Quins finish on a high after Maori swing Lowe
TWO first-half tries from James Lowe laid the platform for the Maori All Blacks to beat Harlequins at the Stoop.
Taking on the famous touring side as part of their 150th celebration, Quins fielded a team full of academy players on Wednesday as well as guest players such as Samoan powerhouse Dan Leo.
Chiefs wing Lowe scored two of the Maoris tries in the first-half as they raced to a 26-3 lead at the break.
Quins managed to close the floodgates in the second half and even scored the only try of the second period through loosehead Dan Murphy.
Despite the comprehensive defeat, Henry Cheeseman, who started in the unfamiliar position of inside centre, will not forget the match in a hurry.
“It was a fantastic opportunity for the lads, facing the Maori All Blacks in our 150th year is a really big occasion for the club,” he said.
“We were quite a new side, a number of the guys were only meeting for the first time at the top of the week and for others it was their first appearance in a Quins shirt.
“We let ourselves down a little bit in the first half, but we did fight back and we are proud with how we finished the game.
“The Maoris play an incredible style of rugby, they really threw the ball around tonight and it was really exciting to play against. We didn’t do ourselves justice in the first half, but the young lads really got stuck into them in the second half.
“Facing the haka was epic, I had faced one as a schoolboy but it didn’t compare to this evening, it gets you really pumped for the match and added to what is a great occasion.
“This will certainly go down as one of the most memorable games in my career, a game like this doesn’t come around too often. It is a privilege to have had the Maoris at The Stoop.”
Tim Swiel put Quins on the board first with a penalty but Lowe’s two quick tries saw the visitors respond in style.
Quins tried to respond but another quick pair of tries, this time from Shane Christie and Sean Wainui, put the Maoris in control at the break.
They did not manage to score again, however, and Quins had the last word as Murphy rumbled over from a pick-and-go.