Beaten to nil last weekend in embarrassing fashion, Harlequins, it should come as no real surprise, ran in tries from all quarters this. They will be annoyed that they failed to keep the opposition scoreless, but two late tries by Newcastle spoiled their afternoon somewhat, even if the Red Bulls, as they now call themselves, were little more than party to an exhibition by that stage.
Nothing if not inconsistent, Quins were as deadly this week as they were listless last. They scored eight tries in all, including a brace for Tyrone Green on his 100th appearance. The bonus point was secured within half an hour, the fifth try on the stroke of half-time, and just past the hour the score read 52-0.
The wonder is they did not score more. Every piece of possession – and there were lots of them – looked as if it would end in a try. Marcus Smith was back to his bewitching best, just in time for the autumn internationals. And if he wasn’t tearing Newcastle apart, there were plenty more who proved only too keen.
Jarrod Evans moved from fly-half to inside centre to accommodate Smith, and the presence of two brilliant playmakers in the same midfield was too much for the Red Bulls. Their long, long wait for a win on the road stretches ever closer to that three-year mark, despite Teddy Leatherbarrow’s and Murray McCallum’s scores.
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