Marcus Smith celebrated his 200th Harlequins match in magnificent style. Perhaps there is a danger, at times, of taking his immense talent for granted, but he was unstoppable here. A powerful visiting Saracens side barely got a look-in, with Smith reminding us all of his ability on the day Steve Borthwick named his England squad for a packed November.
Smith’s sensational running, distribution and tactical kicking masterfully controlled Quins’ attack for a badly needed success. They were nought from three in the league and this was a vital result for reasons more important than Smith’s personal prestige.
Defensive discipline and forward muscle was as significant as the customary soft hands and creative vision. It is only one victory but the storm clouds gathering around Jason Gilmore, the head coach – and the rest of the club’s hierarchy – have cleared to some extent.
Gilmore paid tribute to Smith: “The work he puts in, the way he cares about the club, he’s only 27 and played 200 games for us. We’re so lucky to have him. He led us around the park and I’m really proud of Smithy.”
Saracens – despite the presence of Maro Itoje, George Martin and Ben Earl – struggled to make an impact, hardly helped by their indiscipline; Earl and Fergus Burke were shown yellow cards before half-time.
Brendan Venter’s rotation policy may begin to raise eyebrows: Noah Caluori, Owen Farrell and Charlie Bracken were doing shuttle runs 10 minutes before kick-off. There are not many clubs who would ignore players of that quality as a matter of course.
“We have chopped and changed, so I understand why people are asking that,” Joe Shaw, the Saracens head coach, said of his side’s obvious lack of cohesion. “It’s not some random thing we’re trying to be quirky with. We believe there is merit in what we’re doing.”
The Prem weekend had been characterised by stormy weather and old-fashioned wrestles at Welford Road and Ashton Gate, in conditions that did not favour free‑flowing rugby.
A stiff breeze remained but the appearance of the sun played into Quins’ hands. Smith proved the point within three minutes, launching an attack down the left before capitalising on slick handling from George Furbank and Cadan Murley to sprint over. The crowd were on their feet. The tone was set.
The prop Fin Baxter, returning from a 10-month injury layoff, soon demonstrated Quins are about more than silky skill, producing a muscular carry in the 22 before a delightful one‑handed offload for the openside Seb Driscoll, who smashed through the Sarries No 9, Tomos Williams, and over the line.
The wing Rotimi Segun did get Saracens on the board with a fine twisting finish after the visitors worked through the phases into the Quins’ 22, with Martin, Rhys Carré and Theo Dan making inroads before Williams’s looping pass to the left.
But Quins, as if to prove a point, soon went to the driving maul at the other end, culminating in a penalty try and Earl in the sin bin for collapsing it.
Smith’s afternoon got better when Max Malins was sent cantering over the line on 26 minutes thanks to more sharp work by Segun. The England back, hungry to make a difference at both ends, chased a seemingly lost cause and batted the ball out of Malins’s hands.
Saracens’ media strategy has been debated recently and a three-word message on social media last week – “Their cup final” – raised the pre-match temperature. Rather like Northampton’s Henry Pollock and his embarrassing involvement in a scuffle at Leicester on Saturday – that only served to motivate the opposition – it was a provocative move from Saracens that seemed to backfire. Before half-time, Burke was shown a yellow card for an upright tackle on Rodrigo Isgró before Murley pounced for Quins’ fourth: bonus point secured, 26-5 at half-time. Saracens had missed 22 tackles and conceded 10 penalties.
On 55 minutes Quins twisted the knife. Williams flung a long pass out for Segun on the Saracens left where he knocked it on: Will Porter, the No 9, kicked ahead, collected and took advantage of some halfhearted defending to score Quins’ fifth and final try. It was a ragged effort from Sarries and will be a horrible one for their post-match analysis.
Tottenham’s 2-0 win against Chelsea on Saturday – another significant London derby – was distinctly un‑Spursy. Here was a heartening, notably un‑Quinsy, victory for Smith, the player of the match, and his suddenly resurgent team.
“He’s brilliant isn’t he?” Shaw said of Smith, adding the derby defeat left him with an “awful feeling”.
“We planned for him not to be that brilliant. He can pick you off. It’s a disappointing day at the office.”
