Harlequins 41-32 Northampton: Quins prevail in Premiership thriller

Harlequins plundered six tries to win a pulsating recreation towards Premiership leaders Northampton Saints at Twickenham.

Luke Northmore and Will Porter each scored twice as the house facet misplaced three gamers – Danny Care, Louis Lynagh and Tyrone Inexperienced – to the sin-bin.

Care averted a purple card within the second half as Quins claimed a win that bolstered their play-off hopes with two video games left.

They’re stage on factors with fourth-placed Bristol, with a visit to Exeter and a probably decisive dwelling recreation towards the Bears to conclude the common season.

Harlequins led inside two minutes after Marcus Smith’s pinpoint, cross-field kick discovered Northmore in area on the suitable wing to dot down in his first begin in six months.

Quins misplaced Care to the sin-bin seven minutes in after a collision of heads between the scrum-half and his former England team-mate Courtney Lawes, however Saints did not capitalise after they had the additional participant.

Northampton bought on the board halfway via the primary half because the league’s high scorer Ollie Sleightholme latched on to Tom Litchfield’s kick, with a touch of a ahead move within the build-up.

Fin Smith transformed after which landed a penalty quickly after to take Saints into double figures.

Northmore darted via to attain his second attempt proper behind the posts, with Marcus Smith changing to retake the lead for Quins.

Lynagh was then proven a yellow card for flattening a move in entrance of his personal line and Fin Smith opted to kick the penalty for a one-point lead as Quins have been once more lowered to 14 gamers.

However the Londoners kicked on regardless of the deficit and labored the ball as much as the tryline, with captain Stephan Lewies finally capable of finding a means via the wall of Northampton defenders for the attempt.

Sam Graham’s rating for Saints proper earlier than half-time was disallowed for a controversial knock-on to provide the hosts a six-point lead on the break.

Fast passing between Care and Smith arrange Cadan Murley to run in his third attempt of the season and safe the bonus level for Quins early within the second half earlier than James Ramm swiftly hit again for Saints with the sport’s sixth attempt.

Harlequins have been lowered to 14 for a 3rd time when Inexperienced was despatched to the bin for a deliberate knock-on.

And Care averted a second yellow card after he appeared to dive excessive on the ruck to steal the ball, with the scrum-half trying relieved as he was instantly changed by Porter.

Litchfield scored to place Saints again in entrance with lower than 20 minutes to go.

However two tries from Porter opened up a cushion for Harlequins because the clock ticked down, with substitute Jarrod Evans clinching victory with a penalty after Lawes scored Saints’ fourth attempt to give the leaders a shedding bonus level.

They’re 4 factors away from second-placed Saracens with remaining league video games towards Gloucester (dwelling) and Tub (away) after subsequent Saturday’s European Champions Cup semi-final towards Leinster in Dublin.

Harlequins head coach Danny Wilson:

“We’re going to return out and entertain and we all know on this competitors and others, bonus factors are necessary. We’ve bought to attain 4 tries week in, week out, and that’s precisely what we’re attempting to do.

“It’s their DNA, it’s the membership’s DNA, it’s what it’s been constructed on and lengthy could it proceed.

“It’s so tight, it’s mad. Each recreation appears like knockout rugby, so that you’ve bought to go and rating 4 tries and get bonus factors to provide yourselves an opportunity.”

Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson advised BBC Radio Northampton:

“We’re massively disenchanted. You are not going to win many video games conceding that many factors.

“We knew the threats that Harlequins have been going to supply and we did not handle to comprise them.”

On a possible second yellow card for Danny Care: “He did not get the yellow card. There have been numerous selections for the referee to make and I’ve completely zero affect on what the referee does or says, and subsequently we simply should deal with what we’re doing.

“That they had numerous yellow playing cards and we didn’t capitalise and that was basically the distinction.”