If any extra proof have been wanted of Tub’s dedication to go one higher than dropping finalists this season, right here it was – writ massive. They discovered themselves trailing by 10 factors within the second half however with Man Pepper shining all through and with tries from the alternative props Thomas du Toit and Francois van Wyk they clawed their approach to victory.
Van Wyk’s rating got here with simply two minutes left on the clock, such was the nice margin of their win, however they chalk up the victory nonetheless to maneuver into second within the desk. Harlequins led after the opening couple of minutes and weren’t behind till Van Wyk’s strive. They’d Marcus Smith within the temper too however Tub have made a behavior of coming from behind this season they usually scored two of their tries when all the way down to 14 males.
“It’s an 80-minute recreation,” mentioned Tub’s head coach, Johann van Graan. “We spoke within the week about this being a heavyweight boxing combat. It’s essential via the season to win large video games away from dwelling and that’s three on the bounce from us now. The most important factor for me was after we have been all the way down to 14 twice, we have been truly the stronger crew.”
Ollie Lawrence was as soon as once more magnificent at centre whereas Ben Spencer’s cool head was invaluable. Then there’s Pepper. The 21-year-old flanker merely doesn’t cease. He has excelled since arriving at Tub and although he missed out on Steve Borthwick’s squad final week, his efficiency at blindside flanker right here is not going to have gone unnoticed by the onlooking England crew supervisor, Richard Hill. The World Cup winner had loads of different English back-row expertise to forged his eye over however there’s something about Pepper that means his is a brilliant future certainly, even when his second-half yellow was on the silly facet.
Little question relishing the duel with Finn Russell – arguably his closest rival for the British & Irish Lions No 10 jersey subsequent summer season – Smith started the match together with his tail up. He had arrange two tries contained in the opening quarter – the primary a delightfully weighted cross for Alex Dombrandt to crash via the Tub defence in trademark type on his comeback from a hand harm. The second got here from a cross-field kick for the Argentinian wing Rodrigo Isgró – the 2023 world sevens participant of yr – to go over on the best in his debut.
By that time Tub had barely bought going. They’d misplaced Alfie Barbeary to a nasty-looking head harm and encountered Harlequins’ new-found defensive resilience when Tom de Glanville appeared sure to attain subsequent to the right-hand put up, just for Tyrone Inexperienced to someway maintain him up. They weren’t helped by a misfiring lineout however when Tom Dunn lastly hit his man contained in the Quins 22, Tub have been quickly over with Pepper squeezing the ball down from shut vary.
Tub encountered additional issues when Dunn was despatched to the sin-bin and the guests have been residing a charmed life with Smith repeatedly searching for Isgró with the cross-field kick. To their credit score, nevertheless, Tub levelled at 14-14 regardless of their numerical drawback, De Glanville this time wriggling his method over. Isgró’s second, plunging over from shut vary, gave the hosts a half-time lead they only about deserved.
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Harlequins thought they could prolong their lead after a marauding run from Chandler Cunningham-South, simply moments after coming off the bench, took them to inside a number of metres of the Tub line. Redoubt West Nation defence saved them out, nevertheless, and Harlequins needed to make do with a Smith penalty after a second of desperation from Pepper earned him a yellow card.
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Perhaps Tub ought to play with 14 extra actually because simply minutes after Pepper had been despatched to the sin-bin the guests have been again to inside touching distance, with Du Toit crashing on to a brief ball and flopping over. Tub have been then awarded a penalty simply inside their very own half with a couple of minutes to go and to the nook they went, enabling Van Wyk to bludgeon his method over.
“The important thing phrase is frustration, we didn’t take sufficient factors from the strain we created,” mentioned Harlequins’ head coach, Danny Wilson. “Then within the final 10 minutes we simply handed them alternatives they usually’re too good a crew to try this.”
