Harlequins v Exeter: Five takeaways as ‘energy-sapping wobble’ sees play-off chasing Chiefs ‘implode’, leaving hosts to ‘plant seed of optimism’
Harlequins celebrate Will Evans' late try and, inset, Max Norey scores for Exeter
Following a startling 41-24 comeback win for Harlequins over Exeter in their Gallagher PREM clash at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the English top-flight action.
Top line
With Bristol obliterated at Saints on Friday night and Saracens not starting until later on Saturday in the English capital against Gloucester, the stage was set for fourth-place Exeter to further consolidate their hold on a play-off spot following last Sunday’s stirring second-half dismissal of fellow title chasers Bath.
Their clear aim is to be back at Twickenham in five weeks for the June 20 final, and they initially demonstrated they meant business by securing their four-try bonus point as early as the 32nd minute.
However, they then experienced a wounding, energy-sapping wobble – the incredible concession of a game-losing 34 unanswered points – that will have the sceptics insisting they don’t have what it takes to become champions of England for the first time since 2020.
It will trouble Rob Baxter that a team which looked full of first-half running and scores when chalking up a 24-7 lead imploded, going on to be held scoreless for the remaining 47 minutes of the match.
They had confidence-boosting tries from Campbell Ridl (seven minutes), Stephen Varney (10), Max Norey (25) and then Len Ikitau (32) and seemed set to go on and rout the hosts, but they disbelievingly unravelled from that advantageous position and failed to fire a further shot.
Quins, whose only early nourishment was Jack Kenningham’s 22nd-minute try, swept back from nowhere.
Luke Northmore’s score five minutes before the break ignited the momentum swing, and further tries followed in the second half from Caden Murley (46), Will Porter (64), Will Evans (76) and Boris Wenger (80).
There was also a crucial lead-taking penalty from Marcus Smith 11 minutes from time, and Exeter’s cause wasn’t helped by Bachuki Tchumbadze’s daft 74th-minute yellow card for a needless trip on Porter.
Power outage
This was a torturous power outage capable of haunting Exeter all through the summer and beyond, as their grasp on a play-off spot is by no means certain with matches at third-place Leicester and at home to top four rivals Saracens remaining.
There were fears just a fortnight ago that their encouraging campaign had started to run out of steam as two PREM losses were followed by Challenge Cup elimination at the hands of Ulster, but they dismissed that concern with what they gloriously achieved against the wind at Sandy Park when protecting a slender second-half lead against Bath.
The reality of that excellent win, though, hit home in London as they were found to be worryingly dead on their feet after a fast start at English Rugby HQ.
No way should a team challenging for the title give up the fight – and a generous 17-point lead – in the way that they did, and the energy they needed from their bench to remedy the disaster that was unfolding was the equivalent of an empty battery.
Apart from one attack that was held up over the Harlequins’ line, they generated nothing in the second half, and the sense of panic that took over was illustrated in the silly yellow card they copped, and then the wild intercept Varney through that cost them the final try.
During their second half of strife, Exeter really needed one of their experienced players to show leadership and calm nerves.
But with their Wallabies duo, midfielder Ikitau and prop Scott Sio, exiting early in the second half and the likes of England’s Henry Slade increasingly anonymous, they became an accident waiting to happen, and they were blown away in the closing 20 minutes.
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Green shoot contribution
With just over half an hour elapsed at Twickenham, we were getting ready to pen the latest obituary in Harlequins’ desperate season. They had endured an error-ridden start to the match, dispiriting attacking moments such as the sight of Chandler Cunningham-South having the ball ripped from him by Harvey Skinner.
Young Lucas Friday also threw intercepted offloads that didn’t need to be thrown on either side of Alex Dombrandt’s almost comical forward pass that scrubbed out a try for Sam Riley.
No wonder the London club’s fans had voted with their feet after a troubling season, and this latest iteration of their Big Summer Kick Off attendance of 32,000 was well down on the near 50,000 people who turned out for last year’s handy win over Gloucester.
However, rather than allow their latest big occasion at Twickenham to turn into another hammering like the 40-14 loss they experienced at last December’s Big Game promotion versus Bristol, they were gifted a route back by Exeter switching off after they had gone 24-7 up.
Chiefs’ defence stalled, expecting a knock-on to be called, but Matthew Carley allowed play to continue as the fumble had gone backwards and Northmore was the beneficiary as he strolled through a static rearguard that was rooted to the spot and looking for a whistle that rightly didn’t come.
In that one moment, the whole energy of the occasion changed, and Harlequins now had the attention of their fans. Inspired by the powerful Dombrandt, the hosts started to look like the Quins of old, and the attacking lines they generated across their second-half comeback will leave consultant boss Robbie Deans believing he has a foundation to work with next season.
Aside from the potency of their finishing, what stood out was the vibrancy of their youthful but inexperienced tight five, namely lock pair Elliot Williams and Zach Carr, as well as loosehead Will Hobson.
The second row duo was particularly essential to shoring up the defence and blunting what Exeter had to offer after their fast start. It was a green shoot contribution to plant a seed of optimism for next season after a largely ugly 2025/26 campaign.
Bath v Newcastle: Five takeaways as England star returns with a ‘bang’ and Arundell bags four
Smart lineout variation
In an era where the lineout is increasingly becoming a less competitive aspect of play, with so many teams opting to no longer contest in the air and instead keep forwards on the ground to contest the maul, it was great to see Exeter clinically execute a score from first-phase lineout play that didn’t require the ball getting tucked up the jumper of a hooker.
Having just conceded a try to Harlequins, who mauled forward off a lineout before Kenningham provided a pick-and-go finish, Exeter hit back by kicking a penalty to the corner, and what unfolded was the sort of lineout variation that a fan can only love.
Forget mauling. They instead pulled a training ground move out of the locker, which involved the ball getting played down off the top of the lineout into the hands of the scrum-half, who then just as quickly transferred to hooker Norey and allowed him to exploit Harlequins’ lack of blindside cover defence.
It was a well-worked 25th-minute score that highlighted what good coaching can achieve when it comes to first-phase strike plays. The pity was, from an Exeter perspective, they didn’t have much else up their sleeve once they secured their four-try bonus seven minutes later.
What the result means for PREM Rugby table
Exeter’s four-try bonus point has left them in fourth place, five points ahead of Bristol with two rounds of matches remaining. That position would suggest they are still in the box seat to go on and clinch play-off qualification, but their identity of the two final opponents means nothing can be taken for granted.
Third-place Leicester will welcome Chiefs to Welford Road on May 31 before their regular season campaign finishes on June 6 with a home match against play-off rivals Saracens.
The London club won their Saturday evening home game against Gloucester with a bonus point, lifting them to 52 points, just three behind Exeter, and creating an intriguing run-in.
Switching to Harlequins, their comeback win had lifted them to eighth place in the table ahead of Gloucester. You might say, big deal, but it is actually a big deal, as an eighth-place finish will secure Champions Cup qualification for next season.