Northampton Saints were denied a win on the final day of the Gallagher PREM regular season, as a try from Harlequins in the game’s final minute sealed a 38-31 victory for the Londoners.
Saints had started the scoring in Twickenham, sending Jonny Weimann over early doors, but Quins hit back in what would become the run of play for the match – with the sides exchanging another score apiece before the break to head into the sheds at a 12-12 stalemate.
More of the same ensued after the break, with Northampton adding scores from Josh Kemeny, Toby Thame and Weimann to JJ Van Der Mescht’s from the first-half – but Quins stuck with the league-leaders throughout, before producing a cruel finish at the Stoop and denying Saints the draw with the last play of the match.
FIRST HALF:
Saints kicked off the scoring at the Stoop, when Fraser Dingwall shot through a gap in Quins’ line. The skipper charged forwards, exchanging passes with James Ramm to get Northampton within inches. There Ramm was scragged but Weimann was in support quickly and dove over for Saints’ first.
That was the 100th try for Northampton in the PREM this term, a new record across the league within a regular season. But Quins soon matched the league-leaders’ effort – sending their own captain, Alex Dombrandt, over from close range.
Marcus Smith matched Anthony Belleau’s conversion to make it 7-7 but Northampton pulled ahead again after 16 minutes – when Van Der Mescht muscled his way over from close range after a string of penalties gave them territory.
Despite Saints having entered Quins’ 22 a dozen times before the half hour mark, the away side could not break through the home defence – but neither could Quins breach Northampton’s line until just seconds from half-time.
Quins pushed to within five metres of Saints’ tryline before spotting space out on the left and sending the ball deftly through the hands to send Jamie Benson over with the last play of the half.
SECOND HALF:
Smith’s missed conversion before the break saw the sides re-emerge at 12-12 but Saints crept in front again, eight minutes into the second half. A scrum penalty let Weimann ignite Northampton’s attack, with Kemeny the man who found a gap in Quins’ line to dive over.
Quins answered immediately, with Smith sending Dombrandt through a gap who in turn found Cassius Cleaves on his shoulder. The winger sprinted in for the score on the left and level things once again.
Saints had thought they might be in again when Belleau hacked through for Kemeny to chase but a knock-on denied the back rower a double. And the home side responded by pulling ahead themselves, pushing through the forwards before Benson sent a looping pass over to Cameron Anderson in space on the right.
But a solo-stunner got Northampton back level again. Thame gathered the high ball in the falling rain at the Stoop, charging back at Quins before dropping the ball on his boot and winning the footrace to his own grubber to score.
And another moment of individual brilliance saw Northampton break the try-scoring record across the league as a whole – when Weimann, who found himself out on the wing after a raft of Saints changes, intercepted a stray Quins pass and sprinted in for the score.
But the home side hit straight back, sending Dombrandt over from close range once again – with Smith’s conversion making it 31-31 with seven minutes left on the clock.
But the final word would be Quins’. The home side went from within their own half, putting the ball through the hands before sending Tom Lawday over in the corner to take the result out of Saints’ hands.
LINE-UPS:
Quins: 15 Jamie Benson, 14 Cameron Anderson, 13 Cadan Murley, 12 Bryn Bradley, 11 Cassius Cleaves, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Will Porter; 1 Will Hobson, 2 Sam Riley, 3 Ollie Streeter, 4 Jonny Green, 5 Stephan Lewies, 6 Jack Kenningham, 7 Will Evans, 8 Alex Dombrandt (c).
Replacements: 16 Jimmy Staples, 17 Boris Wenger, 18 Pedro Delgado, 19 Kieran Treadwell, 20 Guido Petti Pagadizábal, 21 Tom Lawday, 22 Stu Townsend, 23 Josh Bellamy.
Saints: 15 James Pater, 14 James Martin, 13 Tom Litchfield, 12 Fraser Dingwall (c), 11 James Ramm, 10 Anthony Belleau, 9 Jonny Weimann; 1 Danilo Fischetti, 2 Curtis Langdon, 3 Cleopas Kundiona, 4 Tom Lockett, 5 JJ Van Der Mescht, 6 Josh Kemeny, 7 Tom Pearson, 8 Sam Graham.
Replacements: 16 Craig Wright, 17 Tom West, 18 Sonny Tonga’uiha, 19 Chunya Munga, 20 Callum Chick, 21 Tom James, 22 Toby Thame, 23 George Hendy.