Harlequins v Bath: Five takeaways as ‘relentless’ champions send ‘warning’ after Bomb Squad ‘rectify losing cause’
Vilikesa Sela (front left) celebrates a try v Harlequins as Bath start the season with a win
Following Bath’s 47-31 win over Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop, here are our five key takeaways from the PREM round one fixture.
The top line
Bath began their PREM title defence in the best way possible, securing a 47-31 win over a spirited Harlequins side at the Stoop, but they didn’t have it all their own way.
A quick-fire brace from Will Evans put the hosts 12-0 up after just eight minutes, a lead which then became 17-7 as Evans grabbed a hat-trick just 15 minutes after Tom Dunn scored his side’s first try of the year.
A yellow card to Chandler Cunningham-South swung momentum back towards the visitors, though, and they didn’t let go. Young tighthead Vilikesa Sela pulled them back to within touching distance in the following play, making it 17-14 at the break.
More followed after half-time, with Beno Obano, Henry Arundell (2), Archie Griffin and Sam Underhill also adding their names to the scoresheet.
Quins didn’t go down without a fight, though, with Jack Kenningham and Tyrone Green crossing to give them a try-bonus point, but it was too little too late to mount a comeback as Bath claimed a win to start their title defence with a bang.
Tale of two halves
At times in the first-half, it looked like Bath’s title defence was going to start with a shock defeat. They just looked a shell of the side that won the title 104 days ago across the road, as Quins took it to them in all departments.
It wasn’t that they were bad, but they were clearly second-best in the contest. The breakdown was messy, limiting Ben Spencer’s ability to get it away and control the tempo, while the likes of Cunningham-South, Evans and Kenningham hammered into Bath’s ball-carriers and stopped them getting over the gainline.
The scoreline at the break was slightly fluffed up following a Sela score just before the break, but that gave Bath a lifeline back into the contest.
It was this lifeline that changed the second-half, as the visitors powered their way to a bonus-point win.
After the break, it felt like the Bath of last season. They focused on doing the simple things well, manipulating the hosts’ impressive defence to create space for the likes of Tom de Glanville, Ollie Lawrence and Arundell. From that, they then turned to their flashy skills to turn chances into points.
The change in Bath’s display will please Johann van Graan no end, but it should send a warning out to the rest of the league. You cannot give them a sniff.
Bomb squad
Bath’s second-half turnaround was quite something, but it was led by the imperious bomb squad yet again. The impact of the likes of Ted Hill, Griffin, Ross Molony, Underhill and Kepu Tuipulotu rectified this losing cause with pure might just as Quins were starting to get the upper hand in the battle up-front.
Of the players that came off the bench, Griffin and Underhill got themselves on the scoresheet, but that was just a personification of the unit’s work on the pitch.
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They just took everything up a notch in the tight; pounding the Quins defence with relentless carry after relentless carry, smashing into the breakdown and bashing the Quins ball-carriers back in defence too.
This bomb squad has been the hallmark of Bath’s game plan for a good year now, with Van Graan previously detailing there was even a science behind it, and it seems they have just mastered the art of it and turned it from a tactic into a weapon.
Inconsistencies kill
It might have been a tough scoreline come the final whistle, but there is certainly a lot for Quins to be pleased about tonight. The hosts were largely written off heading into the new campaign, with question marks over their recruitment and the disruption caused by the sudden departure of head coach Danny Wilson to Wales, but if anything they seemed a side refreshed and up for anything.
They flew out of the blocks in the opening stanza, turning to their trademark champagne rugby to send Evans flying over for a tidy hat-trick, but around that, they also showed some serious beef too. Quins dominated the breakdown battle against their West Country adversaries, and their aggressive defence contained their attack and kept them restricted in their own half.
On the flip side, that took a toll on them come the second 40 and they eventually collapsed. The manner in which they were ripped apart in that final half will need to be looked at, with Bath able to pull away with relative ease, and it’s that inconsistency that will sting.
Far too often across the past two seasons, Quins have blown extremely hot and cold, and it’s cost them dearly. Yes, they are in a transition right now, but they cannot afford another year of inconsistency.
They need to take the positives out of this performance, of which there were many, and just turn that into their new DNA.
Test watch
Quins’ hat-trick hero Evans yet again showcased some serious class. It wasn’t just his try-scoring antics, either, as he again just threw his body into any breakdown he could get to and proved a real nuisance. How he’s not got a Test cap I’ll never know, but this was another very good audition ahead of the Autumn Nations Series.
Back-row partner Kenningham was also very solid around the park, getting a try for his efforts in the process.
Just seeing Bath centre Lawrence back on the pitch will be a major boost for both club and country. Given he’s defied the odds to get back this quickly after such a serious injury, he could have been excused for just getting through the game, but he looked to throw himself into everything. Cruelly had a try ruled out in the second-half, and was held up for another too, but a really positive display from the returning ace.
Makeshift fly-half Max Ojomoh also showed another string to his bow tonight, guiding Bath around expertly well and looking pretty comfortable in his new role. Official Man of the Match, Spencer, again stood out. When he was good, Bath were awesome, which again just proves he is the beating heart of this side.
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