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Your support makes all the difference.The message to Will Carling, who in the absence of the injured Paul Challinor was moonlighting at fly-half for Harlequins, is: "Don't give up the day job just yet." Understandably nervous, having last played in the position as a 15-year-old at Sedbergh School, Carling's kick-off went into touch on the full, his second kick made straight for Tim Rodber - who set up a dangerous attack inside the Harlequins 22 -and, later in the half, he left the field for attention to a nasty eye wound.
His return coincided with a penalty award to Quins in a kickable position and Carling promptly converted. Thereafter he settled into the role and by the end gave the impression of thoroughly enjoying himself. His crashing try through a thicket of Northampton defenders, with conversion, a quarter of an hour into the second half finally turned the game Quins' way. All things considered Carling was always threatening and played his full part in helping extend Harlequins' unbeaten League run to five matches.
It was, however, their hardest contest of the season so far. It was a marvellously entertaining match in which Northampton, despite making an extraordinarily high amount of avoidable errors, were still able to conceal the palpable weaknesses they have in the front five of the scrum and the middle of the line-out. One of the reasons for this was the tour de force from the Saints captain Tim Rodber and his back row henchmen Don MacKinnon and Budge Pountney.
But there was only so much they could do to keep the ball away from the clutches of this mighty Harlequins pack. Matt Dawson ran almost every penalty and, with alert and eager support streaming in from all angles, Northampton succeeded in making huge dents in the opposition defence. Their try after eight minutes was a supreme example of their ability to make a silk purse from a sow's ear. Quins' possession was pilfered by Pountney and in the blink of an eye Paul Grayson had the ball. With no immediate support in sight he cleverly held the ball until Jonathan Bell raced through on an angled run for the try. Grayson converted and Northampton had the cushion which, even this early in the game, it was clear they would need to have any chance of survival.
But if Bell was unsung, in addition to his try he put in two raking kicks, Gregor Townsend was strangely off-key. It was one of those days when his timing was fractionally out and when his best passes all went straight to the opposition. He did float one delicious pass to Nick Beal for Northampton's second try, which brought them back to within three points midway through the second half. But his every move was keenly marked by the vigilant defence of the Londoners.
On reflection, Northampton might regret not taking the three points offered to them early in the second half when, instead of kicking for goal from a position close to the post, Dawson ran left and the move fizzled out. On the other hand there was an inevitability about the score which finally broke Northampton's resistance. Dawson's defensive kick was charged down and Huw Harries won the race to the touchdown.
Perversely, Grayson, with four minutes left, kicked the goal which gave Saints an outside chance of victory but it was a forlorn hope. The game finished with Harlequins themselves eschewing a penalty kick from in front of the posts in order to give their front row another crack at splintering the opposition pack - and reducing the chance of any spectacular counter- attacking opportunities for Northampton's backs. Multi-national, multi- talented, multi-coloured and multi-purpose, Harlequins are going to be a devilishly hard act to beat this season.
Northampton: I Hunter; N Beal, G Townsend, J Bell (M Allen, 43-50 and 58), H Thorneycroft; P Grayson, M Dawson; M Volland, A Clarke, M Lewis, J Phillips, S Foale, D Mackinnon, B Pountney, T Rodber (capt).
Harlequins: J Staples; D O'Leary, G Connelly, P Mensah, R Paul; W Carling (N Walshe, 23-33), H Harries; J Leonard (capt), K Wood, L Benezech, Gareth Llewellyn, Glyn Llewellyn, R Jenkins (I Pickup, 60), L Cabannes, B Davison.
Referee: E Morrison (Bristol).
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