Alex Dombrandt outmuscled England rival Zach Mercer as high-octane Harlequins throttled Gloucester 32-26 at a rocking Twickenham.
Quins captain Dombrandt first swatted his Test No8 competitor Mercer aside for a fine try, before later sitting down the former Montpellier man on the charge.
Dombrandt is eyeing a Six Nations recall after missing the Rugby World Cup, while Mercer has come back to England to break into head coach Steve Borthwick’s squad.
Of the No8s on show here, the Harlequins man advanced his claims far the further.
Marcus Smith led Quins’ five-try, rock’n’roll concert-style victory at a packed Twickenham, with teammate Joe Marler delivering the Texas Longhorn hand sign to the cameras in full approval.
𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 👏 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒖𝒔 👏 𝑺𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒉
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) December 30, 2023
Marcus Smith with an impeccable show 'n' go to supply Nick David and @Harlequins with their second try of the evening 🤩#HARvGLO | #GallagherPrem | @premrugby pic.twitter.com/Wop3s675H3
Marler suffered a nasty-looking suspected forearm injury, to hand England a Six Nations worry, with Stephan Lewies and Dino Lamb both picking up concerning shoulder problems to boot.
Nothing could knock Quins off their Twickenham perch however, with some 76,813 spectators packing out the England fortress to watch Nick David bag a fine try brace – with Dombrandt, Lamb and Danny Care also crossing.
Adam Hastings, George McGuigan and Jonny May all crossed for the Cherry and Whites, but Gloucester were too often all too poor. George Skivington’s side equalled their worst-ever Premiership run of eight consecutive defeats, and were bested in every department in west London.
Gloucester were hamstrung by a catalogue of errors, frequently allowing Quins to find their feet. Only McGuigan’s last-ditch jackal turnover thwarted the hosts’ first stab at a score, but Quins hardly had to wait to strike.
Will Evans’ sharp thinking paid dividend as the flanker’s quick tap penalty allowed Quins to catch Gloucester cold. Danny Care provided a key link in midfield before David raced into the right corner.
Quins wasted another visit to Gloucester’s 22, before the Cherry and Whites somehow scrambled an undeserved lead. Ruan Ackermann’s astute chip sent Louis Rees-Zammit away on the right, before Hastings strode home. Scotland fly-half Hastings landed the conversion, and out of nowhere, Gloucester led 7-5.
Quins hit back quickly though, as Smith cut the line cleanly then sent David haring in for his second score. Smith had enough time after delivering the scoring pass to point David towards the posts. The former Worcester wing was even comfortable enough to enjoy a chuckle en route to the whitewash, such was the time Smith had provided.
Quins were back in the mood, wholly confirmed by Care’s delightful reverse dink from a ruck. Dombrandt cantered onto the ball, shrugged off England rival Mercer and stormed in for another fine score. Smith missed his third conversion of the half in one of precious few frustrations for Quins, with the England star twice striking a post off the tee.
Full-back Tyrone Green was lucky to avoid a yellow card when knocking on a Gloucester chip as the visitors rallied. Oscar Beard then pulled off a stunning cover tackle to drag Santi Carreras away from what looked a nailed-on try.
Quins’ pack then thwarted a rampaging Gloucester maul just in time, as the hosts refused to leak a second score before the break.
The men from The Stoop still had time to hit back to the attack, with Dombrandt once again conspicuously overpowering Mercer on the charge.
Quins took a 15-7 lead into the break, and Smith immediately turbocharged proceedings with a searing 50-metre break. Flanker Lamb raced in from the left flank for the bonus-point try, only to trudge off with a nasty looking shoulder problem suffered in the act of scoring.
Gloucester hit back with a close-range score from impressive hooker McGuigan, with Hastings slotting the tricky conversion in the wind. They had no business trailing by just 10 points, so Quins proved that straight away.
Smith’s 50-22 floored Carreras after a poor kick from the Gloucester full-back, Esterhuizen flattened Hastings on a tight midfield line – and Care raced round a ruck and under the posts. His conversion set several matters straight, and Quins into a 29-14 lead.
David conjured a stunning try-saving ankle tap on Ollie Thorley as Gloucester desperately clung to any sense of influence. Smith pinged a snap drop-goal as Quins looked to close out the win, but to their credit Gloucester kept battling.
Retired England wing May scorched into the corner to score with his first touch after coming off the bench for Gloucester, to show how it should be done.
A penalty try from Green’s deliberate knock-on gifted Gloucester a possible route back into the clash at the death. Quins had slipped from 32-14 to 32-26 in just seven minutes, generating a mild three-minute panic.
The home men held on however, sparking equal parts relief and party-time celebrations.
