Picture special: Saints start post-Carlos era with crushing defeat
Harlequins 27 Northampton Saints 6
Northampton Saints' woes on the Premiership road continued with a totally insipid display at The Stoop.
Saints were out-powered, out-muscled and out-played all over the pitch to fall to their seventh defeat out of seven.
With the news of Carlos Spencer's departure still sinking in Saints looked suitably short of inspiration.
From the start Saints looked half a sleep chasing a kick and good continuity from Quins saw them patiently go through phase after phase, inching closer from their own half, before hooker Gary Botha dived over on his return from injury. Evans landed the touchline conversion and it was 7-0 after five minutes.
After a shaky start Saints recovered to get into Quins' 22. They won a penalty, but Bruce Reihana quickly tapped it only to give away a penalty at the ruck and that was the only time they threatened in the first half.
With Euan Murray and Dylan Hartley missing from the front row Saints were decimated at their own scrum 30m from their line. The French referee gave a penalty to the home side and Evans smacked it over with the wind behind him to make it 10-0 after 18 minutes.
It went from bad to worse as with Saints going nowhere Lee Dickson fumbled then held on, but Evans missed the 45m kick in front of the posts. But then Myler missed a shot into the wind from 40m.
Then Sean Lamont didn ?t touch the ball down in-goal and Quins piled into him as he trotted back. He remonstrated as Jordan Turner-Hall steamed towards the line only for the home side to go off their feet at the ruck.
Tom Williams almost put David Strettle through before Evans landed another penalty on half-time.
Myler missed a 48m penalty shot two minutes into the second half, but when Paul Shields' lineout throw went long, Quins showed their intent by kicking the ensuing penalty to the corner.
After moving Saints left and right, Botha weaved through a hole, but he was aided by the referee blocking Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe and they were called back for a 5m scrum.
After 49 minutes Neil Best made his return to rugby after an 18-week ban for eye-gouging, but he couldn't stop the Quins scrum steaming over the line to win a penalty try. Evans landed the easy conversion to make it 20-0 to Quins.
From the re-start and Best gets some welcome back shoving from the Quins pack, which leads to a few handbags.
After a penalty at the scrum Myler finally gets Saints on the scoreboard after 54 minutes and four minutes later he landed another one to make it 20-6.
Any thought of a come back or a bonus point ended when Jim Evans steamed over from 20m after Nick Evans popped a pass to him off the floor. It was actually a brilliant tackle by Courtney Lawes on the fly-half as well. Evans converted to make it 27-6.
Att: 12,332
Harlequins: Mike Brown; Tom Williams, De Wet Barry, Jordan Turner-Hall, David Strettle; Nick Evans, Andy Gomarsall; Ceri Jones, Gary Botha, Mike Ross, Ollie Kohn, George Robson, Chris Robshaw, Will Skinner (captain), Tom Guest.
Replacements: Aston Croall, Mark Lambert, Jim Evans, Neil McMillan, Jnr Polu, Chris Malone, Seb Stegmann.
Northampton: Bruce Reihana (captain); Paul Diggin, Jon Clarke, James Downey, Sean Lamont; Stephen Myler, Lee Dickson; Soane Tonga'uiha, Paul Shields, Barry Stewart, Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, Juandre Kruger, Mark Easter, Scott Gray, Mark Hopley.
Replacements: Brett Sharman, Tom Smith, Courtney Lawes, Neil Best, Alan Dickens, Barry Everitt, Chris Mayor.
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Weather for Northampton
Wednesday 08 February 2012
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