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Impressionnants lors de la phase de poules de d'European Rugby Challenge Cup
Harlequins will look to move director of rugby Conor O’Shea nearer to a perfect send-off when they host London Irish in the quarter-finals of the European Rugby Challenge Cup this weekend.
Quins came out on top of a challenging pool which also included Cardiff Blues and Montpellier to book their place in the last eight during what will be O’Shea’s final European campaign of his stint in charge of the Aviva Premiership club.
The former Ireland full-back will leave the Twickenham Stoop to take over as head coach of the Italian national team at the end of the season.
But adding to his impressive haul of silverware at the club, which already includes one Challenge Cup, an Aviva Premiership trophy and an LV= Cup success, would be the perfect way to bow out.
For London Irish, meanwhile, the opportunity to win a trophy is balanced against a battle to avoid relegation from the Premiership with games running out.
Tom Coventry’s men, who finished runners-up in a pool including Grenoble and last season’s finalists Edinburgh to reach the last eight, face an important tussle with Newcastle the week after this quarter-final clash as they look to retain top-flight status. Number eight Luke Narraway admits a pivotal few days in their season lie in wait.
“It has been a long 10-game streak without a break but it is the same for everybody but we now have a big game against Harlequins and then obviously another one against Newcastle in the Premiership the following week,” said the former England international.
“So we will dust ourselves down and we will go again, because that is what we do. You go again and again. This is no time for self-pity. We as players have got the club into this situation and we as players have to stand up and get us out.”
Notes
• Harlequins have won 10 of their 14 previous knockout matches in the Challenge Cup.
• Harlequins have won each of their last eight home fixtures in the Challenge Cup, including a quarter-final win over Wasps in 2011 – their longest streak in the competition.
• London Irish won three matches in the pool stage, the fewest of any team that qualified for the quarter-finals.
• Harlequins lost their last game in the pool stage, however they have not lost consecutive games in the Challenge Cup since December 2002.
• Only once in the history of the Challenge Cup have London Irish defeated an Aviva Premiership side – a 27-22 win in the 2006 semi-final against Newcastle Falcons.
• Irish have won three of their five quarter-finals, although they've lost the last two.
• Harlequins scored the joint most tries in the pool stage (31 – level with Cardiff Blues).
• Harlequins averaged 567 metres made during the pool stage, the most of any team and one of only three sides to average more than 500 per game.
• London Irish made the most tackles in the pool stage, averaging 129 per game at a success rate of 88%, the fifth best in the competition.
• London Irish wing Alex Lewington is only 20 metres shy of becoming the second player in this campaign to make 500 metres – Ben Howard of Worcester Warriors is the other with 597.
Danny Care's first career hat-trick helped Harlequins finally see off London Irish and triumph 38-30 in a European Rugby Challenge Cup quarter-final thriller at the Twickenham Stoop. - 09/04/2016 22:23
Danny Care’s first career hat-trick helped Harlequins finally see off London Irish and triumph 38-30 in a European Rugby Challenge Cup quarter-final thriller at the Twickenham Stoop.
A trio of tries from the England scrum-half, plus a brace of scores from flanker Luke Wallace and 13 points from the boot of fly-half Ben Botica were enough to keep Quins on course to give director of rugby Conor O’Shea the perfect send-off before he becomes head coach of the Italian national side.
For the Exiles, who are battling to avoid relegation from the Aviva Premiership, this was a tough defeat to take given they led by 12 points at one stage thanks to tries from centre Fergus Mulchrone, scrum-half Brendan McKibbin and wing Sean Maitland, while fly-half Shane Geraghty slotted 15 points.
Quins made the ideal start as good work from George Lowe and Marland Yarde ended with the winger drawing the cover to put flanker Wallace over in the corner.
Geraghty responded with a penalty but a second try arrived for the hosts when Care raced onto opposite number McKibbin’s long pass to race in for halfway, with Botica adding the extras for a 12-3 lead.
The two fly-halves exchanged penalties as Irish kept themselves within range and they made the most of an error by Tim Visser to claim their first try in the 27th minute.
The Scotland winger could not hold onto Mulchrone’s chip ahead, and when he fumbled again in retreat the Exiles centre was on hand to dot down.
Geraghty knocked over the conversion and soon kicked a penalty to give the visitors the lead for the first time in the contest. Botica managed to respond before the break when Irish strayed offside and Quins headed back to the changing rooms with a two-point advantage to their name.
But London Irish stunned their opponents by scoring two tries in the first 10 minutes of the second half. The first went to scrum-half McKibbin as he broke off a well-worked driving maul close to the line to dot down with Geraghty converting.
They then lost skipper David Paice to the bin after a tip-tackle on Chris Robshaw, but they made light of the numerical disadvantage when Maitland cut through on halfway and rounded Mike Brown to score.
When Geraghty converted the Exiles had a 12-point lead but the home side got an immediate response when Care wriggled over from close range. Botica missed the conversion but the hosts were soon on the front foot again and Wallace ploughed over after a period of sustained pressure.
Another Botica miss kept them two points adrift but the fly-half kicked a penalty to put them back in front before Care completed his hat-trick to book Harlequins place in the semi-finals.
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