga became apparent as James Hayter overthrew at the line-out. However, a London Irish mistake resulted in Quins turning over the ball, due in no small part to the industry of Ollie Kohn. London Irish then gave away a penalty for not rolling away and Mehrtens - making his first appearance for the 1st XV for some time - made no mistake with the attempt at goal and Quins lead 3 - 0 after just two minutes.

Irish kicked deep with their restart and the ball was collected by Chris Hala’ufia who ran the ball back strongly and recycled well. Merhtens smashed the ball back up field for the London Irish line out on their 10-metre line. However this time, it was Quins who gave away a penalty for failing to roll away in the tackle, but the kick from Irish was poor and they were left with line- out outside the Quins 10-metre line. However, Irish kept the pressure on with some good running from their centres and despite the fact that Quins were resilient in defence they gave way another penalty for failing to roll away and this time Irish took the points to level their scores at 3 all with six minutes gone.

Despite an encouraging start, Mehrtens’s restart kick just went into touch and Irish went back for the scrum in the middle. Quins gave away another penalty at the scrum and a better London Irish kick resulted in a line-out inside Quins’ 22 metre line. However, Irish were unable to get the maul moving and in the ensuing phases Mike Ross was penalised for failing to release in the tackle. Despite the fact that the attempt at goal was relatively straight-forward, being just outside the Quins 22 in the north-west corner, the London Irish fly half took a significant time over his kick and missed to the right of the posts.

Mehrtens went long with his drop out which was recovered and kicked back only to be collected again by the Quins fly half, who passed it to Mike Brown to take into the ruck. When the ball came back, the Quins midfield was rather disorganised and Stuart Abbott was unable to do more than send Mel Deane straight back into contact. However Quins were able to keep the pressure on and Mehrtens chipped over the Irish defence. Quins continued to press their attack towards the south-east corner with Simon Keogh in pursuit and eventually London Irish were penalised just outside their 22 on the eastern touchline. Mehrtens kick from far out was accurate and Quins led 6 - 3 with 13 minutes gone.

Although London Irish seemed to have strayed offside at the restart, play was allowed to continue and the ball was kicked down to Topsy Ojo who was unceremoniously pushed into touch by David Strettle. However, Ojo acrobatically kept the ball in field to be caught by Andrew Mehrtens, who was tackled in turn. Although the Quins fly half unsuccessfully attempted to palm the ball back to Mike Brown, he had already entered touch. Although the London Irish full back had collected the loose ball and was running for the try line, he was called back for the line-out on the Quins 22. Irish drove well from the line-out but eventually knocked on inside the Quins 22. Although the Irish loose-head seemed determined to pull the scrum down, the Quins scrum had found some of the stability that had been lacking earlier in the match and Vos broke quickly from the base of the scrum and chipped ahead with Mike Brown in support. With the Stoop crowd going bananas, Brown passed onto Stuart Abbott, but the centre was run down inside the London Irish 22 and when Mike Brown attempted to keep the momentum going he received a punch for his trouble. By now, London Irish had been able to regroup and force Quins to set up a ruck but Gomarsall was unable to keep hold of the ball and Irish cleared from the resulting scrum.

The Harlequins line-out continued to misfire as Irish won the ball against the throw. However the clearance found its way to Mike Brown who ran the ball back again towards the south-east corner. Whilst Irish were able to clear the ball back to touch, Quins finally won a line-out but weren’t quite able to do anything with the possession. Irish gave away a free-kick on their own 22 metre line. Quins chose the scrum which was messy but the ball was recovered and recycled before being shipped out to Strettle who chipped through the Irish defence. In his attempt to chase his own ball, Ducks was barged out of play, allowing the ball to waddle into touch. Although London Irish game won the line-out, Quins turned over the ball in a tackle and Mehrtens continued to impress with a superb break towards London Irish line. Although Quins were unable to breach the London Irish defence through several phases, David Rose brought play back in field for a penalty and eventually Paul Volley was able to burrow in underneath the posts with 23 minutes gone. Mehrtens made the simple conversion and Quins lead by 13 - 3.

Straight from the re-start, Mike Brown chipped through the London Irish defence and with Andre Vos in support Quins won the ball back. Chris Hala’ufia set off on a strong run towards the north-west corner closely supported by Strettle. Between them they managed to keep the ball in field despite the attentions of the Irish defence. Quins finally put some real quality into their handling and the ball was spun out to Mike Brown on the left wing to go in at the corner. Mehrtens continued his place-kicking masterclass with a superb conversion from the east touchline and with only a further 4 minutes on the clock Quins had extended their lead to 20 against London Irish’s 3.

Despite having conceded two scores in quick succession, London Irish showed no signs of giving up and following the restart Irish won the ball back. Topsy Ojo went on another strong run, going through attempted tackles from Strettle, Mehrtens and Gomarsall. However, Quins tackling in-field proved rather more solid and the London Irish attack was slowed down inside the Quins 22. Quins won the ball back but a knock-on handed possession back to London Irish with a scrum inside the 22. However, Quins again turned over the ball, which was quickly passed down to the left. Stuart Abbott and Simon Keogh broke out of the Quins 22 and Keogh kicked the ball upfield to chase. Unfortunately, he was unable to hold on in the tackle and London Irish ran the ball back with Topsy Ojo again prominent.

Although the London Irish attack was stifled as a result of some confusion in midfield, David Rose brought play back for a scrum, having seen an earlier Quins knock-on. Again the ball found its way to Topsy Ojo but this time he was tackled into touch, again Quins lost the ball at line out and David Strettle was called up to defend, pushing the London Irish attackers back in the tackle and dragging them towards the touch line with the help of Andy Gomarsall. Eventually, the London Irish scrum half found himself in touch thanks to the attentions of Mike Ross.

Despite being under pressure just outside their own five-metre line in the north-west corner, the Quins line-out formed better with Jim ‘Shumba’ Evans taking the ball while off the top and tapping it down for Andy Gomarsall to clear. However, the London Irish winger managed to keep the ball in field for it to be chipped into touch deep inside Quins territory. Again, the Quins line-out did its job but some poor decisions in-field saw Mike Brown put under pressure and his clearance went straight out. However, Quins won their first line out against the throw, and Gomarsall put in a big clearance which, although not bouncing into touch, came off a London Irish player. The touch judge awarded the line out in Quins favour in line with the kick, much to the annoyance of both Gomarsall and Andrew Mehrtens, who pointed out to the officials that the line-out should have been given much further down field where it entered touch, having come off the Irish player. However, David Rose was not willing to change his mind, and Quins were forced to take the line-out where they were.

Having won the ball again, Andrew Mehrtens kicked to the south-west corner for Keogh to chase but the ball was knocked-on and Irish attacked strongly from the scrum. Ricky Flutey broke through the defence and was able to out pace Mel Deane towards the north-west corner, running in for London Irish’s first try of the match. Although still taking some time over his kick, Everitt made no mistake with the conversion this time and narrowed Quins lead to 10 points, the score standing at 20-10 with 38 minutes gone. Mehrtens kicked the restart deep and the return kick was collected by Simon Keogh who ran back to the half-way line before passing to Mehrtens who again chased his own kick through the London Irish defence. However, the visitors were able to regroup spin the ball out to their left wing. Although Irish were able to press up deep into the north-west corner, Quins kept them out until the half-time whistle.

By the start of the second half, the sinking sun was shining in the eyes of the London Irish players, possibly providing Quins with a further advantage. London Irish kicked off to Chris Hala’ufia who again pressed up field with more strong running. At the ensuing ruck, a London Irish player was clearly seen to throw a punch at Shumba. Bex would not have liked it at all. Although play was stopped and David Rose spoke to the touch judge about the incident, a penalty was awarded to Harlequins but no card was shown to the player involved. Following Andrew Mehrtens’s clearance, Vos took the line out ball well, and was able to sprint all the way to the London Irish 22 metre line before being tackled. However, the ball was recycled extremely quickly and more slick handling through the backs saw the ball make its way to the mesmeric England winger who ran in at the north-east corner. Although he had been presented with yet another difficult conversion, Mehrtens was again equal to the task and Quins lead 27 - 10 with 3 minutes of the second half gone.

Chris Hala’ufia again took the London Irish restart and drove into contact. Mehrtens cleared to the half-way line and Quins were able to win the ball back against the throw. Stuart Abbott ran strongly down the east wing and once again the London Irish try line was besieged by a strong attack from Harlequins. Having recycled the ball several times attempting to drive over the line round the fringes, Andy Gomarsall eventually found his way across the try line only to be pulled back at the very last second by the desperate London Irish defenders. However, it seemed that Irish had some how knocked the ball on in the ruck earlier, and Quins were awarded a 5 metre scrum. Unfortunately, the ball didn’t leave the scrum as quickly as possible thanks to a fumble from Gomarsall although the ball fell backwards. However, Quins were able to regroup and go through some phases before spinning the ball out to the left. A wonderfully timed pass from Andrew Mehrtens put Stuart Abbott on a good line and the centre veered back inside to slide through the London Irish defence and go in just to the left of the post. Mehrtens, putting in an all-round performance which must surely underline the need for his presence next season, again made the conversion, and Quins lead 34 - 10 with 8 minutes of the second half gone.

Shortly after the restart Stuart Abbott left the field to be replaced by Tom Williams. Thanks to a knock on from Mike Brown, London Irish had been awarded a scrum inside the Quins 10 metre line, Irish attacked the south-east corner with a chip through which found touch, giving Quins a line-out just outside their 5-metre line. Again, the much improved line-out was solid and the forwards drove the ball back in providing Mehrtens with enough space to clear the ball to outside the Quins 22. However, although Quins appeared to be building some further momentum, a knock-on saw play brought back for the scrum at which Quins gave away a penalty. Being so far behind, London Irish were looking for tries, but a kick through was collected by Simon Keogh who ran the ball back with David Strettle in support. Unfortunately, Keogh didn’t see Strettal outside him but Quins won another scrum when Irish knocked on again. Hala-Ufia drove the ball back into contact and the ball was recycled quickly for Mehrtens to clear for the half-way line. The Quins line-out continued to go from strength to strength and another excellent steal saw the ball knocked back quickly for the backs and some good handling in mid-field suggested a promising attacking move. However, David Rose called one of the passes forward and play was brought back for the London Irish scrum. Despite the early weaknesses, the Quins scrum was now looking significantly improved, and the London Irish backs were not given much time on the ball before the defence arrived. All the visitors could do was chip again to the south-east corner, but Mike Brown kept the ball mid-field and cleared to outside his own 22.

With 15 minutes of the half gone Steve So’oailo replaced Andy Gomarsall who went to the blood bin. From the line out, more confusion in London Irish’s mid-field saw the ball drop backwards but a poor decision from the referee saw Quins get the scrum. However, London Irish were guilty of knocking the ball on in the ensuing passage of play and from the scrum Mike Brown chipped over into space behind the Irish line, but the ball landed on the touch line and was called out. London Irish therefore had a line out on the Quins 10 metre line and was subsequently awarded a penalty when Quins failed to roll away a tackle. Despite pushing deep into Quins territory the home side’s line out once again stole the London Irish ball and Mehrtens was able to clear to the 22.

At the maul which formed after the London Irish line out, Quins were penalised for coming in at the side, but the referee played advantage and the Irish fly half chipped the ball towards the posts. Although Quins cleared the danger (and although Irish had done almost everything but score in pursuit of their advantage) the referee brought play back for the original penalty at the maul, and London Irish set up another maul to drive towards the line. The ball was out when the Quins defenders came forward to tackle but the were nevertheless penalised for coming into the maul at the side. London Irish’s penalty saw them with a line-out on the Quins 5 metre line which went with the throw this time. Unfortunately, Shumba was sent to the sin bin for reasons which weren’t entirely clear but it may have been because he was coming in at the side so close to the try line. The disapproval of Bex was almost audible.

London Irish decided to take the scrum with a view to pushing over for the try, and the scrum was reset time and again with Quins finally being penalised for pulling the scrum down. London Irish spun the ball out left only to knock on in front of the post. Mehrtens collected the ball and tried to set the backs off from almost on their own try line, but nothing came of it and Quins went back for the scrum on the 5-metre line in front of the posts with 14 minutes to go. As Quins tried to run the ball out of their territory, London Irish were penalised for not rolling away and Justin Bishop came on for Everitt. Mehrtens cleared to outside the Quins 22, but a further kick from the line out went straight into touch, giving London Irish a further line out just outside the Quins 10 metre line.

Having substituted their No.8, London Irish exerted good pressure but the Quins tackling was showing a marked improvement on previous games and Irish couldn’t find any way through. A chip across the pitch was collected by Tom Williams but, without any support in the ruck, it appeared that he was penalised for holding onto the ball. However, the referee then awarded Quins the put in at a scrum, suggesting that there had been a knock on by the London Irish players although it was unclear precisely what happened.

Quins kicked away possession without finding touch and London Irish ran the ball back at them, first attacking the south-west corner and then the south-east. However, the Quins defence remained solid. Mike Ross and Chris Hala’ufia, who had both had outstanding games, were then replaced by Ricky Nebitt and Tom Guest, whilst London Irish’s Bob Casey was replaced by Gary Johnson. From their scrum on the Quins’ 5-metre line London Irish passed the ball into touch and the majestic Shumba returned to action.

The Quins line-out was good and from the maul the ball was passed back to Mehrtens who cleared to the half way line. London Irish took a quick line-out and Quins were penalised for off-side. Irish took a quick tap but another mistake in mid-field saw Andre Vos intercept the pass and again make some good yards before being hauled down, allowing Quins to clear to the half way line on the west side of the pitch. Despite a good effort at the line-out, Shumba was just unable to get his hands to the London Irish throw at the line out but the visitors attacking move was ended with another forward pass and the London Irish scrum half was replaced by Richie Reese.

Some poor decisions at the base of the scrum handed position back to London Irish who eventually managed to go enough phases to see their blind side flanker Kieran Roach go over on the left hand side of the posts. The conversion was successful and with 1 minute left the score stood at 34-17. London Irish were unable to do anything further in the few remaining seconds and following another forward pass David Rose blew up full time. Although Irish remain just ahead of Quins in the league, the result keeps alive the possibility of a top-six finish for Quins who will be looking to maintain their form for the trip to Vicarage Road on Sunday.