by Harlequins 32 Gloucester 26
It’s the season of feasts and spectacles and Harlequins, in front of a near packed Twickenham, rose to the occasion, running in five tries to win with a bonus point that takes them back to the top of the Premier League’s top four. He criticized Gloucester for their worst losing streak in the English professional top flight.
George Skivington’s side must travel to Bath next weekend looking for a western derby win to avoid their worst Premier League streak ever. Gloucester managed to grab two bonus points, with a late Jonny May score and penalty try setting the stage for a tense finish in a game dominated by Harlequins, but a turnover from Jackal king Will Evans earned the hosts victory .
This was the 15th edition of the ‘Big Game’ at the home of rugby England – with the women’s match earlier in the day ending in victory for the hosts – Marcus Smith continued the kind of form that will keep him firmly in Steve’s thoughts. Borthwick.
Also in the No 8 battle, Alex Dombrandt had the advantage against another England wannabe, Zach Mercer. In one of the most intense moments of the first half, the Harlequin went right past Mercer as he collected Danny Care’s admirable chip, trying to score the hosts’ third try. Mercer had bright, agile moments but Dombrandt had his number on Saturday.
However, it would be unfortunate for the England head coach if Joe Marler wanted to continue his international career until 2024 and possibly beyond. The loosehead left the field before half-time with an elbow injury. Borthwick names his Six Nations squad in less than a month; as will fellow Italian Gonzalo Quesada, who will have seen a rejuvenated Dino Lamb go off with a similar hand injury after scoring Quins’ fourth try.
Considering the terrible conditions – the torrential rain didn’t stop until half-time – both sides did their best to match the show which claims an attendance of over 75,000.
Harlequins arrived looking to avoid falling into such a rut, having lost three of their last five games in all competitions. The hosts’ start showed they were in no mood to enter the New Year slump, with Smith notching a sumptuous 50:22, a feat he repeated gracefully in the second half.
Moments later, despite the downpour, Evans took a quick penalty on the edge of the Gloucester 22. The visitors were caught scrambling and when Danny Care came up in midfield, Harlequins smelled blood. André Esterhuizen was fed by the super-investigator, who allowed his pass to Nick David on the wing to go straight through the flow of the visitors, scampering over to score the first of two tries in the corner.
Gloucester immediately hit back – in some style. A grim Ruan Ackermann slid down the touchline for Welsh cheetah Louis Rees-Zammit to chase down. The wing gathered, unloaded inside his blindside flanker, who managed to free his arms and send Adam Hastings into the corner. The touchline conversion of the flight came with the greatness of the trial.
The visitors’ dominance would not last long. Smith sniffed a hint of a gap on the short side and left Ackermann for dead, aided by a cute – and possibly illegal – decoy angle from Esterhuizen. When Gloucester’s line was broken by half-back, Santiago Carreras’ pull left David with the simplest of finishes.
With Dombrandt looking Mercer a little silly and Oscar Beard over-tackling a try from Carreras, Harlequins went into the interval with an eight-point lead, but having scored three tries to Gloucester’s. Despite managing the game majestically, Smith missed all three conversions in the first half.
Smith was at it again after the oranges at half-time. A skip around the post and a delightful delayed pass put Esterhuizen in a pocket of space. The center fed Dombrandt, who offloaded the tackle to Lamb, with the Italy international beating Carreras to score. It was a shame that it was Uain’s last act; it’s a shame, too, that Esterhuizen’s pass was a meter forward. The effort was a great success, however, and Smith finally converted to give Harlequins a cushion.
When George McGuigan stepped back and reduced the deficit for Gloucester, it capped off a busy afternoon for the hurler. But the visitors’ goal would not last. Esterhuizen jammed Hastings from a first-rate carry, Irné Herbst flew around the corner with the ferocity of a fighter jet, and Care dummied and waltzed over without a care in the world. From a line-out just inside the 22 to a score under the sticks in three steps and what felt like three seconds. Lions preying on sheep.
When David and Esterhuizen combined for a huge saving tackle on Ollie Thorley, it felt like it wasn’t going to be Gloucester’s night. They didn’t have their year either. Smith’s unbeaten goal – despite a late rally from the visitors – ensured Harlequins’ ecstasy and Gloucester’s misery continued.
