Marcus Smith’s return inspired Harlequins to their first win of the season in the Gallagher Premiership, while Saracens saw their perfect start come to an end with a 20-14 defeat at The Stoop.
Smith, making his first appearance since the British and Irish Lions tour, scored Quins’ first try and directed the aerial attack that ultimately led to the defeat of their London rivals.
The England player also converted two goals, the second improving Tyrone Green’s try in the second half, and scored two penalties to surpass Owen Farrell, who led Saracens from the inside center position.
Farrell created tries for Fergus Burke and Ben Earl with a sublime pass and a precise cross-kick, but it wasn’t enough to prevent his team from suffering their third consecutive defeat against Harlequins.The hosts dominated most of the first half, but their lead at halftime was only 10-7, with a Smith penalty marking the difference between the rivals.
The battle in the scrum, the kicking game and great individual moments favored Quins, but they only managed one try to demonstrate their dominance, with Smith breaking through in the ninth minute, evading a tackle from Marco Riccioni in the process.
Farrell missed a routine kick launched by Smith, which drew cheers from the home fans, who then celebrated when Saracens number eight, Tom Willis, was pushed back in the tackle by Kieran Treadwell.
Both teams punted the ball at every opportunity, with the first quarter producing an average of one punt per minute, but it was Smith who dominated the skies through his variety.
Saracens were struggling to get out of their half, but in the 27th minute their attack came alive when Farrell delivered a spectacular pass to Lucio Cinti, and one pass later Burke finished an anticipated try of the season.
Chandler Cunningham-South, who had an outstanding performance, made a great tackle on Willis, his opponent, and when the powerful scrum of the home team received a penalty, Smith hit the target.
The second half had less than a minute left when Quins extended their lead, Burke couldn’t control a Smith kick, allowing Green to perform a ‘fly-hack’ and score.
Saracens were looking to apply pressure in the home team’s 22, but the scrum proved to be their undoing once again, conceding a penalty that relieved their opponents.
The North London club were gaining momentum and in the 65th minute, they scored their second try, with Max Malins initiating an attack that ended with Farrell executing an exquisite cross-kick for Ben Earl to score.
Prop Boris Wenger had a try disallowed for a double movement as Quins looked to respond and spent the final minutes in enemy territory, closing out the game with Smith slotting his second penalty in added time, just before being named Player of the Match.
