Harlequins vs Sharks

The Sharks are in the UK out to cement their place as a top seed among the last 16 of the Champions Cup.

It will certainly be a massive boost for our campaign The Sharks are in the UK out to cement their place as a top seed among the last 16 of the Champions Cup. Sharks vs Harlequins .

The Sharks probably gave their worst performance since director of rugby Neil Powell took over the coaching reins when they lost 39-29 to the Harlequins in ...

The Sharks’ discipline issues continued in the second half as former Sharks player Lewies and David scored two more tries for the Quins. However, the Sharks showed no sign of giving up as they scored two more tries through Hendrikse and Etzebeth as they trailed by two just points at halftime. The home side responded with three tries in succession with the first one scored by Care coming just four minutes after the Sharks’.

Harlequins scored five tries as they beat the Sharks in a high-scoring Champions Cup clash at the Stoop in London on Saturday afternoon.

The Sharks were never going to fold, though, and they bounced back with a sensational try. They spread the ball wide from a set scrum and on the touchline, Fassi kept the ball in play with a chip inside which was gathered by Thaakir Abrahams, who put Lukhanyo Am home for a splendid try. This game was a clash of styles if ever there was one.

Eben Etzebeth scored an audacious try that almost threatened a comeback but in the end the Harlequins' high tempo attacking game was too good for the Cell C ...

That was enough to prompt Harlequins to go for posts from a penalty for the first time in the 30th minute. It was a sign of respect for the Sharks that they felt they needed to get some daylight back on the scoreboard. Smith then added a penalty to make it 39-22. Bosch’s excellent conversion from the touchline made it a six point game. And even the currently fourth-placed Exeter Chiefs can pip them if it goes right for them in their final game. That point that might become crucial to deciding who plays where in the round of 16. Smith’s conversion put Harlequins into a lead they were never to relinquish. The hosts were getting the ball back from the recycles twice as quickly as the Sharks in the first half, and it compromised a Sharks defensive system that was way too passive. Smith’s conversion made it 21-8 and suddenly in a game where the Sharks had been up early it looked like they were already out of it after 18 minutes as they struggled to contain the speed and precision of the Quins’ attacking game. The simple fact of the matter for the Sharks was that their discipline was off, and they also failed to slow down the Harlequins ruck ball. But if that suggested it was going to the Sharks’ day in their quest for the win that would have enabled them to finish in the top two in Pool A, it was to prove a mirage. One of the big let-downs for the Sharks on the day was their discipline, and Quins set up an attack from the kick-off after the try by taking a quick tap from an offside penalty.

Harlequins 39-29 Cell C Sharks: Quins sealed their place in the knockouts with an impressive victory at the Stoop.

While Am pounced first for the Sharks, the lead was quickly overturned. [Danny Care](/topic/danny-care) celebrated his 350th appearance for Quins with a try and there were also touch downs for Alex Dombrandt, Cadan Murley, Stephan Lewies and Nick David in a comfortable bonus-point triumph. Tries continued to come thick and fast as Lewies went over from a line-out drive and following a spell of end to end play David ran in his side’s fifth with a solo try made possible by his vision and speed.