This was Harlequins’ Big Game however many it is now, but rarely can they have failed to live up to the billing of their Christmas extravaganza as sorely as they did here. Bristol, on the other hand, continue to dazzle in the way their hosts have recently struggled to manage. These two are probably the two in the Premiership most renowned for dazzling. Indeed, they both enjoyed 60-point wins last weekend against lacklustre visitors from the deep south-west of France. But only one side brought it to the big, wide stage of Twickenham.
Much has been made of the way Pat Lam has his players making thousands of passes in training, but he does seem to be on to something. During Bristol’s utterly dominant first 50 minutes, front-five forwards put each other through gaps as if they were Fijians. One of Bristol’s team actually is, but Kalaveti Ravouvou, though brilliant, was no more light of touch than Ellis Genge or Joe Batley and their mates in the boiler room.
We still talk about the Premiership semi-final of 2021, Bristanbul as it is known, so jaw-dropping was the comeback Harlequins summoned from somewhere, 28-0 down after half an hour of unplayable Bristolian genius, yet prevailing in extra-time. It was probably the greatest match in Premiership history, and there were high hopes for this one, but it takes two to tango. Alas, there was only one team in this one.
Quick Guide
Harlequins 14-40 Bristol teams and scorers
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Harlequins David; Cleaves (Isgro 52), Beard, Northmore (Waghorn 52), Murley (capt); Smith, Porter (Friday 65); Hobson (Wenger 65), Walker (Riley 65), Williams (Delgado 54), Petti, Treadwell (Launchbury 65), Carr (Evans ht), Kenningham, Cunningham-South
Yellow card Walker 43
Tries Isgro, Smith Cons Smtih 2
Bristol Rees-Zammit; Boshoff (Heward 65), Van Rensburg, Williams, Ravouvou (Worsley 71); Jordan, Marmion (Randall 61); Genge (Woolmore 52; Genge 59), Oghre (Thacker 52), Chawatama (Kloska 52), Rubiolo, Batley, Owen (B Grondona 57), S Grondona, Harding (capt)
Yellow card Jordan 58, Williams 71
Tries Ravouvou, Batley, Oghre, Rees-Zammit, S Grondona, Genge
Cons Jordan 4, Williams
Referee Anthony Woodthorpe
Bristol had their bonus point by half-time again, but no repeat of that extraordinary playoff. How far away such heroics must seem to Harlequins, how far away the form of the champions they went on to become four years ago.
If the difference between good and great rugby is precision, Bristol were the embodiment of that in the first half. And how Quins were not. Bristol had four visits to the Quins 22 in the first half and scored from each. They scored from their fifth visit too, at the start of the second half to open a 33-0 lead.
Quins were the opposite. They had nearly all the ball in that period and could not score a point, their efforts foundering time and again on a solid Bristol defence and their own loose handling. They spilled passes and balls in the tackle, right, left and centre.
Bristol scored from their first attack, in the eighth minute. A thing of beauty it was too. Genge put Batley through, Tom Jordan sent a fabulous pass out wide, where Ravouvou finished with power and precision. Batley scored himself early in the second quarter, collecting Ravouvou’s offload for Bristol’s second. Their third followed five minutes later, Genge this time putting Gabriel Oghre through a hole to the line. And then it was Ravouvou’s turn again to dazzle with his hands, sending Louis Rees-Zammit, enjoying his first start at full-back, away on the overlap. He chipped Nick David, his opposite number, who didn’t stand a chance, for the bonus-point try.
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Prem roundup: Hendy double helps Northampton overwhelm Sale
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George Hendy (pictured) scored two tries as Northampton produced an impressive display to defeat Sale 47-21 at Franklin’s Gardens. The thumping victory was enough to lift Saints up to second in the table, with just points difference separating them and the new leaders, Exeter, after they ran in seven tries, some of which were spectacular.
Northampton began with tries from Henry Pollock, Hendy and Toby Thame and after Tom O’Flaherty struck for Sale, Kemeny’s sensational individual score put the hosts 26-7 ahead. Hendy scored his second before O’Flaherty and Arron Reed pulled back tries for the Sharks, with George Furbank and Tom Pearson then rounding things off for Saints.
One score stood out for Phil Dowson, Northampton’s director of rugby. He said: “Josh Kemeny’s try had me off my seat, I thought it was exceptional and I think the athleticism Josh has is sometimes underestimated. He is very fast, he is very athletic and I think he has been one of our best signings.”
Geoff Parling was pleased with how his Leicester players kept up the pressure against Gloucester on Friday despite the game being won with something to spare. The Tigers scored seven tries at Welford Road to move level on points with the pre-weekend leaders, Bath, who visit Newcastle tomorrow.
A 20-minute red card for the replacement hooker, Charlie Clare, was their only negative, but there were welcome returns from injury for Ollie Chessum and Jack van Poortvliet in a 45-14 win.
Parling said: “We did plenty of good stuff and worked hard for each other. I’m really pleased to get not just the outcome, but to see lads still kick balls into the corner late in the second half, lads still working for each other. We were still hustling, we were still trying to get more points.”
Scores by James Thompson and Solomone Kata eased Leicester ahead before a penalty try on the stroke of half-time gave them a 19-0 lead. A comfortable night was completed by second-half tries by Tom Whiteley, Tommy Reffell, Billy Searle and Chessum, with Josh Hathaway and Jack Clement scoring for Gloucester.
Gloucester’s director of rugby, George Skivington, said: “I didn’t see that coming. We’ve had a good six weeks and I thought we were in a good spot for it.
Losing a couple of lads [to injury] early definitely wasn’t helpful, but our accuracy was really poor.” PA Media
Matters deteriorated further for the home team. Jack Walker was showed yellow two minutes into second half. While he was away, Santi Grondona finished from the attacking linout that followed.
We had to wait an hour for Quins to score the first of their two tries. Rodrigo Isgro leapt over a ruck between the posts, after a lengthy series of drives at the Bristol line. But that just inspired Genge to his most outrageous trick yet. Gathering the ball about 40 metres out, he galloped down the right touchline and through the despairing David for the most popular try of the afternoon.
Marcus Smith scythed through for Quins’ second in the last 20 minutes. But by then an impressive crowd was beginning to thin out. The flashing lights and pounding music that greeted the score felt somewhat in vain. Quins will not remember Big Game 17 fondly.
