Rugby Union: Magic touch eludes Brewer

Harlequins 25

West Hartlepool 10

SLOWLY, but increasingly surely, Zinzan Brooke is beginning to work his All Black magic on Harlequins. For Mike Brewer, his former partner in the New Zealand back row, however, the neat trick of returning West Hartlepool to Premiership One at his first attempt looks increasingly likely to be followed by a swift vanishing act for his team come May.

Quins' third success on the bounce may have lacked the panache of the preceding victories over Saracens and Gloucester, but Brooke will be pleased to acquaint his charges with his favourite winning habit. Brewer, on the other hand, got another spirited effort from his men, yet their first points still look some way off.

The player-coaches, team- mates in the 1995 World Cup final, were met by torrential rain and a gale straight out of Athletic Park, Wellington. Not conditions in which the gentlemen of Harlequins have traditionally been at home, yet it was the home-grown Chris Sheasby and Rory Jenkins who were the dominant back-row forces in the loose.

In the tight, the hosts enjoyed a similar advantage, their superior scrummaging yielding penalties for John Schuster that book-ended a first half in which they took a 25-3 lead.

Steve Vile had quickly answered Schuster's opening penalty but Quins were already well in control, with their back row tipping the balance. Sheasby then broke decisively off the back of a scrum and slipped the ball to Huw Harries. He shimmied through the West defence and when half held surfed the final metre through the shallows to the line.

Johnny Ngauamo had earlier been denied a try by a forward pass, but when Dan Luger gave him a sight of the line he made no mistake, stepping out of Pita Tanginoa's tackle to go over, Schuster converting.

The experienced goal kicker then wasted little time in reaching a century of points for Harlequins in only his ninth game, converting a simple try from the pacy Luger, who cashed in when Emmet Farrell spilled a perfectly judged Garry Owen from Thierry Lacroix.

Brooke returned to the dug-out at half time but with Quins' total already putting them safe he could afford the rest.

Confident of their position, his team began to move the ball about, only to concede a score with some cavalier defending after Tu Nu'ualiti'ia was held up over the line following an incisive break from Farrell. The resulting scrum to West ended scrappily but Jamie Connolly picked up the pieces to slash through the fraying cover for a try converted by Vile.

The Australian fly-half used the elements to secure some measure of territorial advantage for West thereafter, but with Jenkins and Sheasby continuing to shine Harlequins were able to keep their visitors at arms' length. Brooke will hope that a habit has been formed.

Harlequins: J Williams; D O'Leary, J Schuster, J Ngauamo, D Luger; T Lacroix, H Harries (C Wright, 75); J Leonard, K Wood (T Murphy, 78), G Halpin (R Nebbett, 70), G Llewellyn, T Collier (B Davison, 64), Z Brooke (A Leach, 40), C Sheasby, R Jenkins.

West Hartlepool: E Farrell; T Lough, P Tanginoa, J Connolly, S John; S Vile, T Nu'ualiti'ia; S Sparks, B Cullinane, P Beal, P Faner, B Fuller, J Ponton, M Brewer, M Bentley (S Cassidy, 79).

Referee: S Savage (Warwickshire).