Harlequins waste golden chance in second half try-fest
12:58pm Tuesday 9th April 2002 in Harlequins
Bristol Shoguns 43 NEC Harlequins 27 Still rooted to the foot of the Premiership table and having played one more game than fellow strugglers Leeds and Bath, who also have 28 points to their names, life is looking increasingly bleak for Harlequins after they crashed to a heavy defeat in Bristol on Sunday, writes James Sayer.
With the scores lying at 17-15 three minutes into the second half, Quins having recovered from an early 17-3 deficit, a first away win of the season seemed decidedly possible. However, Bristol soon erased any doubt as to the identity of the victors as they battered the visiting defence into submission, scoring four tries and 26 unanswered points to secure the vital league points.
The home side scored the first of their six tries after nine minutes when a break from powerful back row forward Andrew Sheridan led to young winger Phil Christophers outpacing the covering defence en route to the line. Felipe Contepomi added the conversion and then exchanged penalties with Paul Burke to take the score to 10-3.
On the half hour mark Bristol added their second try, former England winger David Rees was held up short of the line and from the resulting five metre scrum Contepomi jinked his way in under the posts before adding the conversion for 17-3.
Quins hit back on the stroke of half-time with their first try, the visitors being rewarded for a brave decision to kick for a close-range lineout, from which Nick Greenstock crashed over in the left hand corner. Burke's conversion attempt was unsuccessful and the teams entered the interval with Bristol leading 17-8.
Harlequins began the second period in fine style and clawed the deficit back to just two points when Greenstock's second try, from a five metre scrum, was converted by Burke for a scoreline of 17-15.
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However, just as the visitors were beginning to find form and rhythm, their momentum was crushed by the sin-binning of Steve White-Cooper after a foul on Garath Archer in the lineout.
The home side took full advantage of superior numbers to add two tries to their tally, Sheridan and Andrew Higgins capitalising on some poor Quins tackling. Contepomi was successful with one of his conversion attempts and Bristol had opened up a 29-15 lead. The West Countrymen continued to attack the dispirited Quins and tries from replacement Lee Best and Christophers quickly followed.
One consolation from a disappointing afternoon for Harlequins, came in the form of a bonus point after a Keith Wood try and then a penalty try that pushed the final score to 43-27.
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