Harlequins
WELSH FIRE DOUSED: London Welsh 26 - 31 Harlequins
By Alanquin
January 7 2013
Harlequins produced a try bonus point win on their first visit to the Kassam Stadium, defeating London Welsh by 26 – 31 and having to hold off a spirited come-back by the home side in the second half. Despite, too, what Conor O’Shea described as “If not the worst refereeing display I’ve ever seen, you would have to go a long way to see worse.”
Quins started as they usually do y keeping the ball in hand and playing at pace with Lindsay-Hague running the ball back at their opponents and gliding past would be tacklers so that [play was soon centred deep in Welsh territory. An early penalty gave an opportunity for points but Evans kick was hooked outside the posts.
Quins maintained both pace and pressure in attack. A score seemed inevitable and eventually came through a typical break from Danny Care, who evaded two tackles to cross under the posts. Evans added the simple conversion. Quins resumed attack and within five minutes a move down the right saw Lowe put Guest through a gap and following in support, Lowe was there to take the return pass and cross for the try. Evans added the extras.
A yellow card for a Welsh lock for a high tackle on Lindsay-Hague increased the pressure on the home side as Quins continued relentless attack. But the penalty count began to rise against them, not always understandably. Marler was penalised for taking a man out in the air at a lineout when the man clearly had both feet on the ground before the tackle. At a scrum, with the Welsh pack going backwards at a rate of knots and disintegrating, the penalty went against Quins and gave Ross a kick at goal and Welsh their first points.
Quins continued to attack and another try was inevitable. A quick tap penalty from Care which took him across the line was called back despite having apparently been correctly taken. Robshaw was adjudged to have been held up when the penalty was retaken. But, finally, the try came as Robshaw dived over, Evans’ conversion scored off the post.
Welsh managed another penalty kick with the last kick of the half when Easter went offside at a ruck to leave the score at 6 – 21 and Quins looking for the try bonus in the second half.
London Welsh came out for the second half looking to play in a much faster and determined manner and for almost the first time in the match penetrated into the Quins’ twenty-two. Only determined defence and a good turnover allowed the danger to be cleared. Welsh continued to press for the line and gained a penalty that would have provided easy points but chose touch and a five metre lineout. Concerted pressure saw Balding cross but he was held up by Evans who was able to prevent the grounding of the ball. Another penalty was again kicked for an attacking lineout and superb defence held the attackers at bay and a turnover allowed a clearance of the immediate danger.
Two successful penalty kicks for Ross and one for Evans made the score 12 – 24. Welsh won the restart and a fine break by Jewell took play deep into Quins’ twenty-two and with great simplicity and a good dummy their winger, Scott, crossed between the posts for the try. Ross added the easy conversion.
Then Quins found space on the right following a break by Easter and with Dickson finding the ever dangerous Lindsay-Hague, taking the return and then passing to Evans for a simple run in and the bonus point try and an equally simple conversion.
A penalty at a scrum saw Dickson attempt a quick penalty but he was stopped so that the referee could tell the Welsh forwards why the penalty was given. Evans’ kick slid outside the post. Botica came on to replace Evans and almost his first pass was intercepted by a suspiciously offside Welsh forward for a simple try that Ross converted to give Welsh a losing bonus point. The score was 26 – 31.
With eight minutes remaining Welsh were looking for a win and Quins were looking to hang on for victory. Quins held on to the ball for long minutes, working their way into the Welsh half. With pressures on both teams a clash produced yellow cards for George Robson and a Welsh player. Quins continued to press until, with time run out, Welsh kicked to touch.
After the match, the usually calm Conor O’Shea was incandescent with rage at the refereeing of the match “Bafflingly, we were winning but losing the penalty count” he said.
“We focus on our mistakes, and I’ve no problem acknowledging them. We made plenty today,” O’Shea said. “But it’s blooming difficult at times to do that when you witness displays like we had today.”
Asked to which area of the game he was referring in particular, O’Shea said: “Everything. Backing in at the maul, people not running away from the tackle, tackler not releasing, scrums, everything … The offside line was irrelevant in the game today. Lazy runners coming back when you make clean breaks? Irrelevant.”
“Dick Best always said: 'Engage brain before mouth’, and I’ve taken a bit of time to calm myself so I won’t say it was as bad as I’ve seen … but you would have to go a long way to see worse. To be sitting here — after the effort that the boys put in out there — and I want to be talking about Ollie Lindsay-Hague coming in at full-back and dazzling people with his feet — but I’m just massively frustrated. I felt for Cockers last week and it’s probably just a little bit of moral support for him.”
O’Shea added that it was no longer good enough to have part-time officials in a professional game. “To be fair our jobs are on the line every week. It’s a strange position to be able to say: 'Well, they’re not full-time so that’s fine.
We have so much to be excited about and I would prefer to be talking about it. But sometimes you have to say something different.”
London Welsh Arscott; Caprice, Jewell, Parker, Scott; Ross, Lewis (Keats, 51); Montanella, Briggs, Ion (Tideswell, 54), Mills (capt), Kuleman, Jackson, Hills (Bateman, 68), Balding (Corker, 71).
Harlequins Lindsay-Hague; Williams, Lowe, Turner-Hall, Smith; Evans (Botica, 71), Care (Dickson, 57); Marler (Lambert, 59), Gray (Buchanan, 59), Johnston (Collier, 71), Matthews (Twomey, 70), Robson, Guest (Wallace,52), Robshaw (capt), Easter..
Referee Lyr Apgeraint-Roberts (Notts) Attendance 4,653.
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