YORKSHIRE POST MATCH REPORT
Doncaster lack any fight
Harlequins gifted bonus point as Castle Park side slip towards the drop
Sam Wheelerat Castle Park
The Queen apparently thinks that the world smells of fresh paint, and Harlequins must feel that National One is a league of sell-out crowds and carnival atmospheres.
Harlequins are gracing the division with their presence for a season, sweeping around the country on a magical mystery tour of grounds they have never seen before and never want to see again. Wherever they go, huge gates follow and it was no different at Castle Park, where an estimated attendance of 3,100 dwarfed the ground's previous record.
The financial gain, though, was just about all the hosts could take from this game, the heaviest league defeat in their history.
It is harsh to judge any team on their performance against Harlequins, who have a Premiership budget and many Premiership-quality players – although the unbeaten league leaders will need to import quite a few more if they are to compete at the highest level.
Quins coach Dean Richards, however, had felt everything was in place for an upset – five of his squad were on international duty, star man Andrew Mehrtens was honeymooning and a sodden February afternoon in Yorkshire is not an occasion that Harlequins traditionally relish.
Yesterday, though, they blew their beleaguered hosts away with three tries in the first 25 minutes, secured the bonus point on the stroke of half-time and added two more scores despite easing off in the second half. At Otley and at Rotherham, they had to toil for four points; yesterday, they strolled to five.
This was Doncaster's fifth successive league defeat and it leaves them second-from-bottom, with a nasty trip to Plymouth next week before a run of less testing games. If they play like this, they will struggle to beat anybody.
"It felt quiet before the game and it never really lifted," admitted stand-in coach Rob Liley. "If we want to get out of this situation, we have to start playing with passion and belief."
What irked Liley was that Harlequins did not even have to work particularly hard for four of their tries.
Full-back Tom Williams was ushered through on a chip-and-chase from the half-way line; lock Jim Evans charged down a kick on half way and was allowed to win a 45-metre race; flanker Tom Guest caught Williams's speculative lob and sauntered over from 20 metres; and wing Simon Keogh intercepted near his own line.
Ugo Monye's try came from turnover ball, as well as a hint of a forward pass – Doncaster struggled to retain possession all day and did not muster a move worthy of the name for half an hour.
"There were a lot of errors from them and we capitalised," said Richards.
On 15 minutes, a brawl suggested that Doncaster had some fight in them but shortly afterwards, stand-off Adrian Jarvis had all the space in the world to dummy his way over after a sharp move from a scrum. At 17-0, the game was all but lost.
When they had to defend, the visitors merrily kicked the ball infield, content in the knowledge that Doncaster would be unable to do much with it. Not until the last 15 minutes did the home side threaten to score, despite the best efforts of centre John Cannon.
The second half was a drab affair, with the visitors sitting back and Doncaster unable to take advantage.
If Liley and the three other senior players in temporary charge following Pieter Muller's sacking cannot motivate the team better than this, then the need to find a new director of rugby is more pressing than had been thought.
Doncaster harp on about their ambition and their facilities, but the teams around them at the bottom are winning and relegation is more than just a remote possibility.
Doncaster: J Boden; M Riley, M Wood, J Cannon, D van Vuuren (D Storey 67); R Liley, L Lane; S Bunting (S Barretto 69), J Roddam (S Boden 52), N Tau (R List 61); G Kenworthy, D Cook (J Rule 47, O Cook 61); R Earnshaw, S Grainger, D Montagu.
Harlequins: T Williams; S Keogh, W Greenwood, T Masson, U Monye; A Jarvis (M Deane 74), I Vass (G Harder 61); A Rogers (A Croall 54), J Richards, R Nebbett (L Ward 54); J Evans (K Burke 52), S Miall; T Guest, A Vos (L Sherriff 61), N Easter.
Referee: L ApGeraint Roberts (RFU) |
