By Jason Harris
November 14 2004

NEC Harlequins broke their Zurich Premiership duck in emphatic fashion, disposing of a dire Saracens 40-10 at the Stoop last Friday night. Quins sailed into the record books for the fastest ever try scoring bonus point when prop Mike Worsley crossed for try number four afer just 13 minutes. The writing was on the wall as early as 16 seconds in when Glen Jackson and Dan Harris made a meal of a midfield switch inside their own 22. As the ball hit the deck, Quins centre Mel Deane pounced and took Quins into the lead with the opening try of the night which was converted by Jeremy Staunton.

Staunton obliged with two more conversions in the opening ten minutes after fullback Tom Williams and outstanding flanker Nick Easter crossed for tries number two and three. By the time Worsley had sealed the bonus point just four minutes later, the Saracens faces looked as white as their kit and the game was already over, even though Stanton failed to goal his prop's charge into the right hand corner. 26-0 Quins, 14 minutes gone. The fat lady was already warming up.

As Sarries fumbled and floundered their way around under the floodlights, Quins pressed hard in defence and denied the visitors little if any forward momentum. Despite hard work from Simon Raiwalui and Dan Harris, Saracens were very one dimensional under the stewardship of new recruit Glen Jackson and played into the hands of the well-organised home rearguard.

Nick Easter got his second and Quins' fifth try on 27 minutes and, at 33-0, the assembled hacks at the back of the west stand were thumbing the record books to see whether the Quins performance would worry the statisticians further. As it was, the score remained the same until the break. Quins had the five points in the bag and all that remained for Sarries was to cross the line and avoid the final indignation of a shut-out.

The second half didn't start well for the visitors. Quins lock Roy Winters was awarded a try in the left corner after his charge down of a Mosese Rauluni clearance sat up nicely for him, only for the ball to be dropped on his way over the line. Referee Ashley Rowden and his touch judge were in agreement that the ball was grounded correctly, however, and the five points were awarded. Staunton stepped up to boot an excellent touchline conversion and - surprisingly - end Quins' scoring for the evening.

Sarries finally woke up in the second half after a flurry of substitutions. New half back pairing Morgan Williams and Mark Bartholomeusz started to put some forward momentum into the Sarries game and they were rewarded on 53 minutes with a Taine Randell try. But, try as they might, Saracens were kept at bay with ease, even when they pressured Quins into a series of five metre scrummages. The Quins pack managed to disintegrate or wheel the scrum just enough to disrupt Sarries and not quite enough to make Rowden head for the posts to award a penalty try. Cute stuff.

By the time Paul Bailey rounded off Sarries best - some will say only - move of the evening a minute from time, Quins were celebrating that elusive first victory and savouring a performance that few sides in the league could could have lived with. After several narrow defeats in recent weeks, Quins were threatening to put in a big performance and even though the opposition was poor, they certainly did just that and in doing so lifted themselves off the foot of the table.

Sarries, meanwhile, have a week to regroup before the visit of a Gloucester team sore after a home defeat to champions Wasps. And if a fired-up Glaws side is not a big enough task for Rod Kafer's embattled troops, the following weekend's match that rounds off the first half of the league season is renowned as the toughest of them all: Leicester at Welford Road.

SCORERS: Harlequins: Tries: Deane (1 min), Easter (7, 27), Williams (10), Worsley (14), Winters (45). Conversions: Staunton 5. Saracens: Tries: Randell (53), Bailey (80).

SCORING SEQUENCE (Harlequins first): 7-0, 14-0, 21-0, 26-0, 33-0 (half-time), 40-0, 40-5, 40-10.

HARLEQUINS: T Williams (rep: G Duffy 47min); G Harder (rep: U Monye 53), D James, M Deane, S Keogh; J Staunton (rep: A Dunne 69), S So’oialo; M Worsley, T Fuga (rep: J Hayter 53), C Jones, R Winters, S Miall (rep: S Maling 66), N Easter, A Vos (capt), T Diprose (rep: L Sherriff 66).

SARACENS: R Kydd; R Haughton, B Johnston, D Harris, T Vaikona; G Jackson (rep: M Bartholomeusz 47), M Rauluni (rep: M Williams 47); N Lloyd, R Ibañez (rep: M Cairns 63), B Broster (rep: C Visagie 27), I Fullarton, S Raiwalui, T Randell (capt), D Seymour (rep: A Sanderson 7-14, 40), K Chesney (rep: B Skirving 49; rep: P Bailey 74).

Referee: A Rowden.