Rugby Union: Harlequins exposed in their peacock finery

Bath . . . . .22

Harlequins. . .6

PLUS CA CHANGE . . . plus c'est la meme chose. The laws may have changed, the strip is definitely racier, but Bath's relentless pursuit of titles has lost none of its intensity. After two epic games last season, in which the sides were separated only by Stuart Barnes's last-second drop goal in the Pilkington Cup Final, this was a disappointing anti-climax.

Harlequins, the peacocks of past League seasons - all plumage and no guts - promised much more in the early stages than they later achieved. Their line-out, with Richard Langhorn and Mark Russell particularly to the fore, ensured Quins valuable possession early in the game, but Rob Glenister's inability to cope with the pressure at scrum half and the poor quality throughout of Quins' ball retention turned good possession into bad.

Hall, Clarke and Ojomoh, a dangerous liaison by any standards, played an increasingly prominent part and despite the switching of Glenister to full-back as the replacement for the injured David Pears, the new half-back combination between Paul Challinor and Ben Short was scarcely more successful.

The Bath pack had by this time wrested the initiative from opponents who were becoming more dejected by the minute. Jon Webb's fourth penalty kick, two minutes into the second half, fairly summed up Harlequins' plight. One of the sides which should be best suited to the new laws found itself all at sea and every time Quins transgressed, Webb, with measured aim, punished them.

Few sides, however, could have prevented the only try of the game, which came from Barnes's dazzling blindside thrust. Again it followed Bath's remorseless pressure on the opposition half-backs. Short knocked on and from the scrummage Barnes shot off down the short side. Hill, with the uncanny awareness that has been built up throughout their enduring partnership, flipped a beauty of a pass into Barnes's path. The fly-half's momentum carried him past the first rank of Quins defenders and Guscott had only to cover the remaining 10 yards to the line for the try. Webb's conversion and his fifth penalty 12 minutes later were so cleanly struck that the crowd were applauding long before the ball had crossed the bar.

Harlequins' cherished ambition to be taken seriously as potential League champions will be hard pressed to survive a defeat as comprehensive as this one. They can pick small consolation from three missed penalty kicks, two of them by the courageous Pears, whose vain attempts to clear up the shambles caused by Will Carling's wild pass led to his departure with a facial injury. This may have been a contributory factor in their alarming mid-match crisis, but the truth is that they were not in the same class as their opponents. Furthermore, it is unlikely that Bath, in their pursuit of perfection, will be completely satisfied with this performance. It took them until half-time to come up to full speed, but even so they were 9-3 ahead - three Webb penalties to one from Pears.

Sean O'Leary is going to be a mighty acquisition in their line-out, and when Andy Robinson returns from injury there will be a fierce contest for positions in the back row. Ojomoh is learning with every game and is equally at home on either flank. John Hall remains one of the best blindside flankers in the game and some of his tackling close to the scrums and mauls was awesome. Ben Clarke's speed is a priceless asset under the new laws and Graham Dawe's enthusiasm is undiminished by the years and constant travel. The partnership between Hill and Barnes has lost none of its edge during the summer, Guscott has retained his audacity and Webb is as secure as ever at full-back. In short, it will be an exceptional side that can supplant them this season.

As for Harlequins, they had not set out to be Bathmats and it may be that they still have enough left in their locker to revive interest in the League. Individually, there were some excellent performances. Russell, if he can get a yard more pace from his muscular legs, will be a hell of a forward. But their problems at half-back may be insurmountable, especially if they persevere with Pears at full- back instead of in his preferred position at fly-half. One more defeat, and Quins will be making an early start on their annual Cup pilgrimage to Twickenham.

Bath: J Webb; T Swift, J Guscott, P de Glanville, A Adebayo; S Barnes, R Hill; G Chilcott (capt), G Dawe, J Mallet, N Redman, S O'Leary, J Hall, S Ojomoh, B Clarke.

Harlequins: D Pears (B Short, 20 min); A Harriman, W Carling, M Evans, M Wedderburn; P Challinor, R Glenister; M Hobley, B Moore (capt), A Mullins, S Dear, A Snow, A Fox, M Russell, R Langhorn.

Scores: Pears (pen, 3 min) 0-3, Webb (pen, 5 min) 3-3, Webb (pen, 9 min) 6-3, Webb (pen, 23 min) 9-3, Webb (pen, 42 min) 12-3, Challinor (pen, 45 min) 12-6, Guscott/Webb (try/con, 48 min) 19-6, Webb (pen, 56 min) 22-6.

Referee: B Campsall (RFU).