By AlanQuin
November 12 2006

With a second win in successive matches, Harlequins began their climb away from the bottom of the Guinness Premiership table defeating Newcastle Falcons by 3 points to 14 at Kingston Park. 

Against a Falcons side clearly weakened by international calls and the absence of their unfortunate injury-prone icon, Jonny Wilkinson, the result was never really in doubt.  Falcons were a side with paucity of ideas and poor in execution of those ideas which they had. 

A light drizzle had begun shortly before the match and conditions steadily deteriorated through the game as both ground and ball became slippery and difficult.  By the second half it was a steady rain which ended with the game. Despite the conditions Harlequins ran and handled well while the home teams efforts were far more error strewn despite having the strong wind behind them in the first half. Nevertheless it was the Falcons who opened the scoring as Quins strayed offside in the second minute and Matthew Burke kicked the penalty for a 3 – 0 lead. 

The influence of the gusting wind became obvious when Jarvis’ slightly scuffed restart was blown back over his head to give Falcons a scrum while Burke’s long kick for touch when the ball duly came from the scrum found the in-goal area instead of the long touch he sought.  A penalty to Quins when Falcons pulled down the jumper in the air at a lineout saw them gain a lineout well into the Falcons’ half.  A good drive from the throw saw David Strettle in possession and then in pursuit of his own chip and only a desperate fly-hack into the stand from Burke prevented the try 

With only eight minutes gone, Quins ought to have had a first try as fine passing saw them create an overlap on the left and a long miss pass found Monye on the wing for what would have been a good try had the final pass not been rule as forward.  Quins continued to press in attack but good kicking from the young fly-half, Beasley, cleared the danger.   From a line-out on the ten metre line the ball came to David Strettle and once again his chip forward was a potent threat as Rudd, the Falcons’ winger, sought to gather running backwards only to see the ball fall through his arms and bounce from his knee into the path of the Harlequins’ winger who gathered and touched down for the first try.  Jarvis added the points and after thirteen minutes Quins led 3 – 7. 

Now playing with excellent fluidity and regularly crossing the gain line with good driving by Easter and the forwards and by Jordan Turner-Hall,  A fine run by Monye through the centre brought Quins a scrum on the Falcons’ twenty-two metre line.  It also saw an injured Monye limp off with a damaged ankle to be replaced by Mel Deane, after only 15 minutes, with Duffy moving to the wing.   Harlequins continued to press hard with the ball in hand.   A fine reverse pass from Gommersall to Easter almost saw him reach the line but he was forced to recycle the ball which went right to another ruck and then came left from Gommersall to Jarvis and the latter’s flat, short pass found Nick Easter on the charge to score the second try under the posts.  Jarvis had the easiest of conversions for 3 -14 after thirty-two minutes.  That was to be the end of the scoring in the match. 

Falcons had been able to do little by way of attack in the face of the excellent Quins’ defence.  Such attacks as they sought to mount were generally attempts to give the ball to Matthew Tait and hope he could find a way through the Harlequin tacklers.  That he was not able to do, During the few minutes remaining of the half, Tom May on the Falcons right wing, did elude the cover and made a dangerous run down the wing and only a fine try-saving tackle from Duffy snuffed out the danger. 

With the wind behind them in the second half, Harlequins adopted what was a more pragmatic approach, with the good kicking of Mike Brown and Adrian Jarvis to keep their opponents pinned back in their own half and frequently in their own twenty-two.  Easter was running powerfully from the base of the scrum and was always across the gain line.  His excellent grubber kick to the corner kept Falcons pinned back again.  Gomersall also had a fine game, providing good service of the ball and giving his fly half the extra seconds which so matter in attack.

From the start of the half, Falcons began a series of substitutions in an attempt to find some spark which would give them a score.  Their hopes were in vain.  When they did mount an occasional attack they lost the ball by unforced errors, either spilling the ball or passing forward and occasionally were turned over on the floor. 

Quins made some substitutions but those were the result of injury as Strettle, with a tweaked hamstring, was substituted by Care and Spanghero (ankle) by Jim Evans.  Finally, Jordan Turner-Hall having made one too many big hit on his opponents damaged his shoulder and staggered off to be replaced by Andrew Mehrtens.  But now Quins merely played the percentages, running the clock down and keeping Falcons in no position to break out and score.   A second Premiership win was theirs.

After the match, Dean Richards, asked if he was pleased with what he had seen said “I’m pleased with getting the four points but I’m disappointed with the way we played in the second half.”  When it was suggested to him that Quins had played with a typical Dean Richards pragmatic approach in the second half, he replied “If it had been, it would have been a little more clinical. When we got down into their twenty-two, we should have actually finished them off and we didn’t.  Our de fence was very good on the day.  There is still more to come from this team.  But I am pleased with four points.”

Asked about Worcester next Friday, Dean said “It is going to be a big challenge.  They have a big pack.  It is something we are just going to have to contend with.  But I am looking forward to that.  On our home ground on a Friday night ….” And although he left the rest unsaid, he clearly relished the prospect.

This was a good result which certainly left the little valiant band of supporters who made the journey to Newcastle feeling quietly satisfied.

 

NEWCASTLE FALCONS: M Burke; T May, M Tait, M Mayerhofler (rep: J Shaw, 72), J Rudd; G Beasley (rep: L Crichton, 65), J Grindal (rep: L Dickson, 44); J Golding (rep: R Morris, 47), A Long (rep: M Thompson, 55), D Wilson, A Perry, J Oakes (rep: M McCarthy, 41), G Parling, B Woods, B Wilson (rep: C Harris, 55).

NEC HARLEQUINS: M Brown; D Strettle (rep: D Care, 65), G Duffy, J Turner-Hall (rep: A Mehrtens, 80+5), U Monye (rep: M Deane, 32); A Jarvis, A Gomarsall; C Jones, T Fuga (rep: J Richards, 75), M Ross, O Kohn, N Spanghero (rep: J Evans, 75), A Vos, P Volley, N Easter.

Referee: C White.

Attendance: 10004.