After 10 months out following surgery to reconstruct the right shoulder, the Bath and England prop Matthew Stevens may play a part in the later stages of this year's Six Nations. This was a comeback match of marathon length but, for all his lack of match fitness, the 24-year old showed stamina which would have had the England management rubbing their hands.
The clock was finally stopped after a good 100 minutes but Stevens was still on the pitch, still going strong and, in a series of late scrums on Harlequins' try-line, the visiting pack were being driven backwards as ruthlessly at tea-time as they had been shortly after lunch.
Bath's director of rugby, Steve Meehan, added: "From a strength point of view he was fine but his match fitness will take a while to come up to speed."
With Stevens and company producing fine set-piece ball, Bath off-loaded in the tackle with speed and accuracy that are rarely seen in the Premiership. When it works, it is a style few defences can handle; Quins could not cope and they turned round 18 points behind.
After Steve Borthwick's initial try was a tribute to the power and accuracy of the Bath pack driving off a close-range lineout Joe Maddock then cut a perfect diagonal line for his try shortly before the half-hour. On the stroke of half-time Olly Barkley sped past three Quins tacklers to set up Chris Malone's score.
Harlequins then produced a spirited comeback. Tries for Mike Brown and Nick Easter to one for Bath's bulky centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu set up a dramatic final quarter.
Quins looked to have got the ball over the Bath try-line three times through Easter, the replacement scrum-half Steve So'oialo and Will Skinner but, unfortunately for them, Rob Debney did not see it that way and there was no video referee to decide for him. Debney had an active afternoon, eventually awarding Easter a red card for a second yellow-card offence when the back row put in a vigorous appeal after Skinner was not awarded what appeared to be a try in injury-time. The referee ruled that he had put the ball over the line with two movements.
Bath Abendanon; Maddock, Fuimaono-Sapolu, Barkley, Stephenson; Malone (Berne, 47), Walshe; Barnes, Mears, Stevens, Borthwick (capt), Grewcock, Beattie (Short, 78), Scaysbrook (Lipman, 50), Feaunati (Delve, 58).
Tries Borthwick, Maddock, Malone, Fuimaono-Sapolu. Cons Barkley 4. Pen Barkley.
Sin-bin Stephenson, 78.
Harlequins Brown; Strettle, Luscombe, Abbott, Keogh; Jarvis, Gomarsall (So'oialo, 60); Croall, Fuga, Ross (Nebbett, 70), Kohn (Evans, 70), Spanghero, Vos, Volley (capt; Skinner, 70), Easter.
Tries Brown, Easter. Con Jarvis 2. Pens Jarvis 3.
Sin-bin Easter, 17 Sent off Easter, 80.
Referee R Debney (RFU). Attendance 10,600.
