Harlequins have returned to Twickenham as victors following a thrilling 28-31 win over Champions Cup rivals Racing 92 on Sunday evening.
The match started in a fast and ferocious fashion, with both sides seemingly intent on throwing the ball around and keeping the play alive. Racing struck first thanks to the classy combination of World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi and France international Cameron Woki, who created the space for scrum-half, Nolann Le Garrec to touch down for the first of his three tries.
It was the humungous fend from Cameron Woki in the lead-up to the try that had the crowd on their feet in first place, however, as Danny Care tasted the Parisian turf.
Quins are not a side to be kept down, and they proved that by immediately returning fire through Marcus Smith and Andre Esterhuizen. Smith’s finish was as trademark as it comes for the talented fly-half, using his superior stepping ability to wrong-foot the defence and break apart a line going the opposite direction.
Esterhuizen’s was also typical of the big man, breaking apart the would-be tackler, before hurtling towards the try line.
Looking to extend the lead towards the end of the half, Smith took advantage of the just-talked-about goal line dropout law by spotting the perfect 40-metre drop goal opportunity.
Harlequins' domination was short-lived, as Le Garret picked up both his second and third tries shortly either side of half time, before tenacious flanker Ibrahim Diallo added to the scoresheet himself.
In true end-to-end fashion, the match continued to thrive as Quins failed to give up the ghost, forcing their way back into the game. Two tries from Alex Dombrandt and Jack Walker set the final ten minutes up for a tense finish.
Despite a yellow card in the 79th minute, Quin’s were able to hold on and secure their 3-point victory over the Paris-based side.
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