Following Harlequins’ 47-19 triumph over Ulster at Twickenham Stoop on Saturday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the action.
For someone who was not in the matchday squad when it was announced on Friday, the young outside back certainly had a big impact in the outcome of this fixture.
were forced into a late change ahead of this encounter when Cameron Anderson was forced out through injury and replaced on the left wing by Will Joseph. That meant Lynagh came into the matchday squad as one of the backline replacements but he was introduced as early as the 16th minute when in-form outside centre Oscar Beard limped off the field.
hit the ground running and was in the thick of the action from the outset. In the 24th minute, the England prospect went on a barnstorming run in which he beat several defenders before crossing for a deserved try and just after the half-hour mark he pounced on a defensive error from Rob Baloucoune deep inside Ulster’s 22 before crossing for his second try.
Although he didn’t cross the whitewash again, Lynagh continued to be a menace as the match progressed as he showed why he is so highly rated as an attacker and his efforts were rewarded when he was named the official man of the match after the game.
Although have shown signs of improvement in their set-piece work in recent weeks, that was not evident against Harlequins as the Northern Irish outfit battled to build momentum from the scrums and lineouts.
The men from Belfast lacked cohesion in the scrums and at times it looked like they were not working in tandem in that department as they were put under tremendous pressure on several occasions.
It was therefore not surprising when two-time Rugby World Cup winner Steven Kitshoff and Tom O’Toole were yanked off in the 54th minute with Andy Warwick and Marty Moore coming on as replacements.
Ulster’s lineout work was also not operating on all cylinders with Tom Stewart blown up for a crooked throw-in during the opening half and they failed to launch meaningful attacks from that facet of play. Their defeat to Quins will see them participating in the Challenge Cup from now on but there’s plenty of work for head coach Dan McFarland to do if they want to be a force in that tournament.
A big reason for Quins’ dominance was the performance of their forwards, who showed their class throughout as they produced an outstanding all-round performance which set up a solid platform for their dangerous backs.
Although he only played for 40 minutes, veteran England loosehead prop Joe Marler put in a good shift and gave a good account of himself during his stint on the field.
Marler stood up well in the scrums and put up some big hits on defence alongside the likes of Will Collier, Jack Walker, Will Evans, Irne Herbst and Alex Dombrandt, who all put their bodies on the line in that department.
Young front-row Fin Baxter came on to replace Marler at half-time and played with a maturity beyond his years, especially at scrum-time as Quins shoved their opponents off the ball on a couple of occasions.
With their forwards in fine form, Quins’ backs had plenty of possession and apart from Evans, all their tries were scored by backline players with Lynagh, Nick David, who both scored two tries apiece, Danny Care and Andre Esterhuizen all dotting down.
He might be 37 years old, but the England international scrum-half is still a vital cog in the Harlequins machine and he showed yet again that he is still one of the best scrum-halves in the competition.
impressed with his decision making throughout his stint on the field – before being replaced by Will Porter on the hour-mark – and he caught the eye with his excellent service to his fly-half, Marcus Smith, clever offloads to his team-mates and sniping breaks with one of those – deep inside Ulster’s 22 – seeing him crossing for a five-pointer.
Although Lynagh deserved being named man of the match, Care must have come close to winning that award and he will be keen to continue with his excellent form for England in the upcoming Six Nations after being named in Steve Borthwick’s 36-man squad for the Championship.
This match was played at a fast pace throughout with both sides showing great attacking intent from the outset. Ulster took the fight to their hosts and spent long periods during the opening half camped inside Quins’ half but had little to show for their efforts.
Most of the time when they launched an attack during the first half, Ulster did well to progress into the Harlequins’ 22 but the only reward they had to show for their efforts was David McCann’s try after great work in the build-up from flyer Baloucoune.
It was more of the same during the early stages of the second half when Kitshoff rounded off a flowing move out wide but his effort was disallowed by referee Mathieu Raynal when television replays confirmed a handling error from Harry Sheridan.
By contrast, Harlequins made full use of their opportunities with the likes of Lynagh and David leading the way and the home side were eventually rewarded with seven well-taken tries.
