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What about Harlequins and Leicester Tigers? Perhaps it’s the spirit of Christmas togetherness, but thrice now have these two sides come to Twickenham Turf for the annual ‘Big Game’ winter warmer and, on each occasion, nothing has divided them.
It was an improbable run that continued here with a 34-34 thriller adapting one of the best days in the English rugby calendar. It remains a great feat that the Allianz Stadium is always full for a Twixmas fare aid which still seems to go down a treat after the days of over-indulgence. The draw here joined the 30-30 result of 2019 and 26 years which started this beautiful festive tradition in 2008.
There are plenty of figures at other Premiership clubs who have watched with envy as Harlequins turned this outing into a hot ticket. It was another sellout of almost 82,000 for one of the best days in the English rugby calendar, with interest not dipping even 16 editions.
It appeared the swelling crowd would be sent home happy with Harlequins’ REVIVE season and Marcus Smith continuing his sparkling form on a patch that looks increasingly like home, but Leicester have found an unlikely Christmas hero. Tries haven’t come often for Dan Cole in his long and illustrious career, but in a time of need the veteran tighthead answered the call, with old King Cole falling in the final minute to allow Handre Pollard the opportunity to square the t-shirt business.
“I think rugby has done justice to the occasion,” said Danny Wilson, a frustrated Harlequins coach. “Huge credit for selling this place out [Twickenham] for a club game. It’s incredible, huge for the Premiership and huge for Harlequins, and the rugby on display has done it justice. »
After a weekend that saw the opening three Premiership games decided by an average of over 50 points, the league instead needed this sorting thriller to properly stir punters from their post-Christmas slumber. Fortunately, Harlequins’ annual journey across the A316 has become as reliable as Wallace and Gromit for festive entertainment.
The Host’s opening score could have been an Aardman production, complex and very charming as it was. Pollard had Leicester in front of the tee when a loose upward kick granted Marcus Smith a glimmer of space. Half the fly set to work, meticulous footwork making Leicester chasers. Around Julian Montoya, he danced before finding Jack Walker inside for a good try.
It was the kind of creation that shows how much of a threat Smith is even with a hint of a broken field ball. With George Furbank seemingly likely to miss at least the start of the Six Nations after fracturing his arm, a Watching Steve Borthwick will surely consider the prospect of using Smith as an auxiliary creator at full back with the options George Ford and Fin Smith at Fly Half . There is an argument that any positional change risks the star of England’s glittering autumn, but there is plenty for Borthwick Mull to name before he names his squad on January 14, with Freddie Steward enjoying probably his best season yet. attack again at Leicester Colors.
Leicester had already regained the lead through Ollie Hassell-Collins when Steward showed the dynamism he has added to his game. A ball bouncing its way onto the edge of his own 22, Steward shaped to kick home a foot before escaping Jack Kenningham and climbing into space. His inside ball to Cameron Henderson kept the move flowing before Pollard delivered his second scoring pass with Salomone Kata sliding over untouched.
The party was starting to liven up as the evening deepened, with the Tigers seemingly closing out on a third down as they pushed into the right corner. Seconds later, however, they were back under their own posts as Quins took the entire duration. With the lineout transfer disrupted, Kenningham produced a searing break from deep as the flanker showed impressive speed to thunder, then a cool header to feed it to a quicker man in Cadan Murley.
Leicester had largely controlled proceedings but soon found themselves stung again. Kata had already been in the disciplinary dock once this season and his high shot at Oscar Beard looked uglier than his delivery against Exeter, so it was with some surprise that the yellow card emerged from Matthew’s pocket Carley. It didn’t matter for Harlequins as they made the center pay instantly, Luke Northmore crashing over with Smith’s conversion securing a slim half-time lead.
Kata’s return from the sin bin came moments before a penalty extended that advantage to four points, but the Tigers, restored to complement, bit through Steward. Another boot strike from Smith leveled the scores, setting up the doozy of a final quarter that a convincing contest deserved.
With the influential Smith getting his paws on the ball with regularity, Harlequins found what looked like the match winner. If there was any suspicion from the striker regarding the score pass, those in charge were happy as Cadan Murley slipped through. But Cole squirmed over the line for his second try in three weeks and Pollard’s conversion went wide of the post to snatch a share of the points.
“He’s Leicester through and through,” Leicester boss Michael Cheika said of the England veteran. “He could easily say I did my part, but he still invests so much in the team. I really appreciate the effort he made. He never lies, so I was pretty sure he dropped the ball and it was a great kick from Handdre to finish it. »
Earlier, Harlequins had climbed to the top of Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) as they overcome a Sparky Leicester.
The struggling Tigers still looked to be against him as they took on a home side who found real cohesion under Ross Chisholm after a difficult few years under Amy Turner, but started brightly, scoring the game’s first try early on.
But Quins quickly took control, with the ever-threatening Ellie Kildunne and the rest of a dynamic back line to the fore as young Spanish center Claudia Pena continued to impress in a sterling debut season in English rugby.
