Lowly Harlequins ripped up the Premiership form book by staging a thrilling
second-half fightback to stun Bath at The Stoop.
Quins, a mammoth 27 points behind Bath before kick-off, trailed 16-5 early in
the second period.
But the appearance of England centre Will Greenwood as a 57th-minute
substitute made a significant difference, and fly-half Paul Burke's short-range
penalty five minutes from time destroyed Bath's hopes of moving second behind
champions-elect Leicester.
Matt Perry, England's forgotten man, kicked 17 points for the visitors and
wing Tom Boyce scored a well-worked 47th-minute try, but Quins dug deep when it
really mattered.
From that 11-point deficit, Burke booted a quickfire penalty hat-trick to
bring Quins back into contention, and although Perry nudged Bath further ahead,
Greenwood struck at a critical time.
Bath fly-half Mike Catt rifled an attempted defensive clearance straight at
his England team-mates, and Greenwood required no second invitation to sprint
over and oppose.
Burke converted, and although Perry immediately slotted his fifth penalty
thanks to the continued fussy interference of referee Ashley Rowden, Burke came
up trumps and confirmed an unlikely success.
Bath were unable to impose their free-flowing attacking adventure on
proceedings, the likes of Catt and Iain Balshaw making little impact on an
afternoon when defences dominated.
A forgettable first half briefly flickered into life when Quins wing Daren
O'Leary sprinted over for a 21st-minute touchdown, but two penalties from Perry
ensured that Bath ground out a totally forgettable 6-5 advantage.
When England Under-21 international Boyce scorched the cross shortly after the
restart, it looked a safe bet that Bath would pull away and justify the colossal
Premiership gulf between the clubs.
However, Quins are made of stern stuff these days under astute coaching
direction offered by Bath old boy Richard Hill and Mark Evans, and with Burke
landing five kicks at goal from six attempts, their opponents could never enter
the comfort zone.
After Greenwood's arrival, Quins' confidence grew by the minute, and there was
nothing Bath could do to stave off a result upset.
Quins' victory, their second Premiership success in five days following a
midweek victory at Newcastle, gives them an outside chance of making the
play-offs.
Bath though, missed a gilt-edged opportunity of overtaking Northampton in
second spot, but they could have few complaints after making so many an expected
and unforced errors.
Teams:
Harlequins: O'Neill, Jewell, Greenstock, Burrows, O'Leary,
Burke, M. Powell, Leonard, Wood, Olver, Morgan, White-Cooper,
Sanderson, Wilson, Winters.
Replacements: Greenwood for Burrows (57), Starr for Olver (57),
Codling for White-Cooper (57), Jenkins for Winters (66).
Not Used: Friday, Chalmers, Fuga.
Tries: O'Leary, Greenwood.
Cons: Burke.
Pens: Burke 4.
Bath: Perry, Balshaw, Maggs, Berne, Voyce,
Catt, Cooper, Emms, Long, Mallett, Lloyd, Borthwick, G. Thomas, Clarke, Lyle.
Replacements: Thirlby for Balshaw (63), Barnes for Emms (60).
Not Used: Preston, Mears, Cox, Haag, N. Thomas.
Tries: Voyce.
Cons: Perry.
Pens: Perry 5.
Att: 7,067
Ref: Ashley Rowden (Berkshire (RFU)).
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