Harlequins scored a staggering 45 unanswered second-half points to leave Bristol Bears battered, bruised and broken at the Twickenham Stoop.
What’s worse is the most lasting damage is likely to be unseen tonight, deep in the Psyche of this Bears side who have set a place over the road at the Twickenham final as their bottom line goal for the season.
That looks a fanciful dream after Friday night's 80 minutes.
In the end the final scoreboard read 52-24 to the defending champiojns, coming back from being 21 points down after Bristol raced out to an impressive lead with tries from Joe Joyce, Henry Purdy and Charles Piutau to be 21-0 ahead after 26 minutes.
In the first half Harry Randall was pulling the strings at scrum half, making the break for the first try and putting the ball in front of his runners to power onto to win the collisions.
At that point, it looked like Bristol had exorcised the ghosts of their 36-43 semi-final defeat to the same opponents back in June, having lost a 28 point lead that day. But this capitulation was worse, the defeat more comprehensive, the inability to turn around the momentum of the game more dramatic.
In the second half, Harlequins’ tries came in a devastating flood.
Winger Louis Lynagh, who had scored before the break as well, gave his side the impetus with the first score, before Andre Esterhuizen, Luke Northmore, Will Collier, Tyrone Green, Marcus Smith - back for his first game of the season after a late Lions call-up, and man of the match Alex Dombrandt crossed in a deadly parade of misery for the away side.
The scoreline could have been even more dramatic with replacement Scott Steele having a try scrubbed off correctly by referee Wayne Barnes for a forward pass in the build-up.
In the second half, Harlequins went around, through the middle and over the top of the Bears with Smith and Dombrandt pulling the strings.
Smith’s virtuoso solo try that saw him chip the defence and win the race to touchdown the ball was just one moment of individual excellence within a stunning attacking team performance to delight the sell-out crowd.
Under serve pressure Bristol’s cohesiveness fell apart, individuals - including the lauded Charles Piutau - tried to do too much and every mistake seemed to come with a seven-point punishment.
With three defeats in the first four rounds of league action, Bristol will be left to soul search this week before heading on the longest away day of the season to Newcastle Falcons next Saturday.
Bristol Bears: 15. Charles Piutau; 14. Niyi Adeolokun, 13. Piers O’Conor, 12. Sam Bedlow, 11. Henry Purdy; 10. Callum Sheedy, 9. Harry Randall; 1. Yann Thomas, 2. Jake Kerr, 3. Kyle Sinckler, 4. Joe Joyce, 5. Ed Holmes, 6. Chris Vui, 7. Jake Heenan (c), 8. Fitz Harding,
Replacements: 16. Harry Thacker, 17. Jake Woolmore, 18. Max Lahiff, 19.Nathan Hughes, 20. Dan Thomas, 21. Andy Uren, 22. Ioan Lloyd, 23. Alapati Leiua.
Harlequins: 15. Tyrone Green, 14. Louis Lynagh, 13. Joe Marchant, 12. Andre Esterhuizen, 11. Cadan Murley, 10. Tommy Allan, 9. Danny Care; 1. Joe Marler, 2. Jack Walker, 3. Simon Kerrod, 4. Matt Symons, 5. Dino Lamb, 6. Tom Lawday, 7. Jack Kenningham, 8. Alex Dombrandt (c).
Replacements : 16. Sam Riley, 17. Fin Baxter, 18. Will Collier, 19. Hugh Tizard, 20. James Chisholm, 21. Scott Steele, 22. Marcus Smith, 23. Luke Northmore.
Referee: Wayne Barnes (244th Premiership game).
Assistant referees : Hamish Smales and Simon Harding.
TMO: Karl Dickson.
Citing Officer: Shaun Gallagher
