By poorfour
December 29 2015

Let’s get the big picture out of the way first. For the third time this season, Quins took less than full points from a game they could have won, despite having given us a lot to enjoy, and a fair amount to feel positive about in the 80 minutes beforehand. We can only hope that this profligacy doesn’t come back to bite us at the business end of the season. 

But despite the frustration of drawing a game that could easily have been won, there are a number of things to feel positive about. Both aspects of the setpiece were solid and reliable, having been shaky for much of the season. Our new recruits look like good acquisitions. This was our 7th try bonus point in a row – and as Conor said back in 2011, he’d far rather tighten up the discipline of a team that’s scoring tries than the other way round. And we are tracking 4th in the table with a 6 point buffer to Saints in 5th. 

There are things to improve, but there is much to celebrate, particularly after last season’s struggles. 

And Twickenham was in celebratory mood yesterday as 70,717 turned up to enjoy the now-traditional post-Christmas game. The official attendance was 70,718, but I see from another thread that Bish was in the crowd with, apparently, no intent to enjoy either the festivities or the game. 

After a couple of tunes from musical guests Rudimental, the fun really began with the inspired decision to cut to the Jolly Hogsters over at the Stoop, who “delivered” the match ball courtesy of a cannon. It was silly, and no doubt involved some sleight of hand somewhere along the way, but was nicely done and set a tone that was continued with one of the better uses of Twickenham’s flame and fireworks equipment. There then followed an inexplicable pause before Quins took the field, playing in black to Gloucester’s, erm, black and white. 

From the kick-off, Quins showed their gameplan early: Matthews and Roberts would be used to carry into heavy traffic before using the subtler runners outside them. However, Gloucester’s defence was up to the task, if a little cavalier about the offside line. 

The first attack of note – and the first score – would go to Gloucester. A recurring theme of the evening would be that Gloucester proved better at staying on Mr Barnes’s good side at the breakdown, and following an offside from Horwill they won a lineout near Quins’ 22, mauled to 5 yards (adeptly stopped by Robshaw tackling the ball carrier) and spun wide. A smart chip through from Hook caught Brown out of position, but fortunately it bounced awkwardly for Twelvetrees, who failed to dot down. 

From the resulting 22, Gloucester hoisted the ball high. Brown claimed it but Sharples ripped it on the way down. The ball bounced forwards off Brown’s hands and was then kicked downfield by Gloucester. Sharples, ahead of the ball, was played onside by a ricochet off a Quins player, and broke to 5 yards, where Jeremy Thrush kicked the ball over the try line and dived on it to score. It was a very odd try, perfectly legal. Laidlaw converted – 0-7. 

Quins applied pressure from the breakdown, Robshaw claiming a loose ball after a period of tennis and Care kicking smartly to the Gloucester 5m line. Although Gloucester cleared their lines, Evans put a neat chip in for Ward to gather, only for Marler to concede a penalty for side entry. He redeemed himself by gathering the overthrown Gloucester lineout that followed, making a break that ultimately led to a penalty. 3-7 with 13 minutes gone. 

From the kickoff, Yarde exploited a dogleg in the Gloucester line to break out of the 22, with Jack Clifford picking a lovely line off George Lowe that took him past the Gloucester 10m. Danny Care kicked through to the corner again and a scuffed clearance under pressure gave Quins a lineout inside the 22 which Charlie Matthews took cleanly. Following a short maul, the ball was popped to Roberts, then take from the ruck by Easter who nearly breached the line and drew in enough defenders that Visser was able to loop a long pass to Yarde in space on the touchline. Evans missed the conversion, but Quins were ahead for the first time 8-7. 

Unfortunately, Horwill immediately gave the advantage back to Gloucester, picking up a loose ball from an offside position. 
And Gloucester were to score again soon after. Yarde, Brown and Visser combined to break upfield but Kvesic took advantage of the rule that the tackler can play the ball from any direction to claim the ball from the Quins side of the ruck, releasing Twelvetrees and Hook to score with what looked suspiciously like a forward pass on replay. 

Quins needed to strike back before half time and it duly came courtesy of a long series of phases in the Gloucester 22 in which most of the team made hard yards inching the ball towards the line. It was begun with a break by Danny Care off a run by Jamie Roberts, and finished, appropriately enough, by Care diving beneath the Gloucester defence to dot down by the posts. Evans converted to make it 15-17 with a couple of minutes remaining in the half. 

Robshaw was pinged a little harshly for side entry as the clock ran down – he hit the ruck from behind the back foot but slid over the top of Sharples, arriving at an angle. However, Poorfour’s Law of Undeserved Penalties applied and Laidlaw missed what would normally be a sitter to end the half. 

The half had been attritional, with Gloucester losing Afoa for Thomas, and Visser being replaced by Chisholm a few minutes later. 

Half time in the stadium was curiously quiet following the failure of Rudimental’s PA system, but on the tv replay BT Sport livened it up with an ad that cheerily declared “Having invented rugby in 1823, Nick Easter has played in every subsequent game. Rugby’s founder and still Quins’ Number 8, we salute you.” 

The attritional theme would continue with Gloucester losing Jonny May to a knee injury sustained kicking shortly after half-time. Quins had sharpened up their breakdown play and forced a turnover that saw Care and then Lowe break to deep in the Gloucester 22 only for a slack pass from Dave Ward to bounce past Clifford’s hands and into an interception try for Henry Trinder. 15-24. 

A scrappy period for both sides ended when Mr Barnes called a very marginal forward pass from Evans to Brown, who had space and Chisholm outside him, but a rare breakdown penalty against Gloucester saw Evans break from quick lineout ball, offload to Care and see Quins hammer the Gloucester line again. Easter drew on his 92 years of playing experience to wriggle through next to the posts. The conversion took Nick Evans ahead of Jonny Wilkinson in the all-time Premiership points list. 

That narrowed the gap to 22-24, but there was more to come. Straight from the kick off, Roberts burst through the Gloucester line, drawing 3 or 4 defenders, and released Brown who timed a neat pass to outfox Twelvetrees and set Chisholm in to score. 29-24. 

From the sublime to the ridiculous. Ward ripped the ball from a Gloucester maul and Care broke upfield, but offloaded into the grateful arms of Trinder who ran in unopposed. 29-29, with Laidlaw hitting the posts and Trinder, sadly, pulling a hamstring at a point when he must surely have put himself on Eddie Jones’s radar. Let’s hope he isn’t out for too long. 
Quins brought on Buchanan and Sinckler, Gloucester Billy Burns. 

It was Brown’s turn to throw a bad pass, taking a clean catch in midfield but finding the touchline rather than Care. Chisholm followed shortly thereafter, trying to break from his own tryline and conceding a penalty when he was caught. Laidlaw converted to take the score to 29-32. 

Moments later, Hook caught Brown out of position and turned him with a kick, but Sharples knocked on before Hook could ground. Gloucester continued to apply pressure, Quins continued to resist, but a clearance kick from Brown that went straight to Rob Cook allowed him to run the ball back through a disorganised defensive line and just hold on to the ball as Roberts and Sinckler dragged him down.

Wallace gave Quins hope from the kickoff, outscrapping Kvesic to force a penalty near the 22. Evans took it cleanly. 32-39, with 10 minutes to go. 

Quins were on the verge of a nice break from Sinckler when Mr Barnes called another forward pass which, again, looked considerably less marginal than Kvesic’s on replay. No matter. Quins won a third scrum penalty and Brown kicked deep into the Gloucester 22. The 100% lineout continued, with Horwill taking and passing to Care to spark a backs move that didn’t quite come off, but quick thinking by Chisholm led to a Quins lineout on the opposite side. 

Another lineout win, a nicely set maul, moving forward 2 yards from the Gloucester line, Hibbard comes in from the side and collapses it. Mr Barnes had the yellow card out of his pocket before you could blink – but why, in that situation, not award the penalty try? If the foul were worthy of a yellow that close to the line, it must have been probable that a try would be scored. 

Quins took another lineout, reset because Mr Barnes didn’t like Charlie Matthews (who had another strong game) being held in the air. A third maul led to a Sinckler break to the line and the ball spinning wide to Chisholm for his second try. After his injury worries, it’s great to see him back and still able to use his pace to score. While Visser is deservedly first choice at the moment, Chis makes a great bench option at 23. Evans converted: 39-39. 

With two minutes left, Quins recovered the ball in midfield courtesy of Nick Easter robustly denying Rob Cook from retaking his own kick, and Nick Evans deftly put it behind Sharples into Gloucester’s corner. 

Dawdidiuk, on just for the lineout, mis-threw, Quins recovered and Nick Evans positioned for the drop goal only to slice it marginally wide. The kick was taken with seconds remaining, so Gloucester were not permitted to kick to touch and end the game. Brown fielded it and broke upfield, followed by Easter and Sinckler with the ball going wide to Wallace but fumbled by Care as he tried to pick up. 

Gloucester took their chances well, and refused to lie down, but ultimately Quins were their own worst enemy, gifting Gloucester two easy tries. We may yet rue the 2 points we left on the pitch, but no more than those we left at Sandy Park and Welford Road.