It hardly needs saying that there are no easy games in the Premiership, but London Irish have given notice that the old saw will ring truer than ever this season. Not only did they beat Harlequins with a performance of some brutality at the breakdown and just as much wit in the spaces behind, but a bonus-point try at the death gives them the perfect start to their return season.
We now seem firmly in the musical-chairs era of Premiership rugby, whereby 13 teams of Premiership strength must circle round 12 places. If Bristol were not quite of that standard last season, one senses they will be next. London Irish were the ones obliged to sit out last season’s edition, languishing in the Championship, but the more established Premiership sides – and the Exiles are certainly one of those – do not waste their time down there, invariably returning stronger. And angry.
Irish caused Quins all manner of problems. Blair Cowan is no stranger to the Premiership and he led the way in ferocious fashion, rattling the bones of Quins’ hefty runners. The wit was swift to follow.
James Marshall received turnover ball on his own 22 from another fearsome collision but that did not stop him sending a cross-kick to Topsy Ojo, the most familiar of all the Exiles. Their most prolific try-scorer, he exchanged passes with Fergus Mulchrone, the pair covering 75 metres between them, to add one more to that tally of his.
Irish were already 6-3 ahead by then and they extended their lead to 18-3 on the half-hour, when Cowan suddenly showed off his aptitude for the delicate. From the midst of another big collision, this time in possession, he turned the ball out of the back of his hand to Tommy Bell, who galloped home past the forlorn tackle of Danny Care.
Forlorn was the word. Quins have had trouble here before, struggling to put Bristol away on day one last season, so perhaps we should not read too much into any Irish revival. Quins’ season never really took off in 2016-17 but if it is to do so this time much faith is being invested in two youngsters in their midfield. We already know about Joe Marchant, so it was no surprise to see him streak clear for Quins’ reply five minutes before the break, sent off by a short, suspicious pass from Jamie Roberts.
But it is the man inside Roberts who represents the unknown quantity. Marcus Smith, who turned 18 on Valentine’s Day, became the second youngest debutant in the Premiership, 29 days older than George Ford was. He is already part of the England setup and early indications are that he is not afraid of the gainline, which is to his credit with people such as Cowan policing it. Encouraging evidence of intelligence and composure was also evident when he quickly drop-kicked the conversion of Marchant’s try before the referee had a chance to reconsider his verdict on that dodgy Roberts pass.
But he also flirted with the gainline one time too many and was levelled in the second half, his game over. So on came the man he had kept on the bench, the new signing Demetri Catrakilis. And off he promptly went again, shown yellow as the umpteenth man not to roll away from a tackle.
Bell landed the penalty, which together with his shot just before the break extended the Irish lead to 14, before the killer blow was delivered just before the hour, towards the end of Catrakilis’s absence. It was one of the more elegant scores of the day, which is saying something, Alex Lewington and a little platoon of team-mates combining down the right with deadly speed to send Ofisa Treviranus, another old favourite, streaking clear for a 29-10 lead entering the final quarter.
Now in familiar game-chasing mode, Quins finally found a measure of cohesion. Care and Marland Yarde went blind from a driven lineout to score Quins’ second with 15 to go. Care’s afternoon had not been comfortable but he was stepping up now. He darted blind again from a lineout in the last 10 minutes to score Quins’ third, pulling them back to seven adrift.
Alas, another senior England international could not maintain the new standard. Mike Brown obstructed Bell and was sent to the bin. The latter’s penalty moved Irish more than a score clear.
A Yarde break, past Cowan of all people, set up Charlie Walker for the bonus-point score with two minutes remaining. It also came with a second bonus point, but Brendan McKibbin’s turnover score at the death denied Quins even that.
“One game means nothing,” said Nick Kennedy, another London Irish stalwart, now director of rugby. “Everyone’s got us down to finish 12th. We’ve got a lot of work to do to properly earn people’s respect.”
Much more of this and the respect will cascade.
