Sale started as nine to one on with some bookmakers and after the opening exchanges they seemed generous odds. When Chris Jones scored a converted try after just eight minutes, the vast majority of Quins supporters would have been thinking ‘here we go again’. 

Whatever your view on the team, there is no doubting their commitment to the coaching staff and their team mates. They dug in. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t for the purists, but despite not having ball in hand in the Sale 22 for the first half hour the score remained 7-0. 

Led by a very savvy performance from Captain Will Skinner the forwards worked the referee in a manner usually reserved for the opposition. A penalty count of 9-5 in the first half and 12-10 overall was a significant improvement. 

How sweet to hear the laments from the Sharks at the end about the ‘unfair’ treatment of their loose head Andy Sheridan. Two of those penalties were converted by Jarvis just before half time and when Hodgson missed the chance to reply, the half ended with Quins trailing by a solitary point.

Talk of Sheridan makes reference to Mike Ross inevitable. Once again the forgotten prop of Irish rugby gave another outstanding display. Ireland’s loss is Quins’ gain, but how can they leave him out? Amazing.

Before the game the coaching staff had implored the backs to ‘have a go’. If the opportunity is there go for it. When Jarvis attempted a counter in the shadow of his own goalposts in the opening minutes and threw an errant pass which ultimately ended in disaster (Jones scored following the lineout), it seemed at face value that the advice had been too keenly heeded. However, after the initial shock of such a bold move, the fact remains that there was an overlap to exploit.

Much has been written about the stand off position at Harlequins and the quality of the players available. The first four things he did were truly awful, including that pass, but AJ deserves a lot of credit for pulling himself together and giving a solid performance for the last hour. 

Sale, I was told, are a second half team. When it started as badly as the first, the writing looked on the wall once again. After a Hodgson penalty, a bad kick and chase and some poor individual tackling allowed Cueto to run 50 yards to set up the move that put Ripol in at the corner. When Hodgson nailed the kick from the touchline the feeding frenzy looked on.

Once again the Quins showed great resolve and having slowed down the Sharks’ momentum it was they who scored next when Tani Fuga crashed over. It seem like an eternity (no screen at Edgeley Park either!) before the try was awarded, but when AJ added the extras it was game on.

Nobody summed up the spirit on display better than man of the match Tom Guest. Despite having to leave the field with a scratch on his right eye after 30 minutes – after the game he looked like he had just lost a boxing match – he returned in the second half to come close to providing a shock result with some very intelligent running, despite the obvious pain he had to be in.

Like the same fixture last year, a comeback victory looked on. After a brief attempt to score the two tries they needed to gain a bonus point, it was Sale running down the clock at the end with a succession of drive and mauls. Frustrated, Quins gave up the final infringement of the evening and Hodgson used all the time remaining to slot the kick through the uprights. However, it wasn’t enough to deny Quins the losing bonus point – something surely even the most optimistic Harlequin would have taken before the game. 

OK, it wasn’t fluid, the game was littered with handling errors and Sale were clearly not at their best, but Harlequins players deserve a huge amount of credit for dogging it out and having a chance to win at the end.

When you look down the team sheet it is such a young team, with their best rugby potentially in front of them. On this showing, it would only take a few inspirational players to take the team to the next level. Why Quins management chose to have such a wasted season, when this nucleus of young talent is available, is a question for another day. 

After the game Dean Richards praised the “huge amount of endeavour and spirit” displayed by his team. “It’s always been my goal to improve on where we finished last year. I still think we are on course (to do that). With an average age of 24 you are looking at a side which is going to gain in experience. I think they are maturing all the time. Yes I think recruitment is going to be key going into next season, we are going to have to bring in more experience but at the same time the core of the squad is exciting.” 

Having been around Dean from time to time since he first arrived at Quins, there is no doubt in my mind that this season is “getting” to him, despite what he says and all his bluster. His body language and demeanour are very different from the days in ND1. Hopefully a few wins will have a “soothing” influence! 

Sale Sharks:
15 Cueto, 14 Lamont, 13 McAlister, 12 Thomas, 11 Ripol, 10 Hodgson, 9 Wigglesworth, 1 Sheridan, 2 Bruno, 3 Turner, 4 Jones, 5 Schofield, 6, White, 7, Lund, 8 Chabal.
Replacements: 16 Briggs (for Bruno 87 mins), 17 Roberts, 18 Cox (for White 65 mins), 19 Bonner Evans (for Jones 87 mins), 20 Martens, 21 Bell, 22 Mayor (for Ripol 58 mins) 

Harlequins:
15 brown, 14 Strettle, 13 Luscombe, 12 Masson, 11 Williams, 10 Jarvis, 9 Care, 1 Jones, 2 Botha, 3 Ross, 4 Percival, 5 Spanghero, 6 Guest, 7 Skinner, 8 Hala’Ufia.
Replacements: 16 Fuga (for Botha 22 mins), 17 Brooks (for Hala’Ufia 80 mins), 18 Robson (for Spanghero 80 mins), 19 Volley (for Guest 33 mins until halftime), 20 Gomarsall, 21 Barry, 22 Monye (for Williams 53 mins).

Attendance: 10,216

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