What about Harlequins and Leicester Tigers? Maybe it’s the friendly spirit of Christmas, but three times these two teams have taken to the Twickenham turf for the annual winter ‘Big Game’ and, each time, nothing has divided them .
It was an improbable run which continued here with a 34-34 thriller worthy of one of the best days in the English rugby calendar. It remains a great achievement that the Allianz Stadium is constantly full for a serving of Twixmas dishes which always seem to be a treat after days of excess. The draw joined the 30-30 result of 2019 and the 26-all which launched this beautiful festive tradition in 2008.
Many figures from other Premiership clubs watched with envy as Harlequins turned this outing into a hot ticket. It was a new record sell-out of almost 82,000 for one of the best days in the English rugby calendar, with interest not even waning for 16 editions.
It looked like the pumped-up crowd would be sent home happy with Harlequins’ season resuming and Marcus Smith continuing his sparkling form at a ground that increasingly feels like home, but Leicester have found an unlikely Christmas hero. Tries haven’t come frequently for Dan Cole during his long and illustrious career, but when needed the veteran answered the call, old King Cole spilling over in the final minute to allow Handre Pollard to settle his affairs from the tee. .
“I think rugby did the occasion justice,” said Danny Wilson, a frustrated Harlequins coach. “Huge credit for selling this place out [Twickenham] for a club match. It’s incredible, huge for the Premiership and huge for Harlequins, and the rugby on display did that justice.
After a weekend which saw the first three Premiership matches decided by an average of more than 50 points, the league needed this kind of thriller to wake punters from their post-Christmas slumber. Fortunately, Harlequins’ annual trip down the A316 has become as reliable as Wallace and Gromit’s for festive entertainment.
The host’s opening music could have been an Aardman production, as complex and very charming as it was. Pollard had put Leicester in front from the start when a loose kick granted Marcus Smith a glimmer of space. The fly half set to work, meticulous footwork bamboozling Leicester’s pursuers. He danced around Julian Montoya before finding Jack Walker inside for a good try.
It was the kind of creation that shows how much of a threat Smith is with even a hint of a breaking ball. With George Furbank looking likely to miss at least the start of the Six Nations after fracturing his arm, watching Steve Borthwick will surely consider the possibility of using Smith as an auxiliary creator at the back with George Ford’s options and Fin Smith at full-back. half steal. There is an argument that any positional change risks dimming England’s bright autumn star, but Borthwick has plenty to think about before naming his squad on January 14, with Freddie Steward likely having his best season offensive in the colors of Leicester.
Leicester had already regained the lead through Ollie Hassell-Collins when Steward showed the dynamism he has added to his game. With a ball bouncing off the edge of his 22, Steward shaped up to kick a front kick to skillfully avoid Jack Kenningham and launch into space. His inside ball to Cameron Henderson kept the move flowing before Pollard delivered his second try pass with Solomone Kata sliding untouched.
The party began to liven up as the evening deepened, with the Tigers appearing to get closer to a third down as they pushed toward the right corner. Seconds later, however, they were back under their own posts as Quins went all the way. With the lineout transfer disrupted, Kenningham produced a searing break from deep as the flank showed impressive speed to thunder, then a cool header to give it to a quicker man in Cadan Murley.
Leicester had largely controlled proceedings but soon found themselves stung again. Kata had already been tried once this season and his high shot at Oscar Beard looked uglier than his sending off against Exeter. It was therefore with some surprise that the yellow card came out of Matthew Carley’s pocket. It didn’t matter to Harlequins as they made the cross pay instantly, with Luke Northmore crashing over with Smith’s conversion securing a slim half-time lead.
Kata’s return from the bin came moments before a penalty extended that advantage to four points, but the Tigers, restored to full strength, hit back through Steward. Another strike from Smith’s boot leveled the scores, creating the doozy of a final quarter that a convincing contest deserved.
With the influential Smith regularly getting his hands on the ball, Harlequins found what appeared to be the match winner. If there was suspicion from the striker about the try-scoring pass, the officials were happy when Cadan Murley slipped through. But then Cole squirmed to the line for his second try in three weeks and Pollard’s conversion came in off the post to snatch a goal. sharing points.
“He is 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 put in. He never lies, so I was pretty sure he managed to bring the ball down and it was a great kick from Handre to finish it off.
Earlier, Harlequins moved to the top of the Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) by beating a brilliant Leicester.
The struggling Tigers always looked likely to face this as they took on a home side who have found real cohesion under Ross Chisholm after a difficult few years under Amy Turner, although they have started brightly, scoring the first try of the match early on.
But Quins quickly took control, with the ever-threatening Ellie Kildunne and the rest of a dynamic backline to the fore as young Spanish center Claudia Pena continued to impress in an excellent debut season in English rugby .