NORMAL SERVICE RESUMED; Worcester 13 - 37 Harlequins

There was a pleasant sense of déjà vu about this match as Harlequins mounted a splendid display of fast, running rugby that left Worcester Warriors floundering and having to engage in desperate defence, a desperation that led to three yellow cards as Quins romped to a bonus point victory 13 – 37.

When Harlequins play like this, with pace, ambition and invention, even good sides find it hard to deal with.  That was what made them champions. That was what had been absent towards the end of last season and in earlier games of the present term. An early penalty kicked by Mieres gave Warriors a brief lead for the only time in the match.  But then Quins turned on the pressure and a penalty allowed Evans to equalise.

With Quins on the attack, moving the ball through the hands, offloading out of the tackle and before it, they were soon camped on the Worcester line where the flanker, Abbott, killed the ball and was shown a yellow card.   Nick Evans, kicking immaculately, put Quins into the lead after twenty-one minutes, a lead that vanished five minutes later when another successful kick from Mieres levelled the score.

But sooner, rather than later, the tries would flow.  So they did in a period of ten minutes remaining in the first half and the first ten minutes of the second. First Robshaw took the ball from Buchanan, gained three or four metres and offloaded out of the tackle to Danny Care who ran in from forty metres to score under the posts. Evans added the extras.

Quins immediately resumed the attack.  A penalty produced an attacking lineout five metres from the Worcester line. Another penalty at the lineout brought another yellow card for Worcester as this time they lost their hooker, Shervington, to the sin-bin. another attacking lineout followed by a maul saw Joe Marler peel off to score the second try.  Evans converted from the touchline.  Quins led 6 – 20 at the interval.

Quins started the second half as they had finished the first half and were immediately on the attack deep in the Warriors’ twenty-two, Quick ball at a breakdown came from Care to Brown and instantly to Buchanan who had only to take a couple of steps and flop over the line in the corner.  Evans, kicking superbly, converted from the touchline. 6 – 27in the thiers minute of the half.

Worcester had no sooner been restored to full muster, when they were again reduced to fourteen men as they were penalised for a shoulder charge by Matavesi on Robshaw.  Another good touch from the penalty kick exerted pressure on the Worcester line and Mike Brown forced his way across for Quins’ fourth and bonus point try aand again Evans converted from wide out.

With the game won, the replacements entered the fray on both sides. Eventually restored to full strength Warriors began to attack more effectively as they gained a greater degree of possession of the ball.  A yellow card for Lamber reduced Quins to fourteen and the Warriors were able to maul across the Quins’ line only for their skipper, Thomas, to have his hand dislodged from the ball by George Merrick so that he dropped the ball over the line.  However, the referee was playing a penalty advantage against Quins and another penalty saw him under the posts for a penalty try.

Quins now were merely waiting for the final whistle so when a penalty was awarded to them with two minutes remaining Bottica kicked the points to end the wcoring at 13 – 37.

After the match Conor O’Shea was fulsome in praise of his players, "I love watching them play rugby when they play like that, and anyone who doesn't shouldn't be watching rugby. We put a marker down tonight. I was really pleased with the way we played, the way we went about things. Worcester won six out of seven games here under lights last season. It is not an easy place to come."

Dean Ryan, the Worcester Director of Rugby was rueful, "Let's not try to dress it up, we were well beaten within 50 minutes. We can't cope with that intensity. We didn't have an answer to their off-loading game, and when you are under that much stress, something is going to give. We went down to 14 men, and it just gets harder and harder.

"In the second half we showed an awful lot of courage and worked really hard to try to stay in the game, but we were second tonight by some distance. "That was a top of the table side that found some form tonight. It was as sharp as I have seen them for a while."

Worcester: C Pennell; J Drauninui (J Clarke 45), R Fatiaki, J Matavesi, D Lemi; I Mieres, P Hodgson (J Su’a 69); J Becasseau (P Andrew 51), E Shervington, J Andress (E Murray 45), M Williams, D Schofield (C Jones 49), S Betty (N Seymour 38-45), J Abbott (S Taulava 45), J Thomas (capt).

Harlequins: M Brown; T Williams, G Lowe, T Casson (B Botica 48), U Monye; N Evans (S Smith 73), D Care (K Dickson 52); J Marler (M Lambert 45), R Buchanan (D Ward 61), W Collier (K Sinckler 63), N Easter, G Robson (G Merrick 48), M Fa’asavalu, C Robshaw (capt), T Guest (L Wallace 63).

Referee: W Barnes (London).            Attendance: 7669