It was pulsating at every turn, a wonderfully rousing advertisement for everything that's good in rugby. How weird – and yet how typical – that the product will not be on the shelves for much longer.
The Scarlets won the game by playing beautifully for two-thirds of the game and defending desperately at the death. They created tries for three of their four Williamses between 9 and 15, each try a little masterpiece, each Williams a key figure in the overall performance.
Scrum-half Rhodri has real pace of foot and pass and looked full of confidence. He was on hand to take the inside pass for the opening try from Rhys Priestland, who never looks full of confidence, but rather on the verge of being seized by some inner demon. After being laid low by injury and the yips last season, he kept the beast at bay here, prodigious with his boot and back to his inventive best with his passing.
Scott Williams, partner to Jonathan Davies, who has expanded his repertoire and influence immeasurably, scored the second try with a solo surge through a gap, a dummy and a straight sprint for the distant goal line. He also played a part in the third, stripping the ball off a prop, Joe Marler. If that sounds incongruous, Scott Williams has biceps the size of Carmarthenshire.
Jordan Williams, on the other hand, is more Rutland, more Shane W than Scott. He relied on quick feet and speed to light up the Under-20 World Cup in the summer. Here, he found himself on the wing, tight against the touchline, but with the sniff of a chance thanks to a deft underarm pass from the outstanding Aaron Shingler. Jordan W grabbed that chance, skipping through all attempts to shove him out of play or flatten him.
The failure to fell the little dancer explained much of coach Conor O'Shea's quiet fury afterwards. One player exempt from his fuming was back, Mike Brown, scorer of two tries and one-man builder of many of the statistics that would lead anyone not at The Stoop to suppose the home team had this game in the bag. They didn't, undone by the Williamses and by their own carelessness in possession.
That the other coach, Simon Easterby, was reserved in his joy was explained by his team's descent from the beautifully smooth. Samson Lee made light contact with Danny Gray's face with his boot and was shown a yellow card at the start of the second half. The half – and the game – ended with Liam Williams, just as important as all the other Ws, pushing Paul Sackey's toe into touch and sealing the win.
It was great stuff. But obviously not worth saving.
Harlequins Brown, Williams, Hopper (Walker, 65), Botica, Smith (Sackey, 51), Evans, Care (Dickson, 51), Marler, Buchanan (Ward, 56), Collier (Sinckler, 60), Merrick (Guest, 56), Robson, Fa'asavalu (Wallace, 19), Robshaw, Easter.
Tries Brown 2. Cons Evans 2. Pens Evans 3.
Scarlets L Williams, K Phillips (S Shingler, 22), J Davies, S Williams, J Williams, Priestland (Maule, 69), R Williams, John (Evans, 69), E Phillips, Lee (Adriaanse, 52), Ball, Earle, A Shingler, Barclay (Price, 69), Turnbull
Tries R Williams, S Williams, J Williams. Cons Priestland 3. Pens Priestland 4.
Referee John Lacey (Ireland). Attendance 11,465.
