Harlequins 38-19 Gloucester: Quins storm to victory at Allianz Stadium for Big Summer Kick-Off

It took under 10 minutes for Harlequins to open the scoring with Caden Murley charging through the Gloucester defence, avoiding many attempted tackles.

The next try came from openside flanker Will Evans to increase Harlequins’ lead with another try later scored by Rodrigo Isgro on the 30 minute mark. However, Christian Wade managed to get one back for Gloucester to give the Cherry and Whites some hope.

Not long before half time, Murley got his second of the day to give his side a 28-7 lead going into half time. This was the wingers 50th try for the club.

Murley also opened the scoring in the second half, sealing his hat-trick. This was then followed by Isgro’s second of the game to put the match out of any reach for the Cherry and Whites.

Gloucester fought back in the latter stages of the game with tries coming from Santiago Carreras and Jack Cotgreave.

Not the greatest display from the loosehead after giving away two penalties and being on the verge of receiving a yellow card. Made a few good tackles but overall, it wasn’t Rapava-Ruskin's finest performance which led to an early substitution.

Great from the line out as usual, getting lucky that the one that went wrong ended up resulting in a Gloucester penalty. The hooker also ended up knocking the ball on from a promising Cherry and Whites attack.

Put in some decent tackles but struggled in the scrum. Fasogbon was part of the struggling Gloucester front row and came off early in the second half with Knight and Singleton.

Clark knocked the ball on from the opening kick of the game, and that pretty much set the tone for the whole 80 minutes. Clark had a fairly quiet game, similar to most of the Gloucester tight five.

Not Thomas’ finest performance of the season, outdone physically and wasn’t very present in the breakdown.

Clement was one of Gloucester’s stronger players before going off for a head injury assessment just before half time. The blindside flanker came on for a brief spell at the start of the second half but didn’t do much in that period.

The captain was one of Gloucester’s stronger forwards, constantly putting in some mega tackles. Unfortunately, Ludlow gave the ball away inside Harlequins’ ‘22 in a sloppy manner, apart from that one instance the openside looked strong on the ball.

A day for the number eight to forget, spending a period in the sin bin and not doing much around the breakdown.

The Welsh scrum half showed why he’s made it into the Lions Squad, Williams was quick into the ruck consistently and showed good and fast distribution, his link up play with fellow countryman Anscombe was good. Williams also utilised some good box-kicking throughout the game.

A performance of highs and lows for Anscombe, the Welshman had a bright start to the game, made some good runs and showed some quick hands in the build up to Gloucester’s opening try. However, he struggled to get a hold of the game and control it properly.

A very hit and miss performance from the winger, made some strong tackles at points but ultimately missed two crucial tackles that would’ve stopped tries. Morris showed quick hands in the build up to Gloucester’s opening try but made too many costly mistakes.

Atkinson had a great start to the game, making a probable try saving interception and looked full of energy on the ball. However, the inside centre missed a key tackle in the build up to Harlequins opening try. He also gave away a penalty for not releasing while Gloucester were in a dangerous position.

The outside centre picked up an injury early on and came off about 10 minutes later, before picking up the injury Harris showed some strong ball carrying and had an overall decent game.

Wade had a very slow start to the game but came to form as he settled in. Early on, the winger fumbled the ball from a Harlequins kick and dropped the ball into touch. He also showed a weak kicking game with a poor kick going straight into touch, making little distance under minimal pressure. Wade also missed an easy tackle in the build up to Harlequins’ first try. However, once settled into the game, he was strong on the ball, made some monster tackles and scored Gloucester’s opening try of the game.

A good performance from Carreras, who added some spark to a fairly lacklustre Gloucester side, Carreras showed pace and energy, he looked good on the ball and made some good offloads, scoring Gloucester’s second try of the game. At one point the fullback knocked the ball on but that was his only key mistake.

Singleton came on and had a decent performance, he threw some good line outs and was decent around the park, assisting Carreras’ try. However, Singleton came on and struggled physically.

Knight came on with a huge task of sorting out Gloucester’s problems physically, especially in the scrum. Unfortunately, the issues at the scrum weren’t sorted and Knight didn’t have much of a presence in the breakdown.

The tighthead came on with the same task as his fellow prop, and also struggled to turn things around for Gloucester, it seemed most of The Cherry and Whites seemed to lack a physical presence throughout the game, and without that, it is very hard to win a match of rugby.

After coming on, the second row gave away a very needless penalty inside the Quins ‘22. Despite this, he had some good takes from the line out.

Clarke was one of Gloucester’s best forwards, especially when he came on while Clement went off for a head injury assessment. Clarke was strong at the breakdown, winning penalties and hit hard in the rucks. The back row continued to be a physical presence when he came back onto the field.

Englefield came on at fly half, a position he lacks experience in, he was fairly quiet, not making a huge impact. Englefield played some decent rugby, showed good vision with his passes and didn’t make any mistakes throughout his limited time on the field.

Coming on earlier than anticipated due to injury, Atkinson had a promising start, showing quick hands in the build up to Gloucester’s try. However, he also missed a key tackle which led to Harlequins scoring, one of many defensive mistakes in Gloucester’s game. Atkinson also showed some good takes underneath the high ball.

Cotgreave spent most of the game fairly quiet out on the wing. However, didn’t make any defensive errors unlike most of Gloucester’s backs. The replacement got himself on the scoresheet with a great finish in the corner, just about keeping himself and the ball in play.

It was a harsh set back for Gloucester who have been brought back down to earth after their recent 79-17 thrashing of Exeter Chiefs. The Cherry and White’s Director of Rugby George Skivington was at a loss over his side's performance, saying that“Five minutes into the game me and the coaches were scratching our heads thinking ‘we don’t look like we’re in this game’”

2. Marcus Smith magic “caused Gloucester a lot of problems” as he proves himself worthy of Lions

“He showed himself as a test match 10 today, when he went to kick, his kicking was really accurate,caused Gloucester a lot of problems positionally and then his running games were outstanding.” Harlequins head coach Danny Wilson was full of praise for Marcus Smith who was at his best today and put on a phenomenal performance that silenced anybody who said he didn’t deserve to be in the Lions Squad.

3. Gloucester’s play off hopes have taken a dent... but can they still make the top four?

A win today would have seen Gloucester sit fourth in the table, potentially two points clear of fifth, being in the driving seat to secure a play off place with two games to go. But instead, they sit in sixth place, three points adrift Saracens and Sale Sharks. The Cherry and Whites have still got Newcastle Falcons and Northampton Saints to play.

Skivington is not focused on league position and just wants to play for pride in the last two games, stating that: “Right now we need to win them for pride, I’m gutted and embarrassed by today, I feel we’ve blown a massive opportunity and for me Friday night is showing what we’re all about regardless of points or league position.”

4. Harlequins keep play off hopes alive... as slim as those hopes may be

Today's win sees Harlequins go six points off the play offs, in with a chance but a very small one. They still have Exeter Chiefs and Bristol Bears to play. If Quins play how they did today in the remaining two fixtures they stand every chance of making that top four.

5. The Big Summer Kick-Off, is it a success or a gimmick?

Approximately 45,000 fans showed up to the Allianz Stadium today to watch the Big Summer Kick-Off between Harlequins and Gloucester, including a live set from Feeder before the game. With a capacity of 82,000 the stadium was just over half full which would seem a disappointment.

However, there were more tickets sold than there would have been at Twickenham Stoop, with extra experiences for fans such as live music and being able to walk to Twickenham with the Harlequins side. A fair few Harlequins fans would rather the game be at the Stoop with a full crowd and a proper home atmosphere. Does the RFU need a re-think or is the Big Summer Kick-Off a positive for the sport?