By Alanquin
November 25 2012

For a second week in succession a match between Bath and Harlequins turned into a kicking duel between two former All Black fly halves.  This week the penalty count allowed Bath the victory by 21 – 18 and Harlequins had to be content with a losing bonus point.

Harlequins started with their usual pace.  Monye attacked and claimed the kick-off as Quins tried to make an early break through.  Bath, however, stood firm and were forced to find touch in their own half.  An attempted catch and drive from the lineout forced Bath to concede a penalty which was taken to another attacking lineout.  Desperate defending kept Harlequins from crossing the line and when another penalty was awarded for offside Evans kicked the penalty goal for the early lead.

Bath looked for and took every opportunity to counter-attack and soon had a kickable penalty but Donald’s kick slid wide.  Once again Monye won the ball at the restart but Bath reclaimed possession soon after and a fine kick into space on their left wing intended for Biggs had to be brilliantly picked up and made safe by Nick Evans.  Bath continued to attack and pressurise the Harlequin defence close to the Quins’ line.  Inevitably a penalty fpr offside followed and Donald made no mistake in levelling the scores after sixteen minutes.

Bath were closing with great line speed and giving Quins little room for attack. They were committing more men to the breakdown and causing turning over of possession, However, both sides stood firm in defence and except for a charge down of Tom Williams’ clearance kick which appeared to have given Banahan opportunity to produce a try for his fellow centre, Rokoduguni, a chance butchered by a poor pass which the latter could not take, neither side looked like scoring except with the boot.

Evans gave Quins the lead with another successful penalty, but a determined Bath attack as the half neared the interval allowed Donald to level the scores when Quins were penalised for offside and go ahead from another penalty for Bath to lead 9 – 6 at the break.

A penalty at a lineout allowed Donald to extend the lead t after five minutes of the second half. Quins’ response was to work their way back into the Bath half and inevitably a penalty opportunity followed.  Unfortunately Evans’ kick curled left of the post as the chance to narrow the lead was lost.

Then as Quins ran the restart back they had another penalty and Karl Dickson tapped and went for the line, handing off one tackle and evading two other before he was stopped a metre short of the line.  Quins had a five metre scrum.  A free kick was awarded and they took another scrum. A penalty to Quins was taken as another scrum but this time Bath successfully wheeled the scrum and regained the ball.  From the Bath scrum which followed they were able to clear as far as their twenty-two and Quins attacked again and an infringement by Bath allowed Evans to reduce the deficit to 12 – 9 after eighteen minutes.

Then a penalty for a late tackle without arms on Evans was awarded where his kick landed and a further successful kick from Evans levelled the scores at 12 – 12 as the game moved into the last quarter.  Donald and Evans exchanged further penalties to take the score to 15 – 15 before another Bath attack almost produced a try as they drove up to and eventually over the try line, but the television match official held that the ball had not been properly grounded.  The referee had been playing an advantage and went back for a penalty to Bath which gave them the lead again and further extended that lead when Quins went offside at a breakdown so that with eight minutes remaining Bath led 21 – 15.

Quins went back on the attack.   Awarded a free kick for incorrect numbers by Bath at a lineout, Easter opted for a scrum and when Bath were penalised Evans duly kicked the points to narrow the gap.  From the restart Harlequins reacted as they usually do carrying and driving through the hard yards into the Bath twenty-two.  But the defence was effective and obdurate eventually robbing Quins of the ball and time ebbed away.