Bath run too hot for Quins
Bath maintained their fine start to the season with a 25-10 victory over Harlequins at the Rec.
Last Updated: 13/10/07 2:29pm
Bath maintained their fine start to the season with a 25-10 victory over Harlequins at the Rec.
Quins have also started the season strongly but were outplayed by a determined Bath pack and had few answers to some impressive lines of attack from the Bath runners.
There were too many handling errors for this to be classed a top-quality performance from Bath, but the home fans were not too concerned about that as they watched their side chalk up a fourth win from five this season.
The game was a stalemate for almost half an hour as both sides were content to kick for territory.
Errors
It was the home side who came up with two errors, twice being penalised, first for offside and then for not rolling away.
Chris Malone should have punished them but the former Bath man was wide with two kickable, if difficult attempts.
Rob Shaw showed excellent defensive skills to snuff out a break from Ryan Davis but the Quins man was guity of offside moments later as Bath's forwards got a roll on and Shaun Berne finally broke the deadlock on 27 minutes with a 35-metre penalty from in front of the posts.
That was the signal for the game to burst into life.
Two minutes later Bath had their first try. After a neat side-to-side handling move space opened up for Peter Short and he burst over from 20 metres out, brushing aside the challenges of Mike Ross and Steve So'oialo.
On 35 minutes Quins were penalised for coming in at the side and Bath put the ball into touch on the 22 and scored a neat set-piece move.
First phase
It was a cleverly angled run from Michael Stephenson which opened up the visitors' defence but coach Dean Richards will be unhappy at conceding a try from first phase possession.
At 15-0 Quins were struggling but they got back into the contest moments before the break after Bath were penalised for numbers at a line-out on their own 22.
So'oialo took a quick tap and raced over to score and with Malone this time making no mistake, Quins trailed just 15-7 at the half.
Good pressure from the Quins back row forced Bath into holding on and Malone cut the deficit to just five points six minutes into the second half.
Four minutes later it was Quins' turn to be caught offside and Berne slotted over a simple kick.
Both sides were making too many errors for the game to flow with any purpose but with the Quins lineout struggling, Bath always looked likely to have the edge.
Just past the hour mark Bath got the try that killed off the game, Berne finding another great running line and racing in from 30 metres by the posts.
Quins had one more chance to re-ignite the contest. With five minutes left Bath were caught playing the ball off their feet and the ball was punted into the corner.
For once the Quins' lineout functioned effectively but the forwards were wrongly adjudged to have knocked-on as they drove for the line - a Bath hand flicked the ball back - and the chance and the match were gone.
