Harlequins’ 10-try bloodbath of Bayonne is one other damning indictment of this malfunctioning Champions Cup, writes NIK SIMON
With five minutes left on the clock, the Bayonne supporters left their seats and set off on a giant conga around the pitch where their team had suffered a rugby massacre.
They snaked their way out of the north stand, waved their flags and paid little attention as Harlequins ran in their 10th try of the afternoon on their way to a 68-14 victory.
They had seen enough. The scoreline was another damning indictment of this malfunctioning Champions Cup tournament that is being undermined by teams fielding their reserves.
Their fun was inevitably stopped by a steward waving a clipboard but fortunately Andrew Brace blew his whistle to end a humiliating 80 minutes for the Top 14 side.
These pool stage fixtures are becoming the ultimate non-contest when teams arrive without stars like Manu Tuilagi. Bayonne fielded a flanker on the wing. And they selected a full-back at No 10 who was ruthlessly upstaged by Marcus Smith.
The Harlequins’ playmaker had a field day. He kicked nine out of 10 conversions, picking out his team-mates with chips and grubbers, threading passes through the eye of a needle like a seamstress.
Harlequins racked up 10 tries as they thrashed Bayonne 68-14 in the Champions Cup
Marcus Smith put in a masterful performance and slotted home nine out of 10 conversions
There are few greater sights than Smith in full flow on his favourite pitch but this felt all too easy. The 54-point margin of victory was the biggest Harlequins have ever recorded in this competition.
‘Smithy is such a talented player but we can’t lump everything on him,’ said Quins coach Jason Gilmore.
‘Marcus plays best when everyone else does their job really well. The boys are pushing that within the leadership; everyone’s got to an eight out of 10 and that allows our best players to do their thing. He’s picked up three man of the match awards in a short space of time. When he’s done that, the team has played well.’
Cadan Murley is Smith’s ultimate sidekick. They lived together in their younger years and the winger broke the first quarter deadlock when he latched onto one of Smith’s kicks.
The hosts lost Will Evans to a yellow card in the first half yet the tries flowed, with Kieran Treadwell, Will Porter and Sam Riley all scoring a double.
Chandler Cunningham-South added his power from the bench in the second half and teenage scrum-half Lucas Friday increased the tempo with his wicked pass.
Harlequins went on a scoring rout that will boost their points difference going into the round of 16, when hopefully there will be fewer blow-out scorelines.
The scoreline was a damning indictment of this Champions Cup tournament though
Harlequins’ head coach Jason Gilmore insisted his side ‘can only play what they put out there’
‘We can only play what they put out there obviously,’ said Gilmore.
‘By international guidelines you’ve got to rest your players within the first three weeks. It’s hard to get the balance of it all. The boys want to play the best every week. Is that possible? It can be really difficult for clubs and I completely understand why some clubs rest players. It’s a real balancing act.
‘When you clock up 60-odd points it shows you’re being ruthless with your approach, which is really nice.
‘It’s a bit like that in the Champions Cup at the moment – are the travelling teams at full strength at the moment? Probably not. But you’ve got to make sure you take your five points at home.’
