Nick Greenstock may have scored the try which sealed Harlequins' first victory of the season, lifting them off the bottom of the Premiership, but the England centre would rather have had the day off having been called into the side five hours before the kick-off.

Greenstock has become a part-time player at the Stoop this season, concentrating on his job as a management consultant, and he was called into the side on the morning of the match to replace Will Greenwood whose prematurely born baby son Frederick died on Thursday night.

"I was devastated when I heard the news," said Greenstock. "I spoke to Will the day before the game and everyone in the squad wanted to achieve the victory for him. I knew how much Will and his fiancee Caroline had looked forward to the birth and coming so soon after the death of Keith Wood's brother it was very hard to take."

A minute's silence was observed before the match and the Quins' players, who wore black armbands, responded to adversity with easily their most accomplished display of the season. "We stood up to be counted," added Greenstock, whose 80-yard interception try 13 minutes from time took the match beyond Irish. "When I caught the ball at the end, my first reaction was to look for someone to pass to but I had to go it alone."

London Irish, so incisive and inspirational against Saracens the previous week, were strangely subdued. Without Chris Sheasby and Brendan Venter, they lacked an attacking focal point and the diffidence of the outside-half Barry Everitt proved infectious.

"We were rubbish," said Conor O'Shea, the London Irish director of rugby. "We knew Quins would come out with all guns blazing because questions were being asked of them but we lost the physical contest and our ball retention was poor.

"We were taken apart. But the disappointment at our performance pales into insignificance compared to Will Greenwood's tragedy."

Quins lost their outside-half Paul Burke with a hamstring strain, and while it took them a long time to kill the game, they were comfortably the better side. "It was a difficult day," said the Quins' head coach Mark Evans. "Sports teams are close-knit and when something like Will's tragedy happens it has a huge impact. Players rely on each other in a way which does not happen in most other organisations and what we had today was desire."

Harlequins: Williams; Moore, Greenstock, Satala, Gollings; Burke (Slemen, 54), Bemand; Leonard (capt), Fuga, Gomez (Starr, 72), Davison (Evans, 72), Codling, Tiatia, Sanderson, Diprose.

Tries: Moore, Gollings, Greenstock. Con: Slemen. Pens: Burke 3. Drop goal: Slemen.

London Irish: Horak (Mapletoft, 68); Barrett, Burrows, Appleford, Rossouw; Everitt, Edwards; Worsley (Hatley, 47), Kirke (Drotske, 45), Hardwick (Durant, 61), Burke (Gustard, 50), Casey, Danaher, Dawson (Cockle 59), Strudwick (capt).

Try: Rossouw. Con: Everitt. Pens: Everitt 4

Attendance: 7,223

Referee: D Pearson (Northumberland).