Archive May 10, 2025

Gallagher Premiership

Harlequins (28) 38

Tries: Murley 3, Evans, Isgro 2 Cons: M Smith 4

Gloucester (7) 19

Gloucester’s hopes of reaching the Premiership’s play-offs suffered a major blow as they were thrashed by Harlequins.

Victory would have seen them leapfrog Sale Sharks and Saracens into fourth spot, but they were second best from the off as Quins turned on the style at Allianz Stadium.

Cadan Murley grabbed two tries and Will Evans and Rodrigo Isgro one each as the hosts had a bonus point by half-time.

Murley completed his hat-trick and Isgro added another in the second period as Quins moved up to seventh with this win.

Harlequins’ own top-four hopes had effectively been ended by three straight defeats, but they were determined to put on a show across the road from The Stoop as part of their fourth annual Big Summer Kick-Off.

Two days after being announced in the Lions’ squad, Marcus Smith was again a focus of attention.

Whether he’s a full-back or a number 10, Smith showed why he is on the plane to Australia, with a cute pass to Alex Dombrandt that led to Murley scoring the first try to get the scoreboard ticking, although there was a hint of the pass being forward.

There should have been a second try quickly after but full-back Tyrone Green dropped the ball as he was about to touch it down, and seven points went begging.

Another try was disallowed, but there was nothing wrong when Evans finished off a catch-and-drive from a five-metre lineout.

In their previous game, the Cherry and Whites had run in 13 tries in a club-record-breaking win over Exeter Chiefs.

That level was nowhere to be seen in the opening 30 minutes as they chase a top-four spot for the first time since 2019.

When they produced a moment of quality, Wade showed what rugby league’s champion side Wigan Warriors will be getting when he heads north at the end of the season, with his 91st Premiership try, moving into solo third on that list.

But they soon slipped back into bad habits as Murley sauntered through big gaps in the Gloucester defence to collect the bonus point by the break.

And he ran in his hat-trick score early in the second half as Quins exploited more holes, before Argentina winger Isgro almost walked over for his second.

The game was now over but Carreras and Cotgreave went over as they chased a bonus-point, but they came up short.

Harlequins: Green; Murley, Isgro, Beard, Waghorn; M Smith, Porter; Baxter, Walker, Lamositele, Herbst, Hammond, Kenningham, Evans, Dombrandt.

Replacements: Jibulu, Els, Streeter, Launchbury, Lawday, Murray, Benson, Northmore.

Sin-bin: Dombrandt (52), Murley (68)

Gloucester: Carreras; Wade, Harris, S Atkinson, Morris; Anscombe, T Williams; Rapava-Ruskin, Blake, Clark, Fasagbon, F Thomas, Clement, Ludlow, Ackermann.

Replacements: Singleton, Knight, Gotovtsev, Jordan, Clarke, Engelfield, C Atkinson, Cotgreave.

Sin-bin: Ackermann (56)

Hearts will make an official approach to Kilmarnock on Monday in a bid to secure Derek McInnes as their new manager.

Since Neil Critchley’s dismissal last month after six months as Tynecastle boss, McInnes has been the strong favourite to take over.

His Kilmarnock team beat Dundee 3-2 on Saturday to secure Scottish Premiership safety with a third straight victory in what has been an otherwise difficult season.

In the aftermath of the win McInnes would not be drawn on the reports linking him with a move to Tynecastle, saying there had been “no contact from club to club”.

McInnes is an experienced manager in Scotland having started by taking St Johnstone to the top flight in 2009.

After a brief stint at Bristol City he then had seven years at Aberdeen where they never finished lower than fourth and won the League Cup in 2014.

McInnes departed Pittodrie in 2021 and took charge of Kilmarnock the following January, leading them to promotion back to the top flight and keeping them up on their return.

His spell at Rugby Park peaked last season when he guided the Ayrshire side to fourth place and European football.

Hearts themselves have had a turbulent season which started with their worst-ever beginning to a campaign and cost Naismith his job.

Critchley steered the club away from the bottom of the table but failed to get them into the top six and was dismissed, while there are changes off the pitch.

United Rugby Championship

Stormers (14) 48

Tries: Simelane 2, Senatla, Ungerer, Willemse, Hartzenberg, De Wet Cons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 3, Willemse 2 Pen: Feinberg-Mngomezulu

Dragons (0) 12

Dragons’ worst season was confirmed with their 16th successive loss in the United Rugby Championship (URC).

Defeat by Stormers means they cannot better their previous lowest points tally in a one-division version of the competition’s 24 years.

Ironically that fate was sealed despite one of their better displays.

Few gave them a chance of victory in Cape Town even before Stormers opened the scoring after just 73 seconds.

It was a tough scoreline for Dragons after so much effort but was the least those inside the DHL Stadium had expected after Wandisile Simelane sped past Harry Wilson in the second minute.

Even the most optimistic Dragons fan must have feared the worst.

But reaching for the record books proved premature as they held out until just four minutes before half-time.

They had Stormers’ over-confidence, a yellow card and full-back Huw Anderson to thank for that.

Seabelo Senatla somersaulted over for Stormers’ second but captain Salmaan Moerat was sin binned and against seven forwards, Dragons closed the gap to 14-5 when fit again Ben Carter shoved Wainwright over from close range early in the second half.

However, the Dragons’ lineout faltered too often and eventually allowed Stefan Ungerer to cross from distance before Damian Willemse capped his 100th appearance with a try.

Soon-to-retire Dragons veteran Dan Lydiate made his 150th league appearance but it could be his last after leaving on the back of a medical buggy following a head injury.

Trailing 29-5, Dragons mustered a response and again Anderson was pivotal, snagging Simelane behind the try-line.

From the resulting scrum, Aneurin Owen thundered into the defensive line before Blacker snuck over.

But when Stormers’ passes stuck they were simply electric and they finally showed their class with three late scores to all-but secure their place in the play-offs.

Stormers: Warrick Gelant; Ben Loader, Wandisile Simelane, Damian Willemse, Seabelo Senatla; Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Stefan Ungerer; Vernon Matongo, Joseph Dweba, Sazi Sandi, Salmaan Moerat (capt), Ruben van Heerden, Paul de Villiers, Marcel Theunissen, Evan Roos.

Replacements: JJ Kotze, Ali Vermaak, Zachary Porthen, Connor Evans, Louw Nel, Paul de Wet, Dan du Plessis, Suleiman Hartzenberg.

Sin bin: Moerat (39)

Dragons: Huw Anderson; Harry Rees-Weldon, Harry Wilson, Aneurin Owen, Jared Rosser; Angus O’Brien (co-capt), Rhodri Williams; Rhodri Jones, Brodie Coghlan, Chris Coleman, Ben Carter (co-capt), Ryan Woodman, Shane Lewis-Hughes, Dan Lydiate, Aaron Wainwright.

Replacements: James Benjamin, Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths, Paula Latu, Joe Davies, Barny Langton-Cryer, Dane Blacker, Lloyd Evans, Ashton Hewitt.

Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)

Assistant referees: AJ Jacobs (SARU), Hanru van Rooyen (SARU)