Harlequins defended for most of the match against their erstwhile neighbours, but outscored Wasps by two tries to one after showing a side to their game that matched their black jerseys. Their snarling, defiant attitude was personified by their hooker Dave Ward who was sent to the sin-bin 10 minutes in for stepping on the ankle of Thomas Young having previous had the flanker in a neck roll.
There was also a suggestion that he spat at the Wales international, although it was not an allegation levelled by Wasps after the match. “I do not know if any spitting occurred and so I cannot comment on that,” said their director of rugby, David Young. “We saw the stamp and we do not need that sort of rubbish in the game which is hard enough without it. I thought we had gone past that.”
David Young’s opposite number, Paul Gustard, said he felt Thomas Young could also have been sent to the sin-bin for reacting to Ward’s act by shoving him to the floor. “Dave was speared to the ground,” he went on. “I was not happy with what we did and we will have words with him in the week, but I did not see any spitting. I thought the tackle in the air on Mike Brown [by Josh Bassett] was irresponsible. Mike landed on his shoulder and that is not what you want to see in a match here before a sell-out crowd.”
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The citing officer will have little spare time on Sunday. Towards the end, the referee, Craig Maxwell-Keys, told Charlie Mulchrone, Quins’ third captain of the day, to have a word with Joe Marler and inform him that a repeat of the verbal volley he aimed at the referee after being penalised at a scrum would result in a red card. Happy new year wishes were not on many minds.
“Quins are like that,” said Young. “They are in your face with a lot of barracking. You must not take a backward step against them.” Wasps are going backwards, though, a fifth Premiership defeat in six matches plunging them into the bottom half and heading towards a relegation scrap for the first time since they were based at Adams Park and were within minutes of being wound up.
They dominated here for the most part but only after going 10 points down. Quins scored the fastest try of the Premiership campaign through Alex Dombrandt, 49 seconds in after the flanker had exchanged passes with Ward following a lineout routine that fooled Wasps who, in a foretaste of what was to come, dropped the kick-off and Will Rowlands played the ball in an offside position.
Not that long ago Wasps had the sharpest attacking game in the Premiership but Danny Cipriani has left for Gloucester, Jimmy Gopperth is out for the season, Christian Wade is trying to break into American football and Dan Robson has just returned from injury. They rarely vexed a well-drilled defence and Gopperth’s absence has made it harder for their New Zealand fly-half Lima Sopoaga to settle in.
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French clubs have discovered that signing an All Black is not guaranteed to pay off. They are products of their environment: Sopoaga was armed with fluidity and tricks, one pass out of the back of his hand freeing Bassett after a lineout, but he stood deep and often passed a long way behind him, making the gainline almost inaccessible against a resolute defence.
Quins attempted twice as many tackles as Wasps and the one try they conceded, 17 minutes into the second half to cut their lead to three points, was from close range after they had bungled a scrum. What happened after that highlighted a difference between the sides: Quins were switched on and focused, Wasps cloudy and lacking an exemplar: Joe Launchbury was in line to play after recovering from a knee injury, but suffered a neck spasm.
Discipline, handling and decision-making let down Wasps all match and no sooner were they back in it than Elliot Daly conceded a penalty for throwing the ball to the ground in frustration. Another penalty followed and Danny Care, after opting for a lineout rather than three points, let the defence rush up before chipping to the line for Joe Marchant to score.
Sopoaga’s penalty 12 minutes from time gave Wasps a bonus point but it should have been more. They attacked to the end, making the same mistakes. Quins climbed to fourth and there was something military in the way they set themselves up, all spit and polish.