Drawn Game Leaves Quins Disappointed

(Robshew)
By AlanQuin
April 11 2004

This was a game which Quins could and should have won. With only injury time left, Simon Keogh’s excellent try and Andy Dunne’s conversion should have ensured that an important win was secured against London Irish at the Madejski Stadium.

Instead the boot of Barry Everitt with his fifth penalty of the match, awarded three minutes into stoppage time secured a draw for the Exiles at 15 – 15. 

Quins supporters certainly experienced concern from the immediate news that Paul Burke (food poisoning) and George Harder (training injury to knee) would not be able to play.  Later events would have justified their fears.   Some consolation was to be had from the return of Will Greenwood and Pat Sanderson from England duties.

Almost before the teams had settled to their tasks and immediately after the first scrum, awarded to Quins on the Irish ten metre line, the Exiles lost both their props.  Hardwick was seen to be unconscious on the ground while Hately was limping.  Both had to be replaced by Wheatley and Flavin respectively after only three minutes play.

Quins began to apply pressure and a good attack developed from a fine kick from Dunne deep into the Irish twenty-two.  But Irish responded and following a series of pick and drive moves were awarded a penalty 30 metres out which Everitt kicked successfully to open the scoring after 12 minutes.

From the gathered restart, Everitt’s long kick deep into Quins half was fielded by Duffy and returned with interest in Irish territory near the corner.  Again Quins applied pressure and were awarded a penalty.  Greenwood’s attempt to 6take it quickly was called back as he seemed to have broken clear.  Instead, Dunne kicked successfully and the scores were level after 16 minutes.

The next Irish attack foundered on a forward pass and another, more dangerous because there was a three man overlap on the left was foiled by an interception attempt by Ugo Monye which resulted in a scrum.  From that,  the No.8, Murphy made a bullocking run from the base of the scrum which took him deep into the Quins twenty-two and gaining a penalty for offside just fifteen metres in front of the posts.  Everitt added the resulting points.

Mistakes were the order of the day on both sides.  Knock-ons and ball spills abounded, as did accidental offside as players ran into others from their own team.  Despite this Quins again turned up the pressure.  From an Irish scrum Vos stole the ball with great speed and anticipation, causing the Irish to concede a penalty on the Quins’ ten metre line.  Then a kick through the oncoming defence found a good touch but the lineout was lost and Irish returned to the attack.  Good defence held fir, turned over the ball and found a good touch.

The game ebbed and flowed, but without real penetration.  The fear and mutual respect that each team had for the two very fast men, Quins’ Monye and Irish’s Sackey, was obvious in the way each marked the other and was well supported in doing so.  When Monye, all too rarely, received the ball in space, he found himself the target of three tacklers, including Sackey.

With half-time looming, a penalty allowed Dunne to kick deep into Exile territory.  The resulting lineout was well taken, but the maul did not reach the line.  The ball came right towards the centre and the short pass to Fuga, running in with the line at his mercy, was knocked on.  Shortly after, Monye was in space with a single defender to beat and the ball did not go to him.  Quins could ill afford such profligacy.

Another Everitt penalty sent the teams in at the interval with Irish 9 – 3 in the lead.

The second half started with an emphatic Quins’ attack.  A good kick from Dunne found touch deep in the Irish twenty-two. From the lineout, concerted pressure on the Irish line resulted finally in a penalty only five metres from the try line.  Quins took a scrum and a good shove took it steadily towards the Irish line where Ben Willis was able to pick up and dive over for the score.  Dunne’s conversion miss, with two missed penalties later, was to cost Quins dear.  Irish still led 9 – 8.

Quins now tried to build on their success and Diprose won Irish ball at a line-out and a maul rolled over the half-way line until Irish infringed.  Dunne attempted the penalty kick at goal from 45 metres but the ball struck the right hand upright and bounced away.  Five minutes later another penalty for offside on the Irish 10 metre line crept past the outside of the left post.  One suspects that Paul Burke would not have missed those two chances.  Kicking apart, however, Dunne had a good game with one superb try-saving tackle virtually on the Quins’ try line.

Irish now redoubled their efforts and eventually managed to send Sackey away down the right wing.  Only a determined effort by Monye and Dunne bundled him into touch at the corner flag.  Fortunately at the line-out Irish infringed and the resultant free kick allowed Quins to clear the danger. Monye’s defensive tackling was excellent and Sackey was caught more than once and took to moving infield in an attempt to avoid the Quins’ winger.

Now concerted Irish won them a five metre scrum. But now further problems struck the Irish front row.  Drotske, the hooker, aggravated a calf muscle strain and had to be replaced.  From then on all scrums were uncontested.  This clearly was more beneficial to Irish since the scrum had been less than steady for them until then.  They gained another penalty close in front of the posts leaving Everitt the barest formality of putting boot to ball to make the score 12 – 8.

The substitutions which began to take place on both sides did little to change the nature of the game.  Good defence on both sides, knock-ons and handling errors produced a largely inconclusive pattern of play.  Irish pressure slackened more than once as they knocked on in the tackle.

Then as the clock showed 79 minutes a good pass from Dunne found Sanderson who made a fine break downfield.  His long miss pass off his left hand found Keogh in space and the winger easily rounded the despairing Bishop to score.  Dunne’s kick added the two points and Quins led for the first time in the match 12 – 15.

There was clearly going to be a lot of injury time as there had been numerous stoppages for treatment of players on both sides.  Irish pressed and almost inevitably were awarded a penalty for offside only some 28 metres out and 5 metres from the side line.  Everitt with his fifth successful penalty kick brought the scores level. 

Quins pressed from the restart and good rolling maul gave Dunne a chance of a long drop goal to win, but the kick dropped short and the match was drawn. Both teams were clearly both disappointed and frustrated.  At least they had not lost.

At the press conference after the game Gary Gold, the Irish coach, praised his team for their courage in facing up to Quins with both props having to leave the field after such a short time     “After losing two props the courage the team showed to keep on fighting was remarkable. That is something you cannot coach” he said.  They had targeted the scrums but that had not been possible after the loss of the two men. “We made too many basic errors because of the amount of ball turned over and I cannot accept that. I really wanted to come away with a win, but I will take anything that I can at the moment."

Mark Evans too was disappointed clearly believing t hat it was a game Quins ought to have won.  He praised Sanderson for the pass to Keogh and Dunne for the try saving tackle but pointed to the three missed kicks just as Quins seemed to be about to take control of the game.  “It is not good to come away with a draw” he said.

LONDON IRISH: M Horak; P Sackey, G Appleford, N Mordt, J Bishop; B Everitt, D Edwards; N Hatley (rep: A Flavin, 5), A Drotske (rep: K Roche, 63), R Hardwick (rep: D Wheatley, 5), R Strudwick, R Casey, D Danaher, K Dawson (rep: P Gustard, 70), P Murphy.

HARLEQUINS: G Duffy; S Keogh, W Greenwood, M Deane, U Monye (rep: R Jewell, 68); A Dunne, B Willis; M Worsley, T Fuga, J Dawson (rep: C Jones, 63), S Miall, J Evans (rep: W Davison 65), P Sanderson, A Vos, A Diprose.

Referee: C White.