By the barest of margins, by the barest of all margins. Harlequins came to the south of France promising to “swing the bat” and they produced the innings of a lifetime, stunning Bordeaux-Bègles by the odd point in 83 to reach the Investec Champions Cup semi-finals for the first time in their history.
It was a quite staggering performance in sweltering conditions; one of the great days for an English club in Europe. The cricketing analogy Harlequins had adopted was not about playing with reckless abandon; it was about being bold and going after a Bordeaux side that had twice slain Saracens this season, putting 100 points on the English champions.
The execution was precise and the adventure as you would expect from a Harlequins side with attacking rugby in their DNA. But this was a victory founded on the dominance of their scrum and maul. Fin Baxter, the fresh-faced 22-year-old on the loose-head, is rapidly turning into a scrummaging monster. In concert with Will Collier, he had big Ben Tameifuna and the Bordeaux pack in a world of trouble. Harlequins score two of their six tries from the maul and almost had a third.
Marcus Smith’s perfect kicking record was critical in the final analysis because no Harlequins victory these days is without heart-stopping drama. Against Bath in the Gallagher Premiership and Glasgow Warriors in the Champions Cup, they saw a comfortable half-time lead whittled away before eventually squeaking home.
So it was to be again. Harlequins led 28-12 at the interval after a blistering four-try first period, illuminated by the performances of Baxter, Will Evans, Chandler Cunningham-South and Will Porter. But not a coq was being counted by the Harlequins supporters here in this atmospheric old stadium, where the paint is peeling from the scalloped roof.
Advertisement
Back came Bordeaux and for six minutes they led before Tyrone Green wrestled back the advantage for Harlequins by racing on to a one-handed off-load from Louis Lynagh to score their sixth try with 71 minutes on the clock. But there was time for one late twist.
Madosh Tambwe, the replacement wing, crossed for his second and Bordeaux’s sixth try, leaving Maxime Lucu with a conversion to win the game but the France half back, who had been integral to his side’s comeback, pushed his kick wide.
Harlequins, who had scored a record number of points for an away team in the Champions Cup, will face Toulouse or Exeter Chiefs in the semi-final. On this evidence nobody could count them out; it was the perfect marriage of power and panache and performance the England coaches will have been watching with interest.
Yes, Bordeaux were missing the injured France pair of Matthieu Jalibert and Damien Penaud but Harlequins had rested Joe Marler and Danny Care after their Six Nations exploits and lost Joe Launchbury in the warm-up. In their absence, Baxter and Porter were sensational while Cunningham-South set the tone. It took four defenders to halt his first thunderous carry and that momentum led to the opening try after just two minutes, with André Esterhuizen stealing down the blind side before releasing Porter with the scoring pass.
Harlequins kept playing their shots. Smith tempted Mateo Garcia into a deliberate knock-on, which resulted in a penalty try and a yellow card for the Bordeaux fly half. The hosts dealt well with that period and punished Harlequins’ poor discipline with two tries in five minutes, from Lucu and Romain Buros.
Advertisement
But in a game of wildly fluctuating momentum, Harlequins hit back defiantly. They forced a turnover inside their own 22, moved it wide quickly and constructed a brilliant long-range try finished by Porter after a brilliant offload from Alex Dombrandt.
Baxter then won consecutive scrums penalties, which took Harlequins from their own five-metre line to deep inside the Bordeaux 22, where they constructed an unstoppable maul and Evans spun over for the try.
Bordeaux moved Lucu to fly half at half-time and immediately attacked with more fluidity, with Nicolas Depoortère picking the ball off his laces to score in the corner. A Lucu penalty reduced the lead to six points before the Harlequins forwards stopped the bleeding, with a scrum penalty, securing prime field position and Dombrandt scored from the maul.
The parasols were on for the water break and Bordeaux came racing out of the shade, with a swerving run from Buros through tired defenders, releasing Louis Bielle-Biarrey for the try and a swift riposte. The lead was back down to six.
• Will Evans interview: Art of the jackal, by Europe’s best
Advertisement
Then a chip from Bielle-Biarrey fell to Buros and suddenly Tambwe was clear, with Lucu’s conversion putting Bordeaux ahead for the first time in the game. The noise was deafening.
But Harlequins came again. Sam Riley dropped the ball over the line after a Smith 50:22. Undeterred, Dombrandt charged down the right, Luke Northmore straightened on to a pass from Esterhuizen and Lynagh sent Green away for the try, with Smith landing another stunning conversion.
The six-point lead was restored. Then it was down to one. But as Lucu’s kick sailed wide, one was enough. Harlequins had done it. By the barest of all margins.
Bordeaux-Bégles R Buros; P Uberti (Tambwe 57), N Depoortere, Y Moefana, L Bielle-Biarrey; M Garcia (sin-bin 8-18; Y Lesgourges 40), M Lucu; L Kaulashvili (U Boniface 40), M Lamothe (C Maynadier 60), B Tameifuna (C Sadie 47), C Cazeaux (K Douglas 66), A Coleman (G Petti 49), P Samu, T Tatafu (B Vergnes-Taillefer 49)
Harlequins T Greene; L Lynagh, O Beard (L Northmore 54), A Esterhuizen, C Murley; M Smith (J Evans 74), W Porter; F Baxter (S Kerrod 69), J Walker (S Riley 60), W Collier, I Herbst (G Hammond 61), S Lewies, C Cunningham-South (W Trenholm 52), W Evans, A Dombrandt
Advertisement
Referee A Piardi (Ita)
