Exiles soar on Quins shutout
London Irish set up a Guinness Premiership final showdown with Leicester after a convincing 17-0 victory over Harlequins.
Last Updated: 10/05/09 10:15am
London Irish set up a Guinness Premiership final showdown with Leicester after a comprehensive 17-0 victory over Harlequins in their play-off at the Twickenham Stoop.
The free-scoring, try-laden contest many had predicted failed to materialise as both sides failed to register a point in a feisty and often bad-tempered first-half.
But eventually the Exiles claimed the scores their superiority merited with James Hudson going over for their first try and Mike Catt sealing the win with a late second.
It was no more than they deserved, with Quins made to pay for missing four kickable penalties in the first-half and lack of cutting edge in their overall game.
Defeat brought the curtain down on an ultimately disappointing campaign for Quins who were also knocked out of the Heineken Cup on their own patch by Leinster in the quarter-finals.
Things could have been even worse for their Lions winger Ugo Moyne who was lucky to escape serious injury as early as the second minute when he came crashing down awkwardly on his neck after leaping to take a high ball.
He required several minutes of treatment but was thankfully able to get back to his feet and continue.
Nick Evans - passed fit to play after four weeks out with a thigh strain - then contrived to miss two penalty attempts, the former All Black clearly not functioning at the height of his powers.
An ugly brawl between both sets of players ensued as Quins scrum-half Danny Care was hit with a high tackle, but referee Chris White opted not to punish anyone.
Missed chances
Brown stepped in for Evans to assume kicking duties for Quins but it made little difference as he too missed with his side's third effort at the posts, although Irish's Peter Hewat was equally culpable as he also squandered two relatively simple chances.
But it was the Exiles who always carried more attacking threat and openside flanker Steffon Armitage was only denied by a last-ditch try-saving tackle, while Sailosi Tagicakibau spilled the ball with the try-line at his mercy.
The Samoan winger then compounded that error as he was sin-binned for a cynical late trip on Care shortly before the break.
The deadlock was finally broken three minutes after the restart as Delon Armitage stepped up to land a penalty to edge the visitors ahead.
The lead was extended five minutes later as Irish switched the point of their attack cleverly to expose a stretched home defence allowing substitute Hudson to gallop over - Armitage adding the extras.
Quins responded by sending on Waisea Luveniyali and Andy Gomarsall for Evans and Care, but were indebted to Moyne who produced an outstanding try-saving tackle to keep his side in it.
Exiles' James Buckland should have ended the contest but had the ball dislodged by Brown as he dived over to touch down, the TMO subsequently ruling a knock-on, but Catt did claim the insurance of a second try when he intercepted an ambitious long pass from Gomarsall to gleefully touch down under the posts five minutes from the end, leaving Armitage an easy conversion.
