Harlequins unleashed two months of frustration on a bewildered Saracens side
this evening to secure their first win of the season in stunning fashion.
After nine defeats and a draw with Castres, Harlequins' season finally
exploded into life as they raced into a remarkable 33-0 lead by half time,
securing the bonus point for four tries after only 14 minutes.
Harlequins opened their account after just 13 seconds through Mel Deane and
worked six tries in all, with blindside flanker Nick Easter scoring his first
two for the club.
Full-back Tom Williams, England prop Mike Worsley and lock Roy Winters all got
in on the act as Harlequins lifted themselves above Worcester and off the foot
of the Zurich Premiership table.
They outplayed Saracens in every department and only conceded late tries to
Taine Randell and Paul Bailey when the game was long secured.
The victory finally brought to a close Harlequins' club record run of nine
successive league defeats, dating back to the final game of last season.
After losing to Worcester, Harlequins had been steadily improving but reaped
little reward from positive displays against Gloucester and Leicester in the
league, Munster and Castres in the Heineken Cup.
But tonight they earned their just reward for a blitzkrieg of a performance -
and it was on the cards right from the kick-off.
Bizarrely, a week after conceding the fastest try ever against Wasps,
Harlequins pounced on a mix-up between Jackson and centre Dan Harris to take the
lead after just 13 seconds.
Harris dropped the attempted switch pass and Deane, only starting because Will
Greenwood was away on England duty, scooped up the loose ball and sauntered
unchallenged over the line.
The Harlequins faithful at The Stoop, who had endured one misery after the
next so far this season, could hardly believe what they were witnessing when
Easter barged over to score his first try for the club five minutes later.
Saracens could do nothing to relieve the pressure and managed just the one
foray into the Harlequins 22 before they were shredded again.
Keogh, the Irish winger and a constant threat down the left, burst onto a
mispass from fly-half Jeremy Staunton, jinked through and sent Williams over for
the third try inside nine minutes.
By now Saracens had lost all semblance of organisation and they then suffered
the ignominy of being undone by a neat exchange of passes down the wing - by two
props.
Ceri Jones timed a lovely little miss-pass to Worsley outside him and his
front row colleague brushed aside both Harris and Scottish fullback Robbie Kydd
to score in the corner.
Staunton missed his first conversion of the evening but Harlequins led 26-0.
The win and the bonus point were already secure and the game was less than a
quarter of an hour old.
Still Harlequins poured forward, stung perhaps by memories of the Castres game
when they let a healthy lead slip, and exploited a rag-tag Saracens outfit who
could hardly escape their own 22 as fly-half Glen Jackson, the New Zealand Maori
recruited from Waikato, made a shocking first start.
After Easter had barged over for his second try of the evening, and
Harlequins' fifth, Saracens owner Nigel Wray left his seat in the West Stand.
Which might have been just as well for Jackson, who soon after dropped out
from his 22 straight to Keogh. His blushes, on that occasion at least, were
saved by flanker David Seymour who forced Keogh to knock on as he attempted to
ground the ball.
But Harlequins continued in similar vein after the interval, forcing Saracens
deeper and deeper before Winters charged down an attempted clearance from
scrum-half Moses Rauluni and touched down.
Staunton's fifth successful conversion from six attempts opened Harlequins a
40-0 lead after just 45 minutes.
Jackson was immediately replaced by Australian Mark Bartholomeusz and Canadian
international Morgan Williams - who could have been representing his country
against England over the road at Twickenham tomorrow - was introduced for
Rauluni.
Eventually Saracens crossed the line, to a chorus of ironic cheers, after 53
minutes when captain Randell finished off a well-worked move in the corner.
Bailey added a second for Saracens but no-one at The Stoop barely noticed as
they celebrated a long-awaited change in fortune.
Teams
Harlequins: Williams, Harder, James, Deane, Keogh, Staunton,
So'oialo, Worsley, Fuga, Jones, Winters, Miall, Easter, Vos,
Diprose.
Replacements: Duffy for Williams (49), Monye for Harder (43),
Hayter for Fuga (43), Maling for Miall (67),
Sherriff for Diprose (67).
Not Used: Dawson, Dunne.
Tries: Deane, Easter 2, Williams, Worsley, Winters.
Cons: Staunton 5.
Saracens: Kydd, Haughton, Johnston, Harris, Vaikona, Jackson,
Raulini, Lloyd, Ibanez, Broster, Fullarton, S. Raiwalui,
Randell, Seymour, Chesney, Skirving.
Replacements: Bartholomeusz for Jackson (49),
Cairns for Ibanez (63), Visagie for Broster (27),
Williams for S. Raiwalui (49), Sanderson for Seymour (40),
Skirving for Chesney (49), Bailey for Skirving (74).
Tries: Randell, Bailey.
Att: 8,050
Ref: Ashley Rowden (RFU).
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