WORLD CLUB SEVENS: Quins Reach Quarter-Final

Harlequins qualified for the knock-out stages of the first World Club Sevens tournament at Twickenham earlier today.  The omens were not good.  Quins were faced in a pool with two strong Southern Hemisphere sides in Auckland and ACT Brumbies and an unknown team from Krasnodar in Russia.  Other English sides were being vanquished by unknown opposition as Saints went down 0 – 30 to Buenos Aires while the J.P.Morgan winners, Gloucester were vanquished by Moscow!

Quins made an inauspicious start against Brumbies as they failed to control the kick off and from a breakdown deep in the Quins’ half the Australians broke down the narrow side for the first try. Barely thirty seconds had elapsed.  Quins now got possession of the ball and during the next two minutes gradually gained territory until Mantella broke through at speed to score and Grimoldby converted to lead 7 – 5.  Then a penalty allowed Brumbies to mount an attack and a knock on provided a scrum from which they scored a try for a 7 – 10 lead at half time.

Early in the second half, as Quins were trying to work their way out of their twenty-two, a wildly thrown pass over the head of the intended recipient fell into unprotected space and gifted the opposition a try to increase their lead to 7 – 17 Quins managed to score in reply when Ward went over under the posts but another Australian score in the final minute sealed the result, Quins losing by 14 – 24.

Harlequins’ second game was against the physical Russian side, Kuban Krasnodar. Quins opened a 14 – 0 lead through tries from Grimoldby and the speedy Jordan Burns but conceded a try on the hooter at half time.  They did so again early in the second half as the Russians produced an excellent team try, retaining possession and gaining territory with accurate passing until the score became inevitable.  But Quins responded with another fast paced effort from Burns and another for Mantella to run out victors by 24 – 19 despite the late consolation score by their opponents. 

To have any chance of competing for the Cup, a win over Auckland was essential.  The New Zealanders had already defeated both Brumbies and Krasnodar and represented formidable opposition. Quins went to work with a will and an immediate break down the right wing allowed Mantella to score in the corner with barely a minute gone. Then good defence produced a turn over as Auckland attacked and Jordan Burn ran virtually the length of the pitch to score under the posts opening a 12 – 0 lead.  Then as the New Zealanders attacked three apparently try-saving tackles were insufficient to prevent them scoring as Quins ran out of defenders.

The second half opened with Quins again on the attack and a break by Charlie Walker almost put Ward in to score but he lost the ball in the tackle a metre short of the line.  A try from Mantella was responded to by another from Auckland to bring the score to 19 – 14. Then a pitch length break from Walker and another fine run from Burns brought victory with the score 31 – 14.

Quins play Gloucester in the Quarter Final.