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Harlequins 22-16 Bath

Harlequins v Bath

Harlequins (6) 22
Try: Care
Con: Jarvis
Pens: Jarvis 5

Bath (6) 16
Try: Claassens
Con: Barkley
Pens:
Barkley 3

Danny Care's 56th-minute try sealed victory for Harlequins and denied Bath the chance to put more pressure on the leading two sides in the Premiership.

Leading 12-9 thanks to four Adrian Jarvis penalties, he scrambled over after pouncing on Simon Keogh's kick.

Bath's only consolation was a losing bonus point, which came courtesy of a converted try towards the finish.

Michael Claassens scored it, Ollie Barkley adding the conversion to take his tally for the match to 11 points.


  • Harlequins coach Dean Richards:

    "We had a good chat beforehand about how we were going to play into the wind and I think we did it better.

    "We have a good group of youngsters and they are enjoying the rewards of their work. We found Bath a bit niggly on the day, which surprised me considering they have had only two yellow cards all season.

    "Danny took his try very well - if you leave a gap he will exploit it. Defences tighten up against him and that opens things up more out wider.

    "I've always said we are looking to improve on our seventh place last season. That's still our objective - top four would be icing on the cake.

    "We've won four of our last five. The players are quite level-headed now. We're looking at how we can improve and it's showing in how we are playing."

  • Bath head coach Steve Meehan:

    "Three things went against us. We kicked the ball far too often, our line-out didn't function as well as it would normally and we had a penalty count of 7-2 against us.

    "We are normally disciplined, but we had a referee that found us at fault.

    "In the second-half, we fought it out until the death and showed character and skill - that got us our bonus point, but that was three points lost."


    Harlequins: Brown, Keogh, Monye, Barry, Amesbury, Jarvis, Care, Jones, Fuga, Ross, Percival, Robson, Robshaw, Skinner, Guest.
    Replacements: Botha, Brooks, Evans, Hala'ufia, So'oialo, Jewell, Gomarsall.

    Bath: Abendanon, Stephenson, Crockett, Berne, Banahan, Barkley, Claassens, Flatman, Dixon, Bell, Short, Grewcock, Goodman, Faamatuainu, Browne.
    Replacements: Hawkins, Jarvis, Purdy, Feau'nati, Baxter, Fuimaono-Sapolu, Cheeseman.

    Referee: Dean Richards (RFU).


    see also
    Wasps 29-25 Harlequins
    09 Mar 08 |  English
    Bath 22-11 Newcastle
    08 Mar 08 |  English


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