WELSH FIRE PUT OUT: Harlequins 31 - 21 Newport Gwent Dragons

Harlequins second LV= Cup match was another occasion when what must have been said to the team in the dressing room at the interval galvanised them sufficiently to go out and win.  They did so by coming from a deficit of thirteen points at half-time, scoring twenty three unanswered points to beat Newport Gwent Dragons by 31 – 21.

Quins had started with pace and determination and in attack mode, In the fifth minute a long miss pass found Ollie Lindsay-Hague at full pace along the right wing for a good try. The conversion attempt from the touchline failed. Any feel good factor engendered by that opening score was dashed within moments of the restart when a clearance kick was charged down and the visitors levelled the score. Again the conversion attempt failed.

The referee’s whistle, that was to feature with great frequency throughout the evening, now began to dominate proceedings. The Welsh failed twice with kickable penalties, hitting the upright on the first occasion. Then a good break found a gap in the Quins defence and produced another try for the visitors. The extras brought the score to 5 – 12.

Three successful penalty kicks fell to the Newport kicker, Geraint Rhys Jones, after Swiel had taken a solitary chance of three points with the final kick of the first half.

Harlequins in the second half were a different team. They were more accurate and clearly superior in attack causing pressure that saw the penalty count rise against the Welsh region. By the final whistle they had been penalised twenty-two times!   An early three points from the boot of Tim Swiel was followed by a yellow card shown to the Newport hooker, Elliot Dee, and another penalty.

This time Quins did not take the offered points. Swiel found a good touch and Quins had an attacking five-metre lineout. The catch and drive that followed rumbled forward irresistibly over the line for James Chisholm to touch down for the try that Swiel duly converted. Almost immediately another penalty allowed Swiel’s successful kick to level the scores. As the whistle continued the death knell of Welsh hopes Swiel posted another three points to give Quins the lead at 24 – 21 in the sixteenth minute of the half.

With only twelve minutes remaining, another penalty was followed by another five-metre lineout and the maul again crossed the line for James Chisholm to score another try. Swiel converted. Although Harlequins will be disappointed that they did not get a try bonus point, the win was satisfactory.