Report: Worcester Warriors 15-17 Harlequins

By poorfour
September 25 2011

After the build-up, I approached this match with some apprehension. Despite Worcester’s lowly position in the Premiership tables alongside Saints and Tigers (how often do you get to say that? I’m tempted to say it again, just for the frisson of schadenfreude), COS had marked this week’s game out as a real test for the team.

I was also worried by some of the comments by Comeallwithiners in the build up to the game. This would be my first time at Sixways, but apparently our last visit had been a bad-tempered affair. The circumstances had changed, but would the tension between opposing fans remain? I hoped not. I’d chosen to sit in the Slick Stand for a better view, and not with the official Quins allocation behind the posts, so the whole poorfour family would be mixing it with the Worcester fans.

In the end, I needn’t have worried. The banter on the way into the stadium was good natured, helped no doubt by falling in with a family whose loyalties were divided between home and away. Once inside, the fans immediately around us gave us some entertaining chat, but it was a genuine pleasure sitting with them. A few yards away there was an immaculately suited gentleman with a Meerschaum pipe, perched on a glossy red electric cart, who kept up a constant stream of invective aimed at Quins and referee Chris White. Mostly it was just declaiming us as cheats, but by the end of the game the odd swearword had crept in. I couldn’t fault his passion, but I was glad not to be sitting closer.

He may have had a point about White, though. My untrained, Quins-tinted view from row 2 doesn’t qualify me to comment on the accuracy of his calls, but I think he could have done much more to let the game flow. The players didn’t help; it was a humid, overcast day with only a few spots of rain, but there was a deluge of handling errors from both sides. I would guess that over a quarter of the game was spent on scrums.

Perhaps they had all been inspired by last week’s thriller between Ireland and Australia. Certainly, until the last quarter of the match the story and even the scoreline had been almost identical. Plucky underdogs use a dominant scrum and astute kicking to take the game from much-fancied opposition, with no-one seriously threatening the tryline from either side.

I’d speculated before the match that this might be the case. Last season, the most disappointing Quins performances came against opposition who could keep us out of their own half, and punish any indiscipline in defence. Quins made most of the running in the away games at Leicester and Sarries, but both sides contained our running threat and 36 and Fazlet took the points on offer.

Worcester offered the same mix. They were totally committed in defence; their pack was gnarly and clearly benefitted from having two recent ex-Quins who knew our weaknesses; and if Andy Goode was never much of a threat with ball in hand, his kicking was pinpoint and his distribution fizzed with purpose.

The pattern of the match was set in the first few exchanges. Quins attacked the Worcester line from the kickoff, but Worcester defended with equal ferocity and eventually forced a penalty for holding on. Quins forced a turnover, nearly made a decisive break but ended up flinging the ball from side to side and being forced into touch. Worcester won another penalty following the lineout, and Goode took the points.

The first of the many scrums in the match followed a forward pass from Worcester at the restart. Quins secured a free kick from that one. They got one again from the next, chose to reset, and gave a free kick to Worcester. At this point my notes say, “Does Chris White know what’s going on?” I was never subsequently sure, but Worcester definitely got the upper hand. Lambert usually got the blame, but it looked to me as if the Worcester tight head was binding on the arm and getting away with it.

NEv eventually found touch from a penalty inside the Worcester 22. His drop goal attempt from the resulting lineout and maul was charged down, but White was playing penalty advantage and he levelled at 3-3. It was the last time Quins would trouble the scorers for some time. Worcester, on the other hand, were back on the attack straight after the restart and quickly won another penalty. 6-3.

Neither side was making much headway with ball in hand. Both defences were soundly organised and the Worcester tackling was particularly strong; Garvey and Benjamin were able to make good yards on the wing, Worcester’s midfield lacked penetration and turned the ball over too often. It also began to look like it wasn’t going to be Quins’ day. They were frequently driven back in the tackle, promising breaks ended in knock ons and when Nick or Mike kicked or chipped on, it was usually returned by Goode with the kind of interest you don’t get from your bank anymore.

White continued to award what the BBC describes as “a flurry of penalties for various minor infringements”, but there was only one more score in the half, Goode kicking a penalty from 5 yards into his own half. For Quins, the only other point worth mentioning was Seb Stegmann, coming on for a limping Monye after his own two years of injury hell. Welcome back, Seb, and stay healthy.

9-3 at half time became 12-3 shortly thereafter as Worcester won a penalty from a scrum on Quins’ 22. Then Worcester made their most effective attack of the afternoon, securing ball from a Quins defensive lineout and driving over the tryline only to be held up. Goode kicked a drop goal from the resulting scrum, apparently assisted in flight by a Harlequins hand.

As Richard Hill pointed out in the press conference, there should have been no way back for Quins at 15-3 down. Yet the tide had begun to turn. Worcester had substituted Douglas for Taumoepeau at tighthead, and Kvesic for Horstmann, who went off with a leg injury. Quins, with Brooker on for Gray, began to win the scrums again. One of these resulted in a penalty, NEv kicked to the Worcester half, Robson took the lineout and Sam Smith found a hole in midfield and weaved his way through the Worcester defence to score under the posts. Smith has scored a try in every game I’ve seen him start, but this was possibly his most important. A moment of brilliance was needed and he supplied it. NEv added the extras: 15-10 and game on, with a little over 10 minutes to go.

Quins were on the front foot and were soon camped out on Worcester’s try line. A rolling maul and repeated forward efforts didn’t quite breach it, an attempted backs move got driven back and worked forwards again, but Worcester were clearly under pressure. Karl Dickson took a quick tap penalty and was tackled by a player who had clearly not retreated, but all Quins got was a scrum. And another. And another. By this time, Ceri Jones had come on for Matt Mullan and Quins were clearly in the ascendant. Scenting blood, Quins kept calling for scrums and eventually openside Jake Abbott infringed once too often and White saw Yellow. A penalty try followed, and Quins were two points ahead with two minutes to go. Worcester might have snatched a penalty with a strong attack from the restart, but eventually gave one away themselves and Quins secured enough territory to make the win safe.

Should they have done better? Before the match I would have said yes. Afterwards, I am not so sure. Quins’ natural style of play is vulnerable to a team who defend well and control where the game is played, and Worcester had that in spades. And yet the team somehow found not one, but two different ways to breach the opposing tryline and eke out a win. There’s plenty of room for improvement, but this squad – missing about half its number to RWC and injuries – has more weapons than any previous Quins squad I’ve seen, and more consistency and composure in using them. The Mailman has grumbled on Come On You Warriors that "Quins have started the season well, but they have been a mid-table side for much of the last few years. They certainly aren't elite." Well, maybe not, but I am beginning to think that this year they could be.

Report: Worcester Warriors 15-17 Harlequins

Posted by: ComeAllWithin.co.uk (IP Logged)

Date: 25/09/2011 06:51

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