It hasn’t been long since Marcus Smith adjusted to returning to sketchy form after the World Cup, but make no mistake, he’s on trend now. Smith ultimately proved the difference as he put on a display in Harlequins’ annual fixture before Gloucester rallied and almost threatened with an improbable comeback late in the game.
Steve Borthwick will no doubt be pleased, but the England head coach will also be concerned about the fitness of Joe Marler, who suffered an arm injury before half-time. Ellis Genge was in touch at the start of the Six Nations, while Bevan Rodd and Val Rapava Ruskin remained sidelined, leaving Borthwick significantly light on loose support. Harlequins head coach Danny Wilson, who also lost Dino Lamb and Stephan Lewies to injury, said: “There will be scans and we will wait and see.” “We hope it’s not too bad because they’re big players for us.”
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Smith initially mishandled the kickoff, but that was the only blemish on his notebook. He scored twice in 50:22, always keeping an eye on the gap in the Gloucester defence, and it was his all-round performance that helped Harlequins seal Gloucester to a club-record eighth place, scoring five tries, including two from Nick David. direct league defeat. “I thought Marcus Smith was on another level,” said Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington. “That’s not to take anything away from the Quins as a team. I thought they were very good but Marcus Smith showed his talents.”
Danny Care and Alex Dombrandt, who played in all 15 of these fixtures, also performed well – as they often do in these situations – and while Gloucester recovered late, it has already been a torrid season for the Cherry & Whites. Only Newcastle, who have not won this season, are ahead. Quins didn’t need to be at their best here but they had plenty of work for Gloucester on the day, with André Esterhuizen constantly opening holes and both David and Oscar Beard making fine tackles that saved tries in each half.
Harlequins love to sing and dance when they take a short trip along the road. Tickets were slightly cheaper, the annual event is well marketed and provides a welcome outing at a time when only the most dedicated still go to turkey, but attracting around 77,000 spectators is no small feat; This is far more than England have managed in their last encounters. Here.
As a result, tries were expected despite the gloomy weather and, given Smith’s inaccuracy from the starting spot, Harlequins were only struggling with five-point scores in the first half. Quins opened the scoring after eight minutes of area possession and possession, with Care bursting towards the line and heading to Esterhuizen before David was released. It was a bit of a surprise when Gloucester responded with a decent try from Adam Hastings.
Normal service continued for the Quins when Smith moved on before slotting David this time down the left and Dombrandt added a third after more excellent work from Care. The senior scrum-half measured his shot perfectly against the charging Gloucester defence; Dombrandt charged forward to collect the ball and hit England rival Zach Mercer on his way to the line.
Dino Lamb, one of the most impressive players of the season to date, added the bonus try early in the second half with a sharp dash down the left wing, but the Italian striker injured his shoulder while scoring and continued cautiously. off the field.
His departure, which came so soon after Marler’s departure, appeared to have taken the wind somewhat out of Harlequins’ sails. Gloucester capitalized and hooker George McGuigan headed home his side’s second from close range.
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But Harlequins’ response was definitive. Smith’s second 50:22 of the match gave them a threatening position as Esterhuizen crossed over the gain line and soon Care was racing under the posts. Quins huffed and puffed for another but couldn’t find a way out and Smith scored a drop goal before Jonny May, who came on as a substitute, scored Gloucester’s third try of the evening.
A penalty try awarded for Tyrone Green’s deliberate kick to deny an accurate try on the left caused a few moments of tension for the Quins, but Gloucester could not snatch the victory they hardly deserved.