Chris Ashton performs his first Ash Splash at the Stoop in Quins colours
- 2176
Harlequins got back to winning ways with a bonus-point victory over Northampton Saints on Sunday.
Northampton Saints opened the scoring with Rory Hutchinson scoring after running a neat support line off a clean break from centre partner Matt Proctor. James Grayson added the extras as the Saints marched to a 7-0 lead after 6 minutes.
Quins responded through a Marcus Smith penalty 10 minutes later before a quick tap from fullback Mike Brown saw Alex Dombrandt crash into Saints’ defence. The ball was shifted back to Brown who spread the ball to out wide to Nathan Earle who dotted down for Quins first try - Smith added the extras.
Saints struck back after 30 minutes of action with Ryan Olowofela receiving a miss pass across the face of the Quins defensive line from fly-half Grayson. Saints led 14-10. Quins had the final say of the half as Scott Baldwin bundled over the try line from a rolling maul with Smit's attempt at adding the extras coming off the upright. Smith did, however, manage to make amends to slot a three-pointer as Harlequins took an 18-14 advantage at the break.
Chris Robshaw got his name on the scoresheet diving over the line in the corner after an excellent break from Marcus Smith. The pivot pushed the lead to 23-14. Some excellent footwork by Mike Brown and an even better offload saw Alex Dombrandt canter through the defence before the ball was spread out to Chris Ahston who performed his first Ash Splash at The Stoop.
The first #AshSplash at the Stoop 💦
— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) August 31, 2020
pic.twitter.com/V2qW0buPKd
Saints looked to be on the way to a losing bonus when Grayson reduced the deficit to 13 points and the Saints continued to press for a converted try but the Quins pack shut them out to secure the win.
View this post on InstagramDanny Care calls out Chris Ashton for his AshSplash with no fans at the Stoop #Banter
