The festive season is a time for giving, and Bayonne's decision to field an inexperienced side against Harlequins was a gift that kept on giving for the home team. With several key players rested and others injured, including Manu Tuilagi and Gareth Anscombe, the visitors were always going to be up against it. The introduction of 20-year-old Australian Jonah Thompson on the right wing, despite being a flanker by trade, was a bold move that ultimately backfired.
The Champions Cup is supposed to be an elite competition, but the current format often leads to teams selecting weakened sides for matches they deem unwinnable. This can be frustrating for fans, who are short-changed by the lack of competitiveness. In this case, Harlequins took full advantage of Bayonne's generosity, scoring 10 tries and cruising to a comfortable victory.
Despite their dominance, Harlequins didn't exactly set the world alight in the early stages. They struggled to hold on to the ball, with handling errors from the likes of Luke Northmore and Oscar Beard. However, it was only a matter of time before they clicked into gear. Marcus Smith, the player of the match, injected some much-needed quality into the game with a clever grubber kick that allowed captain Cadan Murley to score on 22 minutes.
The floodgates then opened, with Tom Spring's failure to read a cross-kick from Smith allowing Kieran Treadwell to score. Fin Baxter soon followed, capitalizing on weak defending to dart over and make it 21-0. The game seemed all but over, but Bayonne refused to give up. When Spring chased a kick over the top, Lucas Paulos crashed over, and the visitors were briefly back in the game.
However, Harlequins were not to be denied. With the final play of the half, prop Pedro Delgado surged over for his first Harlequins try, securing a try bonus to go with the one they claimed against Leinster last weekend. The second half was more of the same, with Quins driving a maul close to the line and scrum-half Will Porter darting over in the corner.
The gulf in class between the two teams was evident, but credit must go to Bayonne for their never-say-die attitude. Despite being outgunned, they continued to fight, and their lively running led to a second try when Spring jinked over on the right wing.
As the game wore on, Harlequins' superiority began to tell. Porter added another try, and the appearance of Chandler Cunningham-South off the home bench was a contrast to the teenagers being introduced by Bayonne. Baptiste Heguy's sin-binning left the visitors with 13 players for a minute, and Quins took full advantage. Sam Riley powered over from a driving maul on 64 minutes, and then repeated the trick four minutes later.
The tries kept coming, with Jamie Benson running in try number nine and Treadwell making it 10 with his first-ever try for the club. It was a rout, and one that could have been avoided if Bayonne had fielded a stronger side. As it was, the visitors were left to pick up the pieces and wonder what might have been if they had been more competitive.
In the end, it was a comfortable victory for Harlequins, but one that was tempered by the lack of competitiveness from Bayonne. The visitors' decision to field an inexperienced side was a gift to the home team, and one that they took full advantage of. As the Champions Cup continues, it remains to be seen whether other teams will follow suit and select weakened sides for matches they deem unwinnable.
Original: The Guardian
Image: The Guardian
Written by Npsports
