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| Harlequins 24 - Leicester Tigers 20 |
With
the play-offs looming, the 'Friday Night Lights' encounter at The
Stoop was always set to be a “must-win” for the Harlequins
against third placed Leicester Tigers.
Looking
at the team sheet, the first thing that caught my eye was the fact
that Tim Wigglesworth was the referee. On the back of last weekend,
where he ‘awarded’ 5 yellow cards and 2 reds, I was hoping that
his inability to let the game flow was long gone - but were my hopes
in vain? It was time to wait and see.
Leicester
went ahead within the first minute, with Toby Flood kicking a
penalty. The Tigers then had several bullish bursts through the
Harlequins defence and one that gave way to the first try of the
match. A terrifically timed off-load from Jordan Crane to Niki Goneva
enabled Tigers to march ahead – much to the home crowds’ dismay -
as the pass looked forward.
But
this didn't dishearten the hungry Harlequins who showed spontaneity
and sparkle, especially when Mike Brown looped Sam Smith to sprint
into the Tigers 22. The exhilarated crowd became electric and the
intensity of the London side was incredible. And when a penalty was
awarded to the Tigers just short of the try line, the home crowd
chanted, 'We want Barnes! We want Barnes!’ Was this really going
to turn into another pantomime?
That
aside, the Harlequins’ attacking back line looked demonstrably
destructive and the visitors were beginning to look a little less
invincible than initially thought. Quins strove to create
opportunities and Evans provided a grubber kick that enabled Luke
Wallace to follow through and over but Manu Tuilagi made sure his
hand got there first and upheld it. The ensuing scrum saw a penalty
try awarded to Quins, as the Leicester scrum crumpled. Not at all a
popular decision with Tigers and one that kept Ed Slater complaining
to Mr Wigglesworth right up to the half time whistle. Yellow Mr
Wigglesworth?
But
Quins had set out their stall; they were buffeting and burgeoning and
meant business. Their zippy offloads, fancy footwork, crafty
creativity, assured attacking lines and wonderful work rate was in
relentless overdrive.
It
was great to watch and it was set to be a whirl-wind second half if
the first was anything to go by!
HT
13-13
Back
out and the momentum of the game certainly didn’t deteriorate. The
Quins quickly appeared convincingly in control, especially in terms
of possession, and a moment of brilliance from Danny
Care, provided a perfectly placed kick through and was pounced on by
a tackled Mike Brown.
The
question for the TMO was, did Brown ground the ball before Blaine
Scully? Unfortunately not.
Tension
around The Stoop intensified and the “16th Man”
turned up the volume as, 'Come on you Quins!' echoed around the
ground. Then the crowd became further frustrated by a contentious
quick tap and go by Ben Youngs, which set Jamie Gibson up for a
virtually uncontested Tigers’ try in the corner, all initiated by a
magnificent concerted charge from Manu Tuilagi into the Quins’ 22.
An earlier infringement meant that a tap and go wasn’t in order,
but the try was allowed and the score became 16 - 20 with a quarter
to go.
But
the excitement didn’t end there - then came the 'TMO Show,' and no
game would have been complete without Mr Wigglesworth delving into
his pocket. But he dealt with the fracas appropriately as a late
spear-tackle from Leicester’s Pablo Matera on Dave Ward saw him
sin binned and George Robson's reckless retaliation also saw the
crowd saying 'cheerio' with 12 minutes to go.
Leicester's
defence remained resilient in the circumstances but there was no
doubt in my mind, Quins were edging closer to the line and it was Ben
Botica who instigated a great try which was secured in spectacular
style by none other than England’s extraordinary international,
Mike Brown. This time no TMO was needed. The Harlequins had scored
- and The Stoop erupted!
Moments
later, further adding to the crowds’ elation, Julian Salvi was sin
binned, with six minutes to go.
Quins
looked unstoppable. And they were!
The
Harlequins’ fans counted down the clock and the game was done and
dusted.
Man
of the Match was awarded to international scrum-half Danny Care,
whose tempo and charisma dictated much of Harlequins’ play and as
for the broad smile on his face afterwards - well it lit up the
pitch!
The
“16th Man” definitely made his voice heard
and Connor O'Shea agreed:-
'I've
never heard The Stoop like that,” he said, “It was absolutely
rocking. We dominated that second half. I thought we created a huge
amount. I love seeing my team play like that.'
FT
24-20
Quins
energy, tenacity, teamwork and perseverance was tremendous – they
were feisty and their positivity and pro-activeness shone through.
Tigers
in contrast, lacked creativity and flair – and despite their
formidable defence, they were lumbering and sometimes blundering, a
lot of the time reacting as Harlequins set the pace and tone.
A
positively pulsating match that boosts Quins’ hopes of making the
top four.
For
Tigers, a losing bonus point that could still be crucial.
And
the question on everyone's minds - who will be playing the
semi-finals on home turf?