There was plenty of sympathy for London Irish who outscored their hosts by three tries to two in some style, but Harlequins, having trailed for much of the afternoon, proved to be masters of the end-game. With this last-minute victory on Saturday, Harlequins maintained their pursuit of the Premiership leaders.
An horrendous injury list that included key men such as Keith Wood, Darren O'Leary and Johnny Ngauamo probably accounted for the fragmented quality of Harlequins' display which depended heavily on the accurate goal-kicking of Thierry Lacroix, the scorer of 16 points.
Nevertheless, like the Irish, Harlequins always made a bold effort to keep the ball in hand which enabled them to overhaul a 13-24 deficit in the final half hour.
"Quins are not normally known as a side who keep firing to the end unless they're already 30 points ahead but today we had to keep going and we did," said Andy Keast, their rector of rugby. "The Irish played very positive rugby but we pulled out our get-out-of-jail card and the game went our way.
"Our injury problems are a major worry though - we could struggle to raise a squad of 21 for Wednesday's game at home to Bristol."
The bodily wear and tear of the Premiership was emphasised by a new set of injuries received by four Harlequins forwards, Rory Jenkins (head wound), Ryan Strudwick (ankle), Tom Billups (knee) and Massimo Cuttitta (back). England prop Jason Leonard, battle weary after his recent spell of Test duty, has been allowed to rest but he may have to make a premature comeback for the Bristol game.
Certainly Harlequins' attempts to pressure Newcastle, Saracens and Leicester in the coming weeks, will depend on how well players respond on the treatment table as well as their ability to develop the expansive game Keast prefers.
On Saturday they were on the wrong end of too many turn-overs for comfort, mainly because the London Irish loose forwards competed on the gain line with ruthless zeal. In fact the Irish really ought to have built up a commanding lead in the first half when Niall Woods managed to land just one out of four kickable penalties and their sparkling wing Justin Bishop allowed himself to be bundled into the corner flag by Lacroix when a try looked certain.
At the time, the Irish seemed able to accommodate the loss of those points because their enterprising full-back Conor O'Shea scored two long range tries in the 17th and 40th minutes from passes respectively by Woods and Sean Burns that blew open Quins' cover.
The Sunbury director of rugby Willie Anderson has made great strides in persuading his players that ball retention is essential to Premiership survival, yet just one win from seven league games inevitably puts the Irish in relegation trouble. Within the next week or so he hopes to sign a Western Samoan number eight as well as a top Australian forward to bolster the long fightback.
"We got a bit of pride back and we know we can compete with the best with regard to performance," said Anderson. "But I've told the players we have to take our chances inside the five metres zone and ensure we turn possession into points. That needs to be drilled into them - it involves giving the right call and showing greater concentration." Perhaps the most positive aspect of the London Irish performance was the way the half-backs, Burns and Niall Hogan, shaped the pattern of play with a shrewd awareness of creative possibilities. In the 48th minute it was Hogan who unhinged Harlequins' defence, moving the ball swiftly away from a midfield scrum and into the eager hands of Bishop who sidestepped two defenders before scoring near the posts.
Nevertheless Harlequins responded promptly, stepping up the pace with such intensity that the Irish lost a bit of composure and began killing the ball and conceding penalties, two of which the reliable Lacroix goaled to narrow the gap to five points. In the end the numerous stoppages proved to be a blessing for Harlequins whose captain Bill Davison took a short pass from Tulsan Tollett and rumbled over for the crucial try in the second minute of injury time. Lacroix completed Irish misery by kicking the tricky conversion.
Scorers: Harlequins: Nebbitt, Davison try each, Lacroix 2 convewrsions and 4 penalties; London Irish: O'Shea (2), Bishop tries, Woods 3 conversions and penalty.
Harlequins: S Stewart; L Belligoi, T Tollett, W Carling (J Kayter 48), D Luger; T Lacroix, H Harries; M Cuttitta (A Ozdemir 40), T Billups (P Delaney 49), R Nebbitt, G Llewellyn, R Strudwick, R Jenkins (A Leach 65), W Davison (capt), L Cabannes.
London Irish: C O'Shea (capt); J Bishop, N Burrows, M McCall, N Woods; S Burns, N Hogan; J Fitzpatrick (L Mooney 65), A Redmond (R Kellam 68), G Halpin, G Fulcher, M O'Kelly, K O'Connell, K Spicer, C Bird (R Yeabsley 68).
Referee: S Lander (Liverpool).
