Racing 92 23-12 Harlequins: Player Ratings as Quins leave Paris with nothing after Nolann Le Garrec masterclass
12/09/2024 04:20 AM
By Jon Page
In torrid conditions, Harlequins headed to Paris to face a Racing 92 side shorn of many stars such as English exiles Owen Farrell, Henry Arundell and Sam James, due to flu and injury in the Parisian camp. However, a Nolann Le Garrec man of the match performance, a yellow card to Lennox Anyanwu and a brutal defensive set on the Racing 92 tryline with the clock in the red means Harlequins leave Paris without even a losing bonus point.
In wet conditions at the Stade Dominique Duvauchelle, Racing 92 fly-half Antoine Gibert kicked off to Harlequins. The first five minutes of this match was dominated by kicks and set piece pressure from Harlequins, with former captain Stephan Lewies particularly impressive in the air. Following a scrum penalty against Racing 92's tighthead Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, captain Alex Dombrandt pointed for the corner. Dombrandt, leading from the front, scored a try off the ensuing maul after utilising a fantastic sidestep against his opposite man Jordan Joseph. With the try scored in the corner, Marcus Smith was unable to convert.
On the 16th minute Racing 92 captain Gael Fickou got his first touch of the game and within seconds they had scored a try. Max Spring made a half break before the ball was recycled to Gibert who aimed a pinpoint crossfield kick to Vinaya Habosi. Habosi swatted away Nick David before offloading to Cameron Woki, who in turn popped the ball up to Nolann Le Garrec to score. Le Garrec converted his own score, as Racing 92 took the lead 7-5.
Despite sustained pressure in the Racing 92 half, Harlequins were unable to score, with Smith even resorting to a drop goal but missing the posts. With less than a minute left in the half Josua Tuisova burst into life, breaking the line, before giving the ball to Habosi. Habosi passed to Joseph, who swung the ball wide, allowing Wame Naituvi to score his side's second try. Le Garrec missed the extras, but Racing had increased their lead to 12-5 at half time.
Harlequins hit the ground running as the second half began, with Nick David's aerial ability and a trademark Jack Kenningham carry gaining the Londoners field position in the Racing 92 half. Out of nowhere, a Will Porter snipe from the base of the ruck 15 metres out broke the line, with the England A scrum-half doing well to score a try with defenders around him. With a better angle Smith scored the extra two points and the scores were level at 12-12 with 45 minutes played.
In a moment sure to be replayed on social media, Harlequins centre Lennox Anyanwu was given a yellow card for tipping Parisian flanker Ibrahim Diallo beyond the horizontal, after a scuffle between the two teams. Racing 92 players were calling for a red card for dangerous foul play, whilst Harlequins players suggested the incident was caused by Diallo jumping into the tackle in an attempt to recover a knock on. The decision of a yellow card for Anyanwu seemed to take both of these points into account.
During the yellow card period Racing 92 made the most of their man advantage, with Le Garrec kicking three points, before Max Spring scored off a fantastic Gibert crossfield kick. Despite Le Garrec missing the conversion, Racing 92 were eight points ahead, requiring two scores from Harlequins to secure a win on French soil. Even with Oscar Beard coming on in place of Anyanwu, Racing 92 were next to score with 15 against 15, as Le Garrec slotted another penalty kick.
With the score reading 23-12 and 13 minutes left on the clock, Harlequins realised that to take anything from this game, even a losing bonus point, they needed to act quickly. With Jarrod Evans at 10 and Smith moving backwards to 15, the dual playmakers drove their side up the pitch. Despite repeated penalties against Racing 92, multiple maul drives and consecutive yellow cards to Tuisova and Diallo at the death, Harlequins could not muster a score. A knock on from Tito Lamositele signalled the end of the game, with the score reading 23-12 to Racing 92.
RACING 92: 23
TRIES: 3 (Le Garrec 16', Naituvi 40', Spring 62')
CONVERSIONS: 1 (Le Garrec 17')
PENALTIES: 2 (Le Garrec 60' 67')
DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 2 (Tuisova 79', Diallo 80')
RED CARDS: 0
15. Max Spring 14. Vinaya Habosi 13. Gael Fickou (captain) 12 Josua Tuisova. 11. Wame Naituvi 10. Antoine Gibert 9. Nolann Le Garrec 1. Guram Gogichashvili 2. Janick Tarrit 3. Lee-Marvin Mazibuko 4. Boris Palu 5. Fabien Sanconnie 6. Cameron Woki 7. Ibrahim Diallo 8. Jordan Joseph
Replacements
16. Camille Chat 17. Lino Julien 18. Gia Kharaishvili 19. Maxime Baudonne 20. Noa Zinzen 21. Clovis le Bail 22. Dan Lancaster 23. Tristan Tedder
HARLEQUINS: 12
TRIES: 2 (Dombrandt 10', Porter 44')
CONVERSIONS: 1 (Smith 45')
PENALTIES: 0
DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 1 (Anyanwu 52')
RED CARDS: 0
15. Leigh Halfpenny 14. Cadan Murley 13. Luke Northmore 12. Lennox Anyanwu 11. Nick David 10. Marcus Smith 9. Will Porter 1. Wyn Jones 2. Jack Walker 3. Simon Kerrod 4. Dino Lamb 5. Stephan Lewies 6. Chandler Cunningham-South 7. Jack Kenningham 8. Alex Dombrandt (captain)
Replacements
16. Sam Riley 17. Jordan Els 18. Tito Lamositele 19. James Chisholm 20. Will Evans 21. Danny Care 22. Jarrod Evans 23. Oscar Beard
Player Ratings
RACING 92
15. Max Spring – 7
Had some poor moments under the high ball, but understandable in the conditions. His half break laid the foundations for Racing 92's first try, and he even scored the 3rd decisive try after shifting to the wing.
14. Vinaya Habosi – 8
Electric, hard to put down, and barely put a foot wrong, with two classy involvements in his side's first two tries. Could have been rated higher, but was forced off early into the second half with a HIA and did not return.
13. Gael Fickou (captain) – 7
Very quiet by his standards, but all his contributions were impactful, and he locked down a very busy outside centre channel in defence with minimal problems. Communicated very well with the referee as captain throughout.
12 Josua Tuisova. – 8
A force of nature and almost impossible to tackle when he gets a full head of steam. Did very little in the opening 35 minutes but dominated proceedings for the next 45 minutes to justify his rating. When he attempted to jackal a breakdown, Harlequins had to execute a neck roll just to try and shift him, such is his strength.
11. Wame Naituvi – 8
Finished his try well and like Habosi, incredibly athletic and hard to pin down. Showed his ability to do the grunt work despite the number on his back when holding up Chandler Cunningham-South over the line.
10. Antoine Gibert – 7.5
Quiet in parts with Le Garrec running the show, but two crossfield kicks both resulted in tries for his side.
9. Nolann Le Garrec – 9
Today's man of the match, a masterful performance from the mercurial scrum-half, who scored Racing 92's first try with a superb support line and kicked excellently in the conditions. He is unlucky that Antoine Dupont is also French, as he would start at scrum-half for many other nations.
1. Guram Gogichashvili – 6
A quiet game, from the loosehead, who went about his business with no real negative impacts.
2. Janick Tarrit – 5
Busy around the park, but his first two lineout throws were poor, and his breakdown indiscipline could have been more costly.
3. Lee-Marvin Mazibuko – 5
Minimal impact around the park and gave away a scrum penalty.
4. Boris Palu – 4
Poor discipline and hands, outshone by both his teammates and the opposition.
5. Fabien Sanconnie – 6
Worked hard and competed at the lineout before his HIA. Continued to assist a more dominant pack after passing his HIA as Racing 92 turned the screw in the final quarter.
6. Cameron Woki – 7
The French international seemed to lead the pack around the field and bossed the air at lineout time
7. Ibrahim Diallo – 5
Diallo is usually a force of nature in defence, but only real memorable moment was being upended by Anyanwu in the second half. Late yellow card for a maul offence had no impact on the result.
8. Jordan Joseph – 8
Joseph is really starting to deliver on the promise he showed as a France U20 international. Was heavily involved in Racing 92's second try and was physically dominant. Missed a tackle on Dombrandt for the first try of the game, but this only seemed to galvanise him.
Replacements
16. Camille Chat – 8
No coincidence that Racing 92 began to dominate up front after he appeared on the field. Great at set piece and high work rate chasing kicks.
17. Lino Julien – 7
First scrum collapsed but won a penalty against his opposite prop at the next scrum.
18. Gia Kharaishvili – 7
Same rating as Lino Julien, they arrived at the same time and won a scrum penalty apiece after their first scrum went down.
19. Maxime Baudonne – 7
Did the unseen work that allowed the other players to shine.
20. Noa Zinzen – 6
The young Frenchman didn't have much impact but contributed to a dominant last 20 minutes.
21. Clovis le Bail – N/A
Not used.
22. Dan Lancaster – N/A
Not used.
23. Tristan Tedder – 7
Good under the high ball in tough conditions.
HARLEQUINS
15. Leigh Halfpenny – 5
Solid under the high ball but offered little in attack, shanked a clearance and gave away a penalty in his own 22. A rare lull in his usually very high standards.
14. Cadan Murley – 5
Physical with ball in hand but kept very quiet, needs to go looking for work.
13. Luke Northmore – 5
One half of a midfield that failed to generate much front foot ball, although Tuisova and Fickou are a tough pairing to face.
12. Lennox Anyanwu – 4
There seemed to be no malice in his yellow card challenge and was unlucky with the circumstances in front of him, but to the letter of the law he deserved to leave the field and during that period Racing 92 grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck.
11. Nick David – 6
As the game wore on his ability under the high ball continued to flourish, a player who seems to have embraced the new law changes with open arms. But ultimately little impact outside of chasing kicks.
10. Marcus Smith – 8
As with England this autumn, one of the better players on the field despite falling to defeat. Despite showing flashes of brilliance, he really needs an Andre Esterhuizen like figure at 12 to pop the ball to.
9. Will Porter – 7.5
Demonstrated why he was selected for England A with a sublime try from the base of the ruck, and dove tailed well with Smith. Showed some defensive prowess with a strip on Joseph too. He was having a near faultless game, until a poor box kick that went almost straight up rendered his entire pack offside and led to a Racing 92 penalty. Telling that he was subbed straight after.
1. Wyn Jones – 4.5
With Joe Marler retired, Jones has a real opportunity for consistent minutes in this team. Unfortunately, today his discipline and scrummaging were way below par.
2. Jack Walker – 5.5
Consistent throws at lineout time but needs to do more to see off the challenges of exciting youngsters Sam Riley and Nathan Jibulu.
3. Simon Kerrod – 6
A solid outing for the tighthead, held his own at set piece and worked hard around the park.
4. Dino Lamb – 7
Solid at lineout time and in attack.
5. Stephan Lewies – 8
Losing the captaincy this season to Dombrandt has seemingly motivated him. A nuisance in the air and at the breakdown and did the hard graft in attack and defence.
6. Chandler Cunningham-South – 5
Flashed hot and cold today, before being replaced. Being held up by a winger seemed to knock his confidence as he knocked on from the goal line drop out but showed in the air at lineout time that he should be a target more often. Has had a long autumn with England and will come back better.
7. Jack Kenningham – 5
Has had a strong start to this season, but his usual impact at the breakdown was nullified by the Parisians.
8. Alex Dombrandt (captain) – 7
Could not have given more to the cause, throwing his body into harm's way in both attack and defence. A well taken try was a high point, but a neck roll on Tuisova was a low point. Considering the conditions, as captain he should have pointed for the posts earlier in the game, rather than the repeated failed lineout moves.
Replacements
16. Sam Riley – N/A
Not used.
17. Jordan Els – 5
Most significant contribution was a scrum penalty against him.
18. Tito Lamositele – 4
A scrum penalty against him and a knock on at the death summed up his evening.
19. James Chisholm – 6
Ever reliable, even when packing down at his less familiar position of lock.
20. Will Evans – 6
Fought to influence the game, albeit with little success. Should have been brough on much earlier with his back row colleagues unable to dominate the breakdown.
21. Danny Care – 6
Provided swift service and a calm hand, but ultimately to no avail as Harlequins leave Paris without a point.
22. Jarrod Evans – 6
Noticeable that Harlequins attack reached another gear with him on the field, but like with Care, no impact on the end result.
23. Oscar Beard – 6
Considering his recent performances, for both club and England A, he should have been starting in the midfield. Anyanwu and Northmore were never going to gain a physical edge over Tuisova and Fickou, but Beard's x-factor could have provided something else.
The post Racing 92 23-12 Harlequins: Player Ratings as Quins leave Paris with nothing after Nolann Le Garrec masterclass appeared first on Ruck.
