Harlequins player ratings v Leinster: Luckless England back’s statement of intent but ‘gulf in class’ clearly evident
Harlequins centre Luke Northmore and an inset of Cameron Anderson.
Following Harlequins’ 45-28 defeat to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium, here’s how we rated the PREM Rugby club in their Investec Champions Cup opener.
Harlequins player ratings
15 Cameron Anderson: Has risen to the challenge of filling Tyrone Green’s void to great effect. Beat defenders for fun and while he could have done better under the high ball on occasion, it was a solid outing. 6
14 Cassius Cleaves: His one-two with Northmore was simply sensational as he shredded through the Leinster defence. Competed well in the air and was sharp defensively. Kind of performance that demands further consideration. 7
13 Oscar Beard: Punished Leinster right in the final knockings to secure a bonus point that could be incredibly important later in the tournament. He was strong in defence for the most part and made good decisions with ball in hand. 7
12 Luke Northmore: The England centre picture just got a whole lot murkier. Untimely injuries have robbed him of regular involvement with England, but today he proved that if fit, Steve Borthwick should reconsider him. He crashed through Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris for his try, brilliantly assisted Cleaves and led the defensive charge for 60 minutes before he was replaced. 8
11 Cadan Murley (c): Ridiculously busy on defence as the stand-in captain really got stuck into the Irish province in a brave outing. Got good exchange from his carries and competed well in the air. 7
10 Jarrod Evans: His sin-binning proved to be a turning point in the game but for the 60-odd minutes prior, he was excellent in dictating proceedings and playing the game in the right areas of the pitch. 6
9 Will Porter: Seems to save his best for the Investec Champions Cup. Worked well in tandem with Evans to keep Quins in the game and pitched in with a try assist. Perhaps hooked too early. 7
8 Tom Lawday: His clearance kick wasn’t too bad, but he really shone without the ball, making good hits on defence and grabbing a turnover. Replaced before the hour mark. 7
7 Will Evans: Harlequins’ most consistent performer and was right in the thick of it again today. Relentlessly chopped down Leinster carriers, racking up 19 tackles and pestered the breakdown, though he didn’t clinch a turnover. 7
6 Zach Carr: A somewhat surprising selection but he repaid the faith, topping the tackle count and was aggressive in everything he did. It’s no wonder that Harlequins locked in the youngster’s services earlier in the week. 7
5 Stephan Lewies: While Quins are renowned for their flash, Lewies brings the grunt, and again, he was a work-horse in the tight exchanges. Just another tough, aggressive shift from the former skipper. 6
4 Kieran Treadwell: Ditto for his second-row partner, who lasted 51 minutes. He was a bit quieter as he did the nuts and bolts of his role in the rucks. 5
3 Harry Williams: Injury forced him off after 20 minutes. Made his tackles in that time and was solid. 5
2 Jack Walker: Another Quins forward who just does the basics and does them well. Lineouts sharp, scrums too and pitched in well with a tidy tackle count and a turnover. 6
1 Boris Wenger: A decent hour for the Puma who gave as good as he got in the scrums, though Harlequins got more success on the right-hand side. 5
Replacements: Pedro Delgado managed to eke penalties out of Paddy McCarthy but struggled against Jack Boyle. Joe Launchbury and George Turner also had strong cameos, but overall, Leinster won this game because of the impact of their bench and the lack thereof of Quins’. It was always likely to be the case, considering the clearly evident gulf in pedigree and experience.4