There will be times when Harlequins’ trademark expansive style of rugby, which carried them to the Gallagher Premiership title in spectacular fashion last season, will need to be reined in on their travels in Europe. This was one such occasion, on a soggy pitch at the Stade Pierre Antoine that was cutting up more with every scrum, and the English champions tailored their game smartly but still had enough star quality to earn a satisfying victory against a dogged Castres team, with telling contributions from Alex Dombrandt, Marcus Smith and Danny Care.
The decisive score came from Dombrandt, the England No 8, who again demonstrated his eye for spotting chinks in opposing defensive walls, running a clever line on to Hugh Tizard’s pass in the 51st minute and sprinting clear from 20 metres. That score gave his side a six-point advantage and when Marcus Smith kicked his second penalty goal in the 74th minute to stretch the lead to 20-11, it looked as though Harlequins were home and dry.
However, they failed to gather the next kick-off and quickly conceded a try to Martin Laveau that left them clinging on at the end. The victory was greeted with a sigh of relief as much as a roar of celebration as the value of Dombrandt’s try became clear. The No 8 was used as an impact replacement by Eddie Jones, the England head coach, during the autumn internationals, and key contributions in the Heineken Champions Cup will further his chances of featuring again in the Six Nations.
“When you have a player with his amount of X-factor, he only needs a couple of moments a game to show his uniqueness,” Tabai Matson, the Harlequins senior coach, said.
Castres are sixth in the Top 14 and did not field a full-strength team, reflecting their preference for prioritising domestic competition. But they soon demonstrated the ability to punish any sloppiness in clinical fashion. When Smith dawdled running back to gather a kick into his own 22, he left Louis Lynagh with a hurried clearance that fell straight into the arms of Filipo Nakosi, the Fijian wing.
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Given a few yards of space to build up steam, Nakosi stepped outside Lynagh’s lunging follow-up tackle and brushed off Dombrandt before slipping a lovely pass inside to Josaia Raisuke, his fellow Fijian, for the first try of the game.
This was the wake-up call that Harlequins perhaps needed. They had already wasted one tryscoring opportunity, when Huw Jones made a surging break and Smith gave a long pass to Dombrandt on the right. But Stephan Lewies, the lock, who found himself lurking just inside the right touchline, could not hold on to Dombrandt’s pass and the chance went begging.
Back on more familiar territory at the lineout, Lewies’s handling was more secure when he rose to claim a clean ball and set up a maul in Castres’ 22 in the 32nd minute. Spotting an opportunity on the blind side, Tizard squeezed the ball out of the maul to Danny Care, whose brilliant flip pass put Lynagh into the right-hand corner.
Smith’s conversion put his side 7-5 ahead, but the lead was shortlived, as Dombrandt’s high tackle on Rory Kockott allowed Benjamín Urdapilleta to kick Castres in front, to which he added a further three points before half-time. Harlequins began to build the pressure early in the second half and when Castres were caught offside, Smith brought the visiting team back to within a point with a penalty goal from 30 metres.
Then came Dombrandt’s timely intervention. The initial impetus was provided by Jack Walker, who tidied up some scruffy lineout ball and made a purposeful carry that put Quins on the front foot. Sniffing the space and sensing his moment, Dombrandt then ran on to Tizard’s pass, through an ineffectual tackle from Urdapilleta, and Harlequins were in front.
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Their lead was extended when Jack Kenningham, the replacement flanker, suckered himself on to a breakdown and won a penalty that Smith kicked from 35 metres. Lavreau’s late score gave Harlequins a few nervous moments, but their ability to hang on at the death showed a strength of character.
“It’s a true test of a team that’s going to be successful, to be able to play through the winter in tough conditions against difficult opposition,” Matson said. “If we’re going to be successful in this competition, we definitely have to be adaptable.”
Scorers: Castres: Tries Raisuqe (18min), Laveau (75). Con Urdapilleta. Pens Urdapilleta 2 (37, 39). Harlequins: Tries Lynagh (32), Dombrandt (51). Cons Smith 2. Pens Smith 2 (47, 74).
Castres T Larregain (L le Brun 70); M Laveau, T Combezou, P Aguillon, F Nakosi; B Urdapilleta, R Kockott (S Arata Perrone 61); A Tichit (J Nostadt 50), P Ngauamo (B Humbert 50), A Guillamon (M Tierney 50), T Hannoyer, J Whetton (T Staniforth 50), N de Crespigny (S Meka 75), J Raisuke, T Ben-Nicholas (T Ardron 15).
Harlequins T Green; L Lynagh, H Jones, A Esterhuizen (O Beard 71), C Murley; M Smith, D Care (L Gjaltema 64); J Marler (S Garcia Botta 71), J Walker (J Musk 74), W Collier (S Kerrod 55), H Tizard (G Hammond 75), S Lewies, J Chisholm, T Lawday (J Kenningham 52), A Dombrandt.
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Referee N Amashukeli (Georgia).
