Season’s Beatings! Quins 47-23 London Welsh
By JTD
December 28 2005
Season’s Beatings! A late Christmas present of a bonus point for London Welsh as Quins make hard work of local derby. I always viewed this game as a potential banana skin. 13th game of the season, Welsh coming into form etc, etc.
As the teams ran on to the pitch to the usual Quin the Eskimo anthem, the crowd were, I thought, surprisingly quiet. It seemed like an age since the carnival atmosphere of the Pirates match. London Welsh were the visitors today and for a spot of gamesmanship they made us wait for them.
London Welsh kicked off into the Quins half. Quins defend early pressure and clear from a scrum on our 22 in front of the posts. The pressure is now by Quins who clear the ball up field to find touch after a quick tap penalty. Quins win the line out and push for the line. But concede a penalty and London Welsh clear up to the half way line.
Quins attack from a scrum and Tom Williams scores a superb try between the posts on 11minutes. Andrew Mehrtens adds the conversion 7-0 Quins.
There is a period of Welsh pressure in the Quins half. Welsh are putting some play together and are awarded a penalty. They decide to kick for goal from a central position…..penalty missed on 13mins.
Both sides look to make a breakthrough and after some scrappy play by both sides Welsh are awarded another penalty. This time the kick was good and its 7-3 after 15mins. London Welsh are applying pressure when they can but after soaking it up and defending well Quins break away well and George Harder dives over in the North East corner after some great work down the wing. Mehrts adds the conversion to make it 14-3 after 18minutes played.
London Welsh still continue to press well and are making good progress with a nice chip through to find touch 5metres from the Quins line. Quins win the Line out and clear their lines. Great play by Mehrts after a scrum! Ball passed down the line. Gavin Duffy breaks away but fumbles the pass to him. A chip and chase by Tom Williams is followed by some aerial ping pong on the 10m line resulting in a scrum in front of the posts. A 10m line out is won by Quins and a TOB follows. The ball comes out to Mehrts who passes down the line again to Duffy but he is put into touch.
DRAMA!!!! After the line out there seems to be some handbags…can’t quite see who is involved…Whoooa…now EVERYONE seems to be involved!!! After the storm Mr Lander Sin Bins the Welsh No3. People around me are saying that Tani was involved and he should have gone too??? ‘The Birds’ were camped out on the Quins half of the pitch. Mad Max requested for Alfred Hitchcock to go to the control room. A joke missed by many in the seemingly subdued crowd.
Good pressure by Quins sees George Harder drive over but the ball is held up. More good play after the scrum sees Nick Easter score out wide. AM converts. 21-3 with 35mins gone.
Immediate pressure from the kick off by Quins and Simon Keogh is on the score sheet with a great try. AM converts yet again 28-3 to Quins with a couple of minutes to go in the first half, bonus point secured. Keogh is put through again and should have scored but fumbles the ball. Welsh now apply the pressure but Quins break the momentum with some good defending. Quins break away but play is pulled up. The momentum is still with Quins and Luke sheriff scores a well worked try but AM misses the conversion to leave it 33-3 at the break.
Which Quins will turn up for the 2nd half???
London Welsh come out for the 2nd half but this time they are left waiting in the cold. Quins make one change with Kevin Burke on for Jim Evans.
Quins kick off and defend the central area of the field but Welsh are pressing well. Quins lose the ball after a scrum and are punished by more pressure from London Welsh as their Scrum Half goes over the line for a well deserved try. The conversion is missed. Quins don’t seem to be awake yet after the break and are further punished by another London welsh try (insert scorer please) 33-13 after 9mins of 2nd half. Dreadful conversion attempt by London Welsh.
Quins now start to wake up! With a great break, cross chip and oooohhh, unlucky not to score. Welsh clear their lines. Good pressure by Quins after winning the line out and Tom Williams scores again, AM converts sublimely. 40-13 with 15 mins played.
Many sides this season have rolled over at this points but not London Welsh. To their credit they came back stronger and soaked up what seemed like one way traffic! George Harder is through after a cross field ball but just put off by the covering defender at the try line.
Mass replacements mid-way through the 2nd half with 5 players coming off for Quins (Fuga, Vos, Vass, Mehrtens and Masson to be replaced by Hayter, robshaw, So'oialo, Jarvis and Deane).
This proved to be a pivotal moment but not the way any Quins fan thought it was going to be.
Welsh apply the pressure after play resumes and after a bad mistake, the London Welsh full back is clean through with ¾ of the pitch still to run…He duly scores but the conversion attempt is bad again…Woeful in fact! 40-18 on 23 mins.
London Welsh are in confident mood now and this game is far from over!!! Quins are defending in their own half and can’t seem to get out of it. Penalty to Welsh kicked for touch. Welsh win line out and the resulting maul sees a drive over in the North West corner. The Welsh kicker continues his kicking nightmare and the score is 40-22 with 10 minutes or so to play. The Quins fans are getting restless!!
Welsh STILL haven’t given up and Quins are defending their own 22 for what seem like an eternity. Perhaps the mass replacements weren’t such a good idea as the team seems to have gone off balance!? Lorne Ward comes on for Quins, much to the dismay of the Welsh fans around me who are jovially shouting ‘traitor’ at him. Welsh are still applying pressure in the Quins half and seem to be going very well after some ‘jazz refereeing’ by our friend Mr Lander hands them the initiative.
Quins defend well and to their credit break away and through the gain line with some great running rugby with Gavin Duffy finish off the move with a well deserved try at the death. Jarvis puts the conversion away with the last kick of the game.
Final score: Quins 47. London Welsh 23
Quins were on the back foot for quite a long time in the second half which Welsh won very well. On the whole Quins deserved the win for their excellent 1st half performance but my word did we have to work hard in the 2nd!!! If the London Welsh kicker had not had such a bad game they probably would have ended up with 2 bonus points. Another 5 point haul for Quins. 13 games now unbeaten with Pertemps Bees to come to the Stoop next week. Some basics need ironing out on the training pitch. The Scrum seemed to be stuttering a little and we even lost some of our own line out ball. Maybe the scare in the 2nd half of the match will have given a few players a reality check. We ain’t won this league yet!!!
NEC Harlequins
Ceri Jones, Tani Fuga, Ricky Nebbett, Jim Evans, Simon Miall, Andre Vos, Luke Sherriff, Nick Easter, Ian Vass, Andrew Mehrtens, Simon Keogh, Tajiv Masson, Gavin Duffy, George Harder, Tom Williams.
Replacements: James Hayter, Lorne Ward, Kevin Burke, Christopher Robshaw, Steve So’oialo, Adrian Jarvis, Mel Deane
Scorers: Tries: Luke Sherriff, Nick Easter, Simon Keogh, Gavin Duffy, George Harder, Tom Williams (2). Conversions: Andrew Mehrtens (5), Adrian Jarvis
London Welsh
Scorers: Tries: Allen Chilten, John Swords, Gareth Swales, Colm Hannon. Penalty: L Cholewa