SECOND LV= CUP WIN: Harlequins 21 - 12 Bath Rugby
By Alanquin
November 17 2012
A match in which two teams were both trying to play running rugby with ball in hand became a duel between kickers ultimately won by Harlequins 21 – 12 to leave them at the head of Pool 1 in the LV= Cup.
A penalty from the kick off for crossing allowed Botica to open the scoring and give Quins a very early lead. Quins were immediately in attack mode and almost immediately had another kickable penalty when Bath went offside. Botica duly obliged and after four minutes Quins had established a lead which they never lost.
The forwards, too, established a dominance in the scrum and the Bath front row were frequently penalised at the set piece, one such infringement giving Botica his third successful kick at goal and a fourth soon after, with only a quarter of an hour played, although Donald had kicked one for Bath meanwhile.
Harlequins had mounted attacks at every opportunity with Wallace and Guest both prominent and Smith, Stegmann and Williams looking dangerous with ball in hand. But Bath defended with determination and despite Harlequins dominating play they were not able to cross the try line.
Following another offence at a scrum, a yellow card removed the Bath prop Perinese and Bath’s defence became even more desperate and determined. Botica and Donald both slotted penalties and Quins’ attempted catch and drive from an attacking lineout was resisted and neutralised.
With Bath restored to full numbers they mounted their first concerted attack and threatened the Quins’ line for the first time in the half. Eventually they drove the loose head prop, Beech, over the line, but strong defence ensured he was held up. At the interval Quins led by 15 – 6.
The second half saw a different Bath approach as they gradually began to dominate play. From the replacements bench came more experienced players and they even brought on Michael Claassens to orchestrate the attack. Harlequins, by contrast were replacing experience with members of the Academy. The Academy fly-half, Louis Grimoldby, made his senior debut replacing Botica who had rolled an ankle in the first half.
Two penalties allowed Bath to reduce the arrears. Bath were still being penalised at the scrum and eventually when Quins managed to mount a rare attack a deliberate offside at a ruck in front of the posts produced another yellow card for the Bath hooker. Grimoldby calmly slotted the penalty to take the score to 18 -12 and again, when another scrum penalty offered the opportunity, extended the lead with nine mutes remaining. Despite almost frenzied Bath attacks, Quins held out for victory.
After the match Conor O’Shea was fulsome in his praise of the efforts of his team. “You can’t coach bottle,” he said. “I couldn’t be prouder of that performance. We started really well and had great tempo but didn’t get the try that maybe some of the play warranted. But Bath are a strong side and they were always going to come. We started to lose a number of players with knocks and bruises.”
“Young Louis Grimoldby came off the bench for his first senior game - he’s been playing at Richmond - and we struggled to keep structure,” O’Shea added. “But he stepped up and kicked goals under pressure when we needed them and in terms of defence we just hurled our bodies on the line. The second half, and the tail end of the first half, we were just soaking it up.
“That, to me, showed more about our group of players than anything else. Were we good second half? No, in terms of ball play, but in terms of bottle and heart we were magnificent.
“We have two wins out of the opening two games in this competition, with London Welsh at home in the next one at the end of January.
“But the defensive-led attitude was just unbelievable and some of the individual performances in that tonight were as good as you will see all season. Luke Wallace was magnificent”
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