After their 68-14 victory in their Investec Champions Cup clash against Bayonne at Twickenham Stoop, here’s how the Leinster players performed on Sunday.
Harlequins player ratings v Bayonne
15 Nick David: Caught the eye with some outstanding runs from the back, which gave his side good momentum from the back and eventually finished with a joint match-high 17 carries made. Was also safe under the high ball. 8
14 Cassius Cleaves: The 22-year-old made several attacking runs which provided plenty of headaches to the Bayonne defence, and in early in the second half, he rounded off brilliantly after his searing pace took him past several defenders. However, that effort was ruled out after he knocked on when gathering the ball. Despite that, Cleaves continued to trouble the visitors’ defence. 8
13 Oscar Beard: Was in the thick of the action from the outset and did well with ball in hand as he asked several questions of the visitors’ defence with some powerful carries. Was eventually replaced by Ben Waghorn in the 54th minute. 7
12 Luke Northmore: The England centre made some fine line breaks before doing well to provide try-scoring opportunities to his team-mates while also doing well on defence as he made some crucial tackles and competed ferociously at the breakdowns. 8
11 Cadan Murley (c): The Harlequins skipper proved a genuine threat with the ball in hand, and his efforts were rewarded with the opening try after gathering a perfectly weighted kick from Marcus Smith. Murley continued to shine on attack and like team-mate David, also made 17 runs in this fixture. 8
10 Marcus Smith: The official player of the match was in excellent form as he was pulling the strings in Harlequins’ backline by providing several try-scoring opportunities to his team-mates. Apart from leading the way on attack, Smith’s goal-kicking was also outstanding, and he finished with an 18-point haul after slotting nine out of 10 conversions. 9
9 Will Porter: The Quins scrum-half was on the field for 56 minutes before being replaced by Lucas Friday, but Porter made a big impact on attack. He was rewarded with a brace of tries for his efforts and provided a crisp service to his outside backs. 8
The forwards
8 Zach Carr: The young number eight can be happy with his efforts as he did his bit as a ball carrier and gave his all on defence before the more experienced Chandler Cunningham-South took his spot after 51 minutes. 7
7 Will Evans: Sent to the sin bin for a defensive indiscretion on defence in the build-up to Bayonne’s opening try but despite that, he delivered a solid all-round performance as he was in the thick of the action throughout. 7
6 Jack Kenningham: The 26-year-old did what was expected of him in the execution of his core duties as he was a willing ball carrier and defended well, especially at close quarters. 7
5 Stephan Lewies: The one-Test Springbok was forced off the field midway throughout the opening half due to injury with Kieran Treadwell replacing him. N/A
4 Guido Petti: The experienced Argentina second-rower gave his all to the Quins cause as he did his bit in the lineouts while also impressing as a ball carrier and on defence. 7
3 Pedro Delgado: The Argentina international will be happy with his efforts as he put in a solid scrummaging display during a 47-minute stint on the field, with Will Hobson coming on to replace him. Delgado was also rewarded with a well-taken try late in the opening half. 7
2 Jack Walker: Did what was expected of him as he was accurate with his lineout throw-ins, did well as a ball carrier and put his body on the line on defence before Sam Riley came on to replace him after 54 minutes. 7
1 Fin Baxter: Another England international who was in fine form as he stood up well in the scrums and couldn’t hide his delight when he ran onto a pass from Porter in the 32nd minute before crossing for a try. Baxter continued to impress in all facets of play as the match progressed before Boris Wenger replaced him in the 68th minute. 8
Replacements: The home side’s reserve players continued with the groundwork laid by the players who they replaced as the likes of Chandler Cunningham-South, Kieran Treadwell, and Sam Riley brought plenty of energy to the cause in the forward battle, with the latter duo scoring a brace of tries apiece. Meanwhile, it was a similar story amongst the replacement backs, where Jamie Benson and Friday also impressed. 8