One other gallant English defeat, one other story of the Premiership’s plucky losers however in the end one other tinged with remorse. Toulouse booked their place within the remaining to safe a extensively anticipated showdown with Leinster however, simply as was the case with Northampton 24 hours earlier, Harlequins will marvel what may need been.
That they had Toulouse on the ropes for big spells of the second half, firing freely from their slingshots with out touchdown the telling blow between the eyes of one among European rugby’s giants.
Credit score Harlequins for the style by which they fought again from 31-12 at half-time. They vowed to swing the bat as soon as extra and tries from Cadan Murley and Tyrone Inexperienced introduced them again to inside 5 factors in opposition to a aspect with considerably extra assets. They have been in such ascendancy that had they managed to get their noses in entrance, a victory to eclipse even their “Bristanbul” heroics would have been on the playing cards.
Because it was Jack Walker’s 66th-minute yellow card for a head-on-head clearout lastly gave the hosts some respite however for the second day working, right here have been favourites respiratory an enormous sigh of reduction at preserving the Premiership upstarts – for whom Chandler Cunningham-South, Tyrone Inexperienced and André Esterhuizen specifically shone – at bay.
“Pleased with the group however for the time being very disillusioned,” mentioned the Harlequins captain, Stephan Lewies. “I feel in opposition to a staff like Toulouse when you give them 28 factors on a platter it’s going to be robust. The way in which we got here out within the second half, we’re actually happy with that, we went again to being Quins, if we might have taken away a couple of of these errors, then [you think] what may need been.”
There isn’t a disgrace in defeat, extra frustration at their first-half errors that have been ruthlessly punished, and, as they’ve demonstrated all through this season’s competitors, Toulouse have a gear that nobody can dwell with. Their 15-minute interval on the finish of the primary half, by which Antoine Dupont scored two tries, proved pivotal. They’ll stay up for a remaining in opposition to Leinster later this month and a shot at a sixth title. Like Leinster they’ve issues they should tidy up on however there are occasions when they’re untouchable.
Each these sides prefer to play and there have been occasions when each showcased their full armoury of abilities. The distinction is that Toulouse boast an influence and a ferocity on the breakdown that Harlequins can not match.
Repeatedly within the first half they have been shoved off the ball and whereas Harlequins have canny operators resembling Will Evans, they don’t have somebody like Emmanuel Meafou, the 23-stone second-row behemoth. They don’t have a hooker with the tempo and energy of Peato Mauvaka and in the end couldn’t dwell with the ruthlessness displayed by Toulouse as soon as that they had turned the ball over.
Then there’s Dupont who was within the temper from the phrase go. There was an early break down the left, passes out the again and, pinpoint kicks off each ft and two tries – every on account of his capability to be in the fitting place on the proper time.
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Harlequins have been aggressive throughout a breathless opening half an hour. Toulouse had the opening strive, a well-worked transfer completed within the left nook by Matthis Lebel however a scrum penalty close to their very own line gave Harlequins a foothold and after patiently going by means of the phases, Marcus Smith burst by means of a spot and over.
Mauvaka registered Toulouse’s subsequent strive from a driving maul however with Cunningham-South carrying exhausting and Louis Lynagh considerably fortuitously adjudged to have pulled off a 50:22, Harlequins responded in sort by means of Evans.
From the restart, nevertheless, Harlequins couldn’t exit and Danny Care’s hurried go to Cunningham-South was pinched by Thibaud Flament who dotted down – a sucker punch for the guests. A couple of minutes later and one other mistake – this time an overthrown lineout – and Dupont was quickly over for his first after an exquisite step and well-measured grubber from the spectacular Paul Costes. Dupont had his second earlier than the interval after one other break from Mauvaka leaving Harlequins hanging on on the break.
A quick begin to the second half for Harlequins introduced fast rewards with Murley’s acrobatic end within the left-hand nook and the visiting supporters have been daring to imagine when Inexperienced ran an irrepressible line to go over subsequent to the posts. A bit extra sangfroid and Harlequins may need discovered the fifth strive they wanted to get forward however Walker’s yellow card burst their bubble and Toulouse regathered earlier than hanging within the right-hand nook by means of Juan Cruz Mallía to settle issues.
