One last trip to the Stoop before the New Year
Saturday 17th December: European Challenge Cup pool stage: Harlequins v Timisoara Saracens at the Stoop: Result – Harlequins 75 Timisoara Saracens 3. Quins tries: Wallace, Visser, Roberts 3, Brown 2, Yarde 2, Clifford, Swiel. Quins conversions: Jackson 5, Swiel 5.
Having won the away leg 42-3 last weekend, yesterday Quins – reinforced by a match day 23 that restored a slew of first teamers who were rested last week – were always going to win this game. Any vague chance that it might be a proper contest was removed in the second minute when the visitors were reduced to 14 men by a red card (for a high tackle on Marland Yarde) awarded to their back rower Randall Morrison.
For those of us who turned out to see the game it was a last opportunity to visit it the Stoop before the festive season, perhaps buy a club-related ‘throwaway’ pressie or two and commune with fellow supporters. Apart from some flashes of superb passing and backing up the second half there was very little on the pitch to get excited about and the crowd atmosphere was uniformly flat. Fair play to the Timisoara Saracens players because they fought tooth and nail all the way but were totally outclassed.
Unfortunately for him, Quins serial back rower/lock ‘bad boy’ Mat Luamanu received a red card in the final minutes of the game, also for a high tackle.
Er … and that’s all worth knowing about yesterday’s outing.
Happy Christmas, everyone!
