Bristol played in an identical strip to the one worn by Worcester in the opening match, but there the similarity ended. The Championship champions took their first game in the top flight for seven years to Quins from the start, sticking to their plan of running from deep and from some way behind the gainline despite the heavy rain that started falling before the kick-off. They played the smarter rugby but lost the penalty count 18-5.
Bristol’s attacking triumvirate of Tusi Pisi, Gavin Henson and Will Hurrell outfoxed a rush defence and while their first two tries came through Quins’ largesse they created three opportunities through the slick way they moved the ball and they did not just cope with the pace of the game, but set it for the most part. They did not look a side destined for a quick return to the purgatory they took so long to escape from but it will be about how they finish, not start.
Quins complacently ran an early penalty only to be turned over by Jack Lam. It prompted a 25-minute period of such dominance by Bristol that it was Harlequins who appeared to be the newly promoted side – hesitant in defence, slipshod in attack and laden with a sackful of gifts. Bristol sought, and found, space with Pisi operating from deep, Henson achieving width with his trademark passing and Hurrell finding holes in the defence.
It was surprising that it took Bristol 20 minutes to score their first try, presented to them by the Quins captain, Danny Care, who ran a quick penalty from just outside his own 22. His attempt to find Marland Yarde with a pass that was undermined by the wet and as the ball fell well short of his target Tom Varndell marked his return to the Premiership with a 35-metre intercept and a typically opportunistic try.
Quins were sufficiently shaken to take the three points when presented with their next kickable penalty, but the mistakes multiplied. Yarde blew two half chances by dropping the ball, Bristol stole two lineouts, even though one of the throws was crooked and when Ross Chisholm had the opportunity to peg Bristol back following a turnover he kicked the ball directly into touch.
Worse was to come for Chisholm when another poor kick gave Bristol the chance to counterattack from halfway. The full-back chased hard but sold himself in the tackle when Will Cliff picked up the ball, so that when the scrum-half found Pisi the Samoan found himself in space after jinking out of two tackles and even at the age of 34 easily had the pace to see off what remained of the defence.
Henson was revelling in his return to the big time, but it ended prematurely when he hobbled off after 29 minutes having been tackled late by Joe Marler, the England prop who was blighted by disciplinary problems last season. . Marler took him out after a kick downfield, but only marginally so, leaving any possible citing to be determined on whether the fact he used his shoulder, rather than his arms, merits a hearing. “Marler got there was early as he could,” said Bristol’s director of rugby, Andy Robinson. “It is a shame an injury occurs from something like that, but I hope Gav will be fit for Northampton on Sunday.”
Bristol’s hold on the game started to weaken without Henson and Quins, profiting from their opponents’ indiscipline, turned an attacking lineout into a driving maul that stalled before a number of backs arrived to add momentum and the ball was funnelled to Yarde, who managed to hold on to it.
It would have cut Bristol’s lead to eight points had Jordan Crane, their summer recruit from Leicester, not passed some unsolicited advice to the referee, Luke Pearce. Officials have been told to crack down on dissent this season and Harlequins were given a penalty on halfway. They turned it into another lineout and Chisholm cut the line and fed Joe Marchant with a try-scoring pass that was ruled not forward on review.
The lead did not settle Quins, who, within one minute of the restart, had supplied Bristol with another try. Ryan Edwards chased his own kick ahead with hope rather than expectation as it bounced towards the try line, outpaced by Marchant and Tim Visser. Marchant fell on the ball but lost control after aquaplaning and Edwards reached it just before Visser.
Quins stirred themselves enough to mount more pressure without ever looking convincing. Bristol had half-chances through Varndell and Ollie Robinson, who charged down Nick Evans’s lazy free-kick only to be just beaten to the bounce by Chisholm. The visitors were undermined by their indiscipline and two Evans penalties gave Harlequins a victory they barely merited. Bristol showed they had the legs; they just need to keep their head.
