Exeter Chiefs 20 - Harlequins 6
By AlanQuin
February 14 2011
Once again, as in 2006, Exeter has proved a graveyard for Harlequins ambition as Exeter Chiefs ended the Londoners successful winning run by 20 – 6.
Harlequins made a determined start, claiming the ball from the kick off and in a series of drives taking play to within five metres of the Exeter try-line where they lost possession of the ball. Exeter responded by attacking and with a penalty from inside their own half were soon in the Harlequin twenty-two and another penalty gave them a lineout five metres from Quins’ line. Sterling defence kept the Chiefs at bay and although they drove over the ball was held up.
The scrum that followed was to point vividly to one of Quins’ major problems throughout the match, the fallibility of the set-piece. The Exeter pack was dominant and, after two resets, a penalty inevitably followed. Steenson, kicking with the strong wind behind him, made no mistake in opening the scoring.
Quins went back on the attack and a good break by Evans was followed by a chip over the defence, but a high, wayward, bounce eluded both Lowe and Comacho as they chased it. A knock on gave Quins a scrum on the Exeter twenty-two and a penalty at the scrum which Nick Evans lined up for the kick. Like another fine All Black fly half, Mehrtens, playing for Quins against Exeter did five years ago, Evans could only watch in disbelief as the strong wind took a ball headed inexorably between the posts and steered it left of the left upright at the last second.
It was the great American baseball catcher, “Yogi” Berra who said “It's déjà vu all over again.” For this reporter there was a strong sense from that point of the game onward that Mr Berra had a point. A second penalty for Exeter was followed by a successful kick by Evans from about thirty metres in front of the posts, but two more successful kicks from Steenson increased the lead to 12 – 3.
Injury had removed George Robson and then another saw Karl Dickson stretchered off and with the latter a little of the dynamism he usually generates. Moore was efficient but struggled to impose himself with a pack that was struggling too.
With two minutes of the half remaining, a penalty ten metres in front of the posts was taken quickly by Mike Brown in a break for the Exeter line but good defence stopped the score. Despite Quins maintaining pressure they could not score. Another penalty, from an acute angle on the left, only produced another kick from Evans that veered away in the wind and the half ended.
The sayings of Mr. Berra came to mind again at half-time by way of palliative to the situation. His famous “It ain't over 'till it's over” offered some consolation. But within a minute of the start it was over. An immediate Exeter attack at the start of the second half, moving the ball smoothly with crisp passing and hard running created an overlap on their left for Tom Johnson to crash over in the corner. The conversion was missed, the wind defeating Steenson, but 17 – 3 represented a very difficult deficit to overcome.
Harlequins continued to work tirelessly but without success for another score. Unforced errors began to creep in the harder they tried to force the game. A turn over in their favour was followed by an immediate knock on. A penalty kicked excellently by Evans for a touch deep in the Exeter twenty-two was wasted when the lineout was overthrown. Another penalty saw possession turned over after the lineout was won. Twelve minutes into the half, another penalty for a deliberate knock down of the ball allowed Evans to double Quins score.
The Exeter defence was solid and determined and many Quins’ thrusts were resisted and nullified with knock-ons, forward passes, turnovers and penalties relieving pressure on Exeter. Quins’ best chance came towards the end of the half when a good break by Monye came to nothing because his pass to Lowe on the wing was forward. To add to Quins’ mountain to climb, another successful penalty kick from Steenson increased the lead further to 20 – 6. This was Harlequins’ worst performance since their match against Saracens and they need to sharpen their game if they are to stay in the Heineken Cup qualification places.
After the match, Conor O'Shea said that they knew exactly what to expect from the game. "This is a very tough place to come," he said. "We started the game the way we wanted, we held on to the ball, it was a very strong wind and it was 12-3 at half-time. We made a number of line breaks, we controlled possession pretty well for period when we had it but we kept trying to force things and the Chiefs were getting lots of easy yards.
"The start of the second half was a disaster in terms of what we wanted to go out and do. You have the kick off and you let them score virtually from their own line.You have to give massive credit to the Chiefs today - they out-worked us - we had the line breaks but we didn't protect the ball. It is incredible to come away without scoring a try given the number of clean breaks that were made.
"You saw their attitude in abundance the way that they scrambled - when they were broken they got back and made their tackles. We didn't do that - so all credit to Chiefs. We'll learn the lesson, hard work has got us to where we are and you have to work hard in every single game you play."
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Apologies about the delay in putting it up but I've only just got back from Devon.
Great trip, nice locals, nice pasties, good performance by Ex, not by us.
On the other hand, Exeter were excellent and fully deserved their win. Apart from the rugby, the weekend in Exeter was great! We need to get a bonus point win this Saturday.
Best thing about the day was the pasty!
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to bleat about it all over the internet"
The beer at the Old Firestation (aka The Leaky Cauldron), where quite a few Quins fans gathered befor the game, was almost worth the trip alone