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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bristol thrash Quins to book semi-final derby spot
Gallagher Premiership Bristol (26) 52 Tries: Kloska, Batley, Ravouvou, Mata, Ibitoye (2), Grondona, Janse van Rensburg Cons: MacGinty (6) Harlequins (12) 26 Tries: Murley (2), Dombrandt, Hammond Cons: Benson (3) Advertisement Bristol secured their Premiership semi-final at Bath in style with a superb attacking display in a 12-try epic at Ashton Gate. The Bears needed a win to be sure of a top-four spot and made the perfect start, registering a bonus point inside 24 minutes with close-range scores from George Kloska and Joe Batley and explosive Kalaveti Ravouvou and Viliame Mata tries. Cadan Murley's fine first-half double reduced the gap to a 14-point lead at the break. Gabriel Ibitoye extended the advantage to 31-12 soon after the restart but memories of the 2021 'Bristanbul' comeback by Quins at Ashton Gate loomed large as the visitors notched quickfire tries from Alex Dombrandt and George Hammond to go within five points. Advertisement However, scores from Santiago Grondona and Ibitoye settled the nerves before Benhard Janse van Rensburg brought up the half-century as the Bears booked a trip to their West Country neighbours on Friday night. Blistering start sets the tone for Bears Noah Heward made his first Bears start at full back since January after injury while Pat Lam handed Argentina international lock Pedro Rubiolo his Bears debut. With a semi-final spot out of reach Danny Wilson made three changes to the Quins starting XV as Jamie Benson made his first Premiership start at fly-half while Luke Northmore returned at centre and Nick David started at full back. Advertisement It took just 93 seconds for the hosts to break the deadlock as quick hands from MacGinty sent Ibitoye flying down the left wing and despite some good defence from Quins near their own line, prop George Kloska plunged over near the posts, with MacGinty slotting the extras. The second try arrived inside five mins as lock Joe Batley stretched to touch down over the line after another powerful drive, with MacGinty again converting. A penalty kick into the corner and a deep lineout paved the way for Luke Northmore to cross for Quins after an angled run on 10 minutes but the try was chalked-off for a forward pass from Dombrandt, who was then held-up over the line by Fitz Harding after a bulldozing run straight from the restart. Quins got back in it on 17 minutes when Murley raced onto a clever chip forward from Benson on the 22 to catch a high bouncing ball and plunge over, allowing Benson to add two points from infront of the posts. Advertisement Bristol extended their lead just three minutes later as Harry Randall found space on the right and Fijian flyer Ravouvou raced down the whitewash to acrobatically dive over in the corner for his 11th try of the campaign, though the conversion sailed wide. The onslaught continued and Mata produced a brilliant angled run and bulldozed his way under the posts through some rather static defence for Bristol's fourth try and a bonus point on 24 minutes, with MacGinty notching the conversion to make it 26-7. Bears' 16th try bonus point of the season is a new Premiership record. Batley was denied a second try by another forward pass to the left wing before MacGinty's pass was intercepted by Hammond in midfield and a long ball out wide paved the way for Murley to step inside his man and scorch down the left from inside his own half for his 11th try of the season just after the half-hour, though Benson missed the conversion attempt from out wide. Gabriel Ibitoye beats Jamie Benson to the line and finished as joint top try-scorer with Ollie Hassell-Collins with 13 [Getty Images] Bears battle back after nervy start Six minutes after the turnaround Quins replacement Sean Kerr almost broke away but Bears won back possession and Ravouvou's break down the left and some fine passing across the width of the field paved the way for Ibitoye to stroll into the right corner for his 12th try of the campaign, a new club record, against his former club, though the conversion was unsuccessful. Advertisement Bears nerved started jangling, as memories of the 28-point collapse in the 2021 semi-final against Quins returned as the visitors notched two converted tries in three minutes. Dombrandt reduced the arrears after a slick dummy through the line from Benson created space and Quins added another from close range on 52 minutes after a break from Northmore, with Hammond diving through a crowd to touch down on the line, with Benson's third conversion making it a five-point game. The hosts could breathe again on 58 minutes when Grondona plunged over to end a series of goalline probes, with MacGinty adding the two points, and some lightning hands and feet from MacGinty saw the ball spread to Ibitoye on the left to jink his way to the line for try number 13, the joint most in the league this season, with MacGinty adding the extras from the whitewash to restore the 19-point lead and bring up 1,000 in his Premiership career for Bears and Sale. As Quins wilted in the Bristol sunshine Bears were denied a penalty try for Benson's slap into touch behind the posts, however Janse van Rensburg barged through a gap to dot down behind the posts to bring up the half-century, with MacGinty adding his sixth conversion. Advertisement The hosts saw out the final 10 minutes without further alarm to register their biggest ever win over Harlequins, secure their return to the semi-finals for the first time in four years and book a mouthwatering clash at the Rec on Friday night. 'We know how to beat Bath' Pat Lam, Bristol director of rugby, told BBC Radio Bristol: "I am very proud of this group, this is probably one of the highlights of my time at Bristol Bears. "We know there's areas we can improve on. To be missing stardust players for several months at a time, the squad has really gelled together to get us through the tough times." Advertisement [On the derby date at the Rec on Friday night] "We're excited. Bath have only lost three games this year, and we've beaten them twice. "We've played them 14 times since we've been back in the Premiership, won all of them at Ashton Gate, once at the Principality and we've won more at the Rec than we've lost. "We know how to beat Bath. The challenge is it's now a semi-final. I have to get the game plan right." Quins head coach Danny Wilson said: "We started the game terribly today and it put us in a bit of a hole. "We were back in it at 31-26, but then Bristol capitalised on their opportunities. Advertisement "They are a very, very good side if you let them let rip. It has been a painful end to the season." Bristol: Heward, Ravouvou, Janse van Rensburg, Williams, Ibitoye; MacGinty, Randall; Thomas, Oghre, Kloska, Rubiolo, Batley, Grondona, Harding, Mata. Replacements: Thacker, Woolmore, Lahiff, Owen, Luatua, Marmion, Byrne, Bates. Harlequins: David; Isgro, Beard, Northmore, Murley; Benson, Porter; Baxter, Walker, Lamositele, J Green, Hammond, Kenningham, Evans, Dombrandt. Replacements: Jibulu, Els, Streeter, Launchbury, Lawday, Murray, Kerr, Halfpenny. Referee: Luke Pearce
The Independent
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Danny Care's final appearance at The Stoop ends with Harlequins victory
Harlequins marked Danny Care 's final appearance at The Stoop with a hard-fought 24-22 victory over struggling Exeter. Earlier in the week, the 38 year old scrum-half announced his retirement after a record 395 appearances for the club to add to his 101 England caps and he came off the bench in the 64th minute to see his side regain the lead and ensure a fairytale ending. Cadan Murley, Will Porter and Marcus Smith scored Harlequins' tries with Smith converting all three and adding a penalty. Tommy Wyatt, Rus Tuima and Stu Townsend scored Exeter's tries with Henry Slade adding two conversions and a penalty. It took Quins less than three minutes to open the scoring when a pre-planned three-quarter move was perfectly executed to present Murley with a 25-metre run to the line. Exeter soon suffered two further setbacks when first centre Tamati Tua was yellow-carded for a high challenge on home skipper Alex Dombrant before Porter capitalised by forcing his way over from close-range. The first quarter ended without a single attack from Chiefs but with their first they made it count when Josh Hodge made a clean break to set up the opportunity for Tuima. Tua returned from the sin-bin and in time to see his side score a second try through Wyatt but Slade missed the conversion to leave Exeter trailing 14-12 at the interval. Three minutes after the restart, Exeter took the lead for the first time when Townsend crossed the line to reward strong runs from Tuima and Wyatt and that was the only score of the third quarter. It was one-way traffic during that period as Harlequins penned their opponents in their half but a lack of passing accuracy and spirited defence from Chiefs prevented the home side from benefitting. However, from nowhere Smith produced a moment of magic by wriggling past two defenders for an excellent solo try but Slade responded with a 30-metre penalty. That made the score 22-21 in Exeter's favour whereupon Care was immediately introduced and six minutes later, Smith knocked over a simple penalty to set up a tense finish. With two minutes remaining, Wyatt was yellow-carded for a deliberate offside but Quins were unable to secure a fourth try, which would have kept alive their slim hopes of a play-off spot. Exeter fought to the very end and were unlucky losers but ultimately the day belonged to Care. PA
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cadan Murley hat-trick helps Harlequins to emphatic win over Gloucester
Cadan Murley claimed a hat-trick of tries as Harlequins dealt a potentially fatal blow to Gloucester's Gallagher Premiership play-off hopes with a 38-19 victory at Allianz Stadium. Quins might be out of the race for a top-four finish but they delivered one of their most ruthless displays of the season in a six-try demolition that saw Rodrigo Isgro cross twice. Making their rout possible was an accommodating Gloucester defence that gave player of the match Murley, Isgro and Tyrone Green the freedom of a sun-drenched Twickenham. Marcus Smith celebrated his British and Irish Lions selection on Thursday with a commanding display that was short on fireworks but notable for the intelligent way he piloted the team around the field. Gloucester lacked hunger for the fight and paid the price with an emphatic defeat that leaves them in sixth place, three points adrift of the play-offs with two matches remaining. In a sign of their dominance, Quins had banked the bonus point by half-time with Murley crossing for two of their four tries, and they would have scored two more but for errors at crucial moments. Good fortune enabled Murley's opener with Smith's pass to Alex Dombrandt looking suspiciously forward, but there was no arguing with the quality of the finish by the England wing. Murley then showed his pace to outrun Christian Wade in a foot race before Green inexcusably dropped the ball over the line and Dombrandt saw an opportunist try disallowed for offside at the line-out. Quins quickly rallied from the setback of having successive tries chalked off, Will Evans finishing a line-out maul, and the hosts then ran amok in the face of Gloucester's defensive collapse, which was not helped by Chris Harris' departure with injury. Player after player slipped off tackles, allowing Isgro and Murley to touch down with Green impressing through his footwork. The ease of Murley's second try will give Gloucester nightmares as he ghosted into the line from a tap penalty before straightening to evade the visitors' last line of defence with ease. Only Wade's screaming finish in the 33rd minute - his 91st Premiership try, leaving him 10 behind the record held by Chris Ashton - spared the visitors from a total shut-out in the first half as their backs clicked into gear. Gloucester needed a big second half to save their Premiership season but just nine minutes in they cracked for a fifth time as Isgro raced across the field, capitalising on hesitation in the midfield to help send Murley over for his hat-trick. Dombrandt and then Ruan Ackermann were sent to the sin bin, robbing the match of both number eights, before the Quins onslaught continued with Isgro grabbing his second. Gloucester hit back through tries by Santiago Carreras and Jack Cotgreave, but it was too little too late.
The Independent
10-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Cadan Murley hat-trick helps Harlequins to emphatic win over Gloucester
Cadan Murley claimed a hat-trick of tries as Harlequins dealt a potentially fatal blow to Gloucester 's Gallagher Premiership play-off hopes with a 38-19 victory at Allianz Stadium. Quins might be out of the race for a top-four finish but they delivered one of their most ruthless displays of the season in a six-try demolition that saw Rodrigo Isgro cross twice. Making their rout possible was an accommodating Gloucester defence that gave player of the match Murley, Isgro and Tyrone Green the freedom of a sun-drenched Twickenham. Marcus Smith celebrated his British and Irish Lions selection on Thursday with a commanding display that was short on fireworks but notable for the intelligent way he piloted the team around the field. Gloucester lacked hunger for the fight and paid the price with an emphatic defeat that leaves them in sixth place, three points adrift of the play-offs with two matches remaining. In a sign of their dominance, Quins had banked the bonus point by half-time with Murley crossing for two of their four tries, and they would have scored two more but for errors at crucial moments. Good fortune enabled Murley's opener with Smith's pass to Alex Dombrandt looking suspiciously forward, but there was no arguing with the quality of the finish by the England wing. Murley then showed his pace to outrun Christian Wade in a foot race before Green inexcusably dropped the ball over the line and Dombrandt saw an opportunist try disallowed for offside at the line-out. Quins quickly rallied from the setback of having successive tries chalked off, Will Evans finishing a line-out maul, and the hosts then ran amok in the face of Gloucester's defensive collapse, which was not helped by Chris Harris ' departure with injury. Player after player slipped off tackles, allowing Isgro and Murley to touch down with Green impressing through his footwork. The ease of Murley's second try will give Gloucester nightmares as he ghosted into the line from a tap penalty before straightening to evade the visitors' last line of defence with ease. Only Wade's screaming finish in the 33rd minute - his 91st Premiership try, leaving him 10 behind the record held by Chris Ashton - spared the visitors from a total shut-out in the first half as their backs clicked into gear. Gloucester needed a big second half to save their Premiership season but just nine minutes in they cracked for a fifth time as Isgro raced across the field, capitalising on hesitation in the midfield to help send Murley over for his hat-trick. Dombrandt and then Ruan Ackermann were sent to the sin bin, robbing the match of both number eights, before the Quins onslaught continued with Isgro grabbing his second. Gloucester hit back through tries by Santiago Carreras and Jack Cotgreave, but it was too little too late.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gloucester's play-off hopes hit by Quins thrashing
Gallagher Premiership Harlequins (28) 38 Tries: Murley 3, Evans, Isgro 2 Cons: M Smith 4 Gloucester (7) 19 Tries: Wade, Carreras, Cotgreave Cons: Carreras 2 Gloucester's hopes of reaching the Premiership's play-offs suffered a major blow as they were thrashed by Harlequins. Victory would have seen them leapfrog Sale Sharks and Saracens into fourth spot, but they were second best from the off as Quins turned on the style at Allianz Stadium. Cadan Murley grabbed two tries and Will Evans and Rodrigo Isgro one each as the hosts had a bonus point by half-time. Murley completed his hat-trick and Isgro added another in the second period as Quins moved up to seventh with this win. Christian Wade, Santi Carreras and Jack Cotgreave scored Gloucester's tries but they stay in sixth, three points behind fourth. More to follow. Harlequins: Green; Murley, Isgro, Beard, Waghorn; M Smith, Porter; Baxter, Walker, Lamositele, Herbst, Hammond, Kenningham, Evans, Dombrandt. Replacements: Jibulu, Els, Streeter, Launchbury, Lawday, Murray, Benson, Northmore. Sin-bin: Dombrandt (52), Murley (68) Gloucester: Carreras; Wade, Harris, S Atkinson, Morris; Anscombe, T Williams; Rapava-Ruskin, Blake, Clark, Fasagbon, F Thomas, Clement, Ludlow, Ackermann. Replacements: Singleton, Knight, Gotovtsev, Jordan, Clarke, Engelfield, C Atkinson, Cotgreave. Sin-bin: Ackermann (56) Referee: Adam Leal
