Source: Christopher Lee/Getty Images for Harlequins

International Club Rugby on the March – The Big Game

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Quins v Leinster – Twickenham Stadium

This was another major step forward in the growth of international club rugby. Harlequins deserve huge congratulation for putting on a fabulous show.

The rugby wasn’t bad either. Both sides were oozing with international talent – a total of 21 at the starting gate – but as a provincial side Leinster didn’t have the advantage of week-by-week competition. Sadly their great centre Jenny Murphy was absent ill, so last-minute adjustments were needed. The skipper Sene Naoupu moved from centre to fly-half, and there was the unexpected presence of the formidable prop, Lindsey Peat, on the flank.

After the fireworks and flashing lights, Quins got off to the start they must have hoped for. The broad open spaces of HQ were an invitation for Jess Breach to show her paces. Leanne Riley ran a penalty, gave to Breach who brushed off her first opponent and was away. Ellie Green, restored to the No 10 shirt, converted.

Linda Djougang was on the end of a Leinster riposte to help keep them in the game, but Breach’s second try lit up the evening. Quins controlled the ball beautifully from a line-out to midfield; it worked left to her again on her own 10-metre line. She dotted down untouched at the other end. A real Breach spectacular.

Leinster showed they meant business by advancing through a series of penalties. As Joy Neville played advantage, Daisy Earle drove over the Quins line.
The third time Breach was given the ball Leinster managed to haul her in, but there was trouble awaiting them elsewhere. As the ball came back across, Emily Scott inserted a wicked grubber through the royal-blue defences and Rachael Burford won the race to the touchdown – not for the first time in her career.
Anna Caplice, one of three Irish internationals to have thrown their lot in with Harlequins, finished off the hosts’ last offering of the first half.

Half-time: 33-12

The second half finished 14-14 to show what a determined performance Leinster put in. Lindsey Peat, performing at No 6 not prop, finished off a persistent attack to get them on the front foot.

But from there the scoring went tit-for-tat. Emily Scott moved into No 10 in Ellie Green’s place and she converted a try by Amy Cokayne off a driving maul. Leinster responded with another long attack to put hooker Victoria Dabanovich-O’Mahony over. But Quins had the last word with a perfect catch and drive for Fi Fletcher to complete an enjoyable evening for her back at No 8.

So the match finished with an identical score to England defeat of the USA in the World Cup, though the balance of the two games was very different.

It was good to see Riley tapping so many penalties and looking for box-kicks – skills that she tends to keep in her bottom drawer in test matches when margins are narrower.

Djougang made a strong case for the No 3 shirt at the start of the Irish 6 Nations campaign. She is in the mould of the modern prop: able to hold her own in the tight, but willing to take the battle to the opposition at pace. Hannah O’Connor did far more than is normally expected of a No 8: she took kick-offs and planted touch-kicks to show a wide range of skills.

Breach’s early hat-trick had made the game 80% safe for Quins, but her deft skills will have pleased the England management as much her more trumpeted talents. Leinster had quite enough know-how and determination to answer back and post 26 points – the detail co-host coaches, Karen Findlay and Gary Street may well have enjoyed least. But those responses helped to give the game added savour.

Its quality made it hard to credit that so many distinguished names were absent: they included Abbie Scott, Sarah Beckett and Vickii Cornborough for the hosts; Hannah Tyrrell and Jenny Murphy for the visitors.

This was a great advertisement for the women’s game. But it had to make do with the unfriendly kick-off time of 19.15. The large numbers leaving the ground at half-time told you what they thought of this invitation to a cold December evening party.

Final score 47-26

An attendance of 7,500 was claimed by the ground authorities.

Teams
Quins
1 Bourke

2 Cokayne

3 Brown

4 McCormack

5 Sheffield

6 Caplice

7 Franco

8 Fletcher 

9 Riley

10 Green

11 Breach

12 Burford

13 Camara

14 Cowell

15 Scott E. (captain)



Bench
16 Lyons

17 Edwards

18 Viksten

19 Catlin

20 Packer

1 Petersson

22 Hartridge

Leinster
15 Farrell-McCabe
14 Miller
13 O’Byrne-White
12 Claffey
11 O’Brien
10 Naoupu (captain)
9 Hughes
1 O’Dwyer
2 Dabanovich-O’Mahony
3 Djougang
4 Earle
5 McDermott
6 Peat
7 Ni Dhroma
8 O’Connor

Bench

16 Finlay
17 Callan
18 Dunne
19 Cooney
20 Byrne
21 Hullon

Referee: Joy Neville (IRFU)