AFTER the excitement of the first match here, the second leg was a disappointing error-strewn anticlimax. At least Harlequins went home with a win. London Irish, after a summer of departures, arrivals and promises of better things to come, could be facing another long season. Their aspiration of a top-seven finish looks a tall order.
The final score may suggest otherwise but in terms of true competition, the Irish were never at the races.
Offside in defence, entering the ruck from the side, high tackles, off their feet in a ruck — you name it. If there was a way of conceding a penalty, London Irish found it. And, boy, did it cost them.
Early-season nerves or pure indiscipline? Whatever the cause, it meant the men in the smart new green kit spent the entire first half pinned deep in their own half, playing catch-up rugby. Luckily for the “home” side, Nick Evans missed three penalties that he would normally land with his eyes shut, or the self-inflicted damage would have been far worse.
Evans did hit the mark in the eighth minute and again with a conversion, after he had drilled his next penalty into the corner, in the 11th minute. His forwards caught and drove on from the lineout and when the ball came back to Danny Care, the Irish defensive line was far too narrow.
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Not only did Harlequins recognise the scoring opportunity, they exploited it brilliantly. Evans ran a blocker line that held the cover and Care fired the ball to Matt Hopper, who shipped it straight on to Mike Brown as the England full-back entered the line at pace. Brown showed skill and presence of mind to tip the ball on for Ugo Monye to score in the corner.
Quins finally conceded a penalty that allowed the Irish to escape their own half, then another, which Shane Geraghty kicked. The revival was undone by more foot-shooting, however, when Eamonn Sheridan was yellow-carded for blatantly handling the ball on the floor in the 27th minute. Evans increased the punishment with another three points.
Geraghty replied with a penalty but was trumped by Ollie Lindsay-Hague, on for the injured Monye, who brushed off a terribly weak tackle by Topsy Ojo to score down the left. Evans converted to put Quins 20-6 ahead at the break.
While the need for discipline no doubt featured prominently in the Irish half-time diatribe, it was either unmentioned or unheeded in the Harlequins dressing room. Joe Marler, the England prop starting his first season as Quins captain, lasted two minutes of the second half before he was sin-binned for a dangerous dump tackle on David Paice.
Geraghty kicked the penalty and Evans missed again before Kyle Sinckler joined Marler in the bin for a high tackle. Once again, poor Paice was the victim. The Irish threatened during the minute were down to 13 men but Tomas O’Leary got white-line fever and the ball was turned over.
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Three more penalties by Geraghty meant that London Irish won the second half 9-0, but after the high-octane entertainment provided by Saracens and Wasps, this was a damp squib.
Star man: Mike Brown (Harlequins) London Irish: T Homer (T Fowlie 7min, G Ellis 78min); T Ojo, F Mulchrone, E Sheridan (C Noakes 65min), J Short; S Geraghty, S Steele (T O’Leary 49min); T Court (M Parr 75min), D Paice H Aulika (L Halavatau 75min), G Skivington (capt), D Leo (C Gilsenan 79min), B Cowan, O Treviranus, T Guest (K Low 60min)
Harlequins: M Brown; M Yarde, M Hopper, J Turner-Hall, U Monye (O Lindsay-Hague 28min); N Evans, D Care; J Marler (capt), J Gray (R Buchanan 60min), K Sinckler (W Collier 60min), C Matthews (G Merrick 59min), G Robson, L Wallace (M Lambert 46min, J Clifford 65min), C Robshaw, N Easter