The knockout stages of this competition do not provide Harlequins with many happy memories (remember Bloodgate?), but they will have another shot at them in April. Their chances of winning one for the first time will be greatly enhanced if they could claim a home tie.
This seven-try win moves Quins into second place, which would be good enough, in Pool 2, level on 15 points with Bath and Toulouse, who play each other in France. Toulouse have a hefty advantage in points difference. If Bath fail to take anything from the match on Sunday, Quins will have that home tie. For Ulster, though, their chances of making the cut are gone. Had they scored a fourth try at the death, they might have retained a mathematical chance of staying in the hunt, but two tries in the final 10 minutes were already quite the return.
Not that they were quite as outplayed as the scoreline suggests. Quins were clinical in the first half, squeezing points out of every opportunity, even when there did not seem to be any. Ulster came at them repeatedly in the first quarter particularly, and then they blinked.
Louis Lynagh, called up on the morning of the match, was summoned from the bench in the 17th minute, as a replacement for new England squad member, Oscar Beard, who went off with a head injury. He showed off his pace, imagination and sheer determination to score two remarkable tries midway through the first half.
A 14-man Northampton side defied the odds to win 26-23 at Munster. The Saints took an early lead through Alex Mitchell’s converted try but had George Furbank dispatched to the sin-bin for a tip tackle and then Curtis Langdon was sent off for reckless use of a knee in a ruck. Munster led 15-7 and 20-10, then 23-16 going into the last 10 minutes. But after a Fin Smith penalty he then converted after Sam Graham went over from a lineout. The Saints are five points clear in Pool 3 of Exeter, who visit Bayonne today.
Maro Itoje inspired a second‑half fightback as Saracens secured a place in the last 16 by beating Lyon 39-24. The England lock scored two tries in 11 minutes to help the three-time European champions progress from Pool 1. The scrum-half Ivan van Zyl, the flanker Juan Martín González and wing Lucio Cinti also claimed touchdowns at the StoneX Stadium, with Owen Farrell kicking four conversions and two penalties.
Lyon, without an away win in all competitions for almost a year, led by 12 points at half-time. The centre Josiah Maraku collected a try double and the wing Davit Niniashvili also scored, while the Lyon captain, Leo Berdeu, booted a penalty and three conversions, but Saracens ultimately avoided a first pool-stage exit since 2011.
In a Pool 1 match between two sides that had already qualified, the Bulls ended Bordeaux‑Bègles’ 100% record by posting a thrilling 46-40 success in Pretoria.
Racing 92 qualified for the knockout phase with a 48-26 victory over Cardiff. Stuart Lancaster’s team leapfrogged Ulster into fourth spot, clinching the final last-16 place from Pool 2. The result dropped Ulster into the Challenge Cup. PA Media
Quins had opened the scoring in only the fifth minute, and it was typical. The ball had bobbled into touch in Quins territory. André Esterhuizen retrieved it, looked up and saw Nick David gesticulating. He simply lobbed him the ball, and the Quins wing ran it home while Ulster scratched their heads.
David was sent to the sin bin a couple of minutes later for a deliberate knock-on. This was Ulster’s period of greatest pressure, Nick Timoney tearing into the home defence time and again. The visitors levelled the score when Robert Baloucoune picked a superb line to combine with John Cooney and Mike Lowry, who sent David McCann over out wide.
At that point, the smart money might have been on the bristling Irishmen but Lynagh changed all that. Marcus Smith called a mark and Lynagh shouted in his ear. Smith fed him and Lynagh was off from his 22. He ran clean through Billy Burns, then chipped into Ulster’s 22. A wicked bounce denied the covering Jacob Stockdale and sat up sweetly into Lynagh’s arms for a fabulous solo score. He was at it again a few minutes later. Not quite so spectacular perhaps, but the determination of his chase, after Esterhuizen’s hacking-on of a loose ball, was rewarded when Baloucoune misread the bobbling ball. The Ulster wing tried to fall on it, but missed, and Lynagh was able to scoop up for his second.
That helped Quins to a 21-7 lead at the break. Danny Care jinked and jived his inimitable way over for the fourth, early in the second half, which earned the bonus point that put Quins into second place. By now, Quins’ scrum was waxing too, and Ulster were up against it. Esterhuizen crashed over on the hour, after Care tapped a penalty, and then came a length-of-the-field counter in classical Quins tradition. Tyrone Green fielded a clearance and fed Smith, who broke. Green took the return pass much further upfield, and David appeared on his shoulder to run it home.
Will Evans scooped up another loose ball for Quins’ seventh in the 73rd minute, but tries in the last 10 minutes by Stuart McCloskey and Stockdale gave the visitors fleeting hope of a bonus point at least.
It was not to be for them, but Quins’ hope lives on.
