Dragons roar past Quins

Late, late show from French side leaves Harlequins heartbroken

Last updated: 5th May 2008

Dragons roar past Quins

Worrincy: Scored Harlequins' first try in Cardiff

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Les Catalans produced a stunning comeback to beat Harlequins 18-16 in Cardiff and stretch their unbeaten run to nine games.

The Dragons scored tries from Julien Touxagas and Justin Murphy in the last 10 minutes to turn around a 16-6 deficit in dramatic circumstances.

Victory for Mick Potter's outfit means they maintain their grip on second spot in the table while also cutting Leeds' advantage at the Super League summit to five points.

It is the second time they have squeezed past Quins in dramatic fashion after a 24-22 triumph at the Twickenham Stoop back in March.

Tight tussle

Sunday's first fixture in the Millennium Magic weekend failed to follow in the footsteps of the opening day's trio of games that saw 206 points scored.

Both teams grabbed their first tries following one of many penalties, the Dragons opening the scoring through Jason Croker.

The 35-year-old, Super League's oldest player, showed a neat turn of pace to come back on the angle and burst through the defensive line.

The lead, which was at 6-0 following Thomas Bosc's conversion, didn't last for long as Harlequins replied six minutes later when a high shot from Jerome Guissett gave the London club excellent field position.

Michael Worrincy forced his way over despite the best efforts of Clint Greenshields, the forward managing to just get the ball down over the line.

Rob Purdham added the extras but was off target for the rest of the half, missing a second conversion attempt and also two penalties.

However, his side did hold a 10-6 half-time advantage thanks to Scott Hill's try on the right wing that was just reward for Quins opting to keep the ball alive on the final tackle.

They pulled further clear 10 minutes into the second period, Hill turning from scorer to provider by setting up Chris Melling for his first of the year.

Complete control

Purdham this time slotted over the conversion and at 16-6 Harlequins looked to be in complete control and on course for two crucial points.

However, just as they seemed to be pushing for the killer score inside their opponent's territory they shot themselves in the foot.

Danny Orr allowed the ball to spill from his grasp and into the hands of Touxagas, who just about had enough gas left in the tank to reach the other end of the field and flop over the whitewash.

Boosted by the gift Les Catalans surged forward and Bosc's neat chip over the top was perfectly placed for Murphy to catch and then burst through the last defender to score under the sticks.

The successful conversion put the Dragons ahead for the first time since the 6th minute and left Harlequins heartbroken in the Welsh capital.