Harlequins reignited the passion in their fans on Sunday evening, beating into the hearts of their home faithful as they saw off a weakened Stormers side, 61-10.
Here’s how we rated the Harlequins players:
Backs
15 Tyrone Green: The South African-born fullback looked as dangerous as ever with the ball in hand, threatening to snap the ankles of any would-be defenders that dared to clutch him in full flow. He got through a ton of work, particularly in attack, and worked well with his back three teammates. 7
14 Nick David: Defensively astute and electric with the ball. Scored a brilliant hat-trick, which was nothing less than he deserved. He was involved in almost every Quins‘ attack, beating a game-high of nine players for 100 metres made. 9
13 Luke Northmore: Another player who tormented the Stormers’ defence. The 28-year-old made a brilliant catch from a Marcus Smith kick charge down early on, before passing the ball to Cadan Murley to score on the wing. He made plenty of hard-running lines in the midfield, making four line breaks and beating seven players for 75 metres. 8
12 Bryn Bradley: A quiet game for the inexperienced centre relative to his teammates. In any other game, you’d have agreed that he got through plenty of work. Although he wasn’t as effective in the attack as those around him, he still did a solid job, particularly in defence. 6
11 Cadan Murley: Another star of the show. The England winger made an incredible steal on the floor to launch an early Quins attack, and from then on, he was terrific. Three line breaks, seven defenders beaten, and 87 metres made. 8
10 Marcus Smith: The England utility back didn’t light up the Stoop like he normally does, instead realising quickly that it was his outside backs’ chance to run the show. It wasn’t a bad day at the office, just not one that’ll be remembered for. 6
9 Lucas Friday: The young scrum-half is really starting to make a name for himself in the absence of Will Porter. On Sunday, he added real zip to the performance, allowing those around him to excel. Lost the ball a few times, however – something that will likely be improved upon as he gains experience. 7
Forwards
8 Alex Dombrandt: It was a terrific sight to see the Quins captain flying towards the tryline with the ball in one hand as he extended the early lead. Currently out of the England conversation and with a big job on his hands at Quins, the 28-year-old worked terrifically with his backrow trio to kick off what felt like every attack. 8
7 Jack Kenningham: Put in the all-important hack forward for Harlequins’ bonus point try, made some great aerial takes, and was an utter colossus in defence. He was simply superb in every facet of the match and was deservedly given the player of the match award. 9
6 Chandler Cunningham-South: There aren’t many players that genuinely strike fear into the opposition when they line up, but CCS certainly does. Against the Stormers, he was at his devastating best, crunching anyone who dared bring him the ball, and swatting off anyone who vowed to take it back. Pounced well on the loose ball to score his try. 8
5 Kieran Treadwell: Made a huge number of tackles, with many of them shaking the surrounding ground, and put a real shift in the lineout. Guilty of giving away a couple of penalties, but overall, he made a huge impact. 7
4 Guido Petti Pagadizabal: Quieter than his second row partner, but still put in a solid defensive performance that helped provide the other 14 players with a solid base to work off. 6
3 Pedro Delgado Ibanez: It wasn’t a game for props, so instead he channelled his inner winger when making an impressive linebreak. Otherwise, removed after 45 minutes, held the scrum well when required and hit plenty of tackles. 6
2 Jack Walker: It was a solid defensive effort from the experienced Quins hooker, but in attack, he was non-existent. His lineout was strong, however, and he was a menace in the breakdown, winning more than one turnover. 7
1 Simon Kerrod: Removed shortly into the second half after failing to make much of an impact. Scrummed well enough, but will not remember this as one of his finer performances. 5
Replacements: Two of Harlequin’s replacements scored. Zach Carr, one of the scorers, hit everything that moved and touched down mere seconds after arriving on the field, while the other scorer, Jarrod Evans, secured the final try of the afternoon to send their fans home happy. 8