Santi Carreras produced an early try of the season contender as Harlequins and Bath opened their PREM campaigns under the Friday night lights at The Stoop.
Harlequins and Bath began their 2026/27 Prem campaigns with a game under the lights at the Stoop which saw the away side win 17-33 in front of a packed crowd.
A blistering opening 20 minutes saw both sides exchange scores. Bath were the first to open their account with tries from debutant du Preez and veteran Cokanasiga.
The home team then replied in the 16th minute with a pirouetting solo try from scrum-half Will Porter and a well-worked counter-attack finished by Cunningham-South in front of the North Stand.
Sadly for the home side, this parity was shattered by a ridiculous Argentine piece of skill from Santi Carreras, who intercepted a Tyrone Green pass with an outstretched foot, causing the ball to sail into the sky, which the Puma then gathered with one hand at his own 40m line; he ran the length of the field to score under the posts.
The first half finished as the first started for Bath, with Dan Frost touching down after another left-sided rolling maul.
Despite a strong first 10' which saw Delgado trundle over following a Murley line-break, the Quarters failed to assert more dominance as a held-up try led to an eventual yellow card for new substitute Sam Riley.
This missed opportunity cascaded into a poor final third for the home side as Bath gained ascendancy, scoring off another maul in the 71st minute as they cruised away for their first Prem win this season.
Harlequins 17– 33 Bath
Harlequins: Tries – [Porter (16'), Cunningham-South (25'), Delgado (44')]; Conversions – [Slevin 45' ]; Penalties – [ ].
Bath: Tries – [du Preez (12'), Cokanasiga (20'), Carreras ⭐️ (32'), Frost (42'), Richards (71')]; Conversions – [Russell (13', 21', 33', 43'); Penalties – [ ].
Player of the Match
[Carreras] — [Bath]
The Argetinean's wonder try in the first half turned what was a fairly equal affair in the favour of his side. He also contributed well in the backfield covering kicks and responding with his arsenal of toe pokes and stabs.
Biggest Underperformer
[Connor Slevin] — [Harlequins]
While Harlequins did attack well for two thirds of the match, Slevin struggled to truly control the flow of the game and much of his side's success came from individual brilliance rather than his guiding hand.
Player to Watch
[Will Porter] — [Harlequins]
Despite playing second fiddle to Care for much of his career and starting sporadically last year Porter looked handy today. He nailed all but one box kick and the Hurricanes DNA brought over by his new attack coach suits his style of play.
Have your say
Harlequins player ratings
15. Tyrone Green – 6
14. Cameron Anderson – 6
13. Oscar Beard – 7.5
12. Bryn Bradley – 5
11. Cadan Murley (c) – 6
10. Connor Slevin – 4.5 (Subbed 73')
9. Will Porter – 7.5 (Subbed 54')
1. Will Hobson – 5 (Subbed 61')
2. Jack Walker – 5 (Subbed 50') (Subbed On: 58')
3. Pedro Delgado – 6 (Subbed 50')
4. James Dun – 4 (Subbed 58')
5. Harry Browne – 5
6. Jack Kenningham – 6
7. Will Evans – 7
8. Chandler Cunningham-South – 7 (Subbed 50')
Replacements
16. Sam Riley – 3 (Subbed On: 50', Subbed: 58')
17. Boris Wenger – 4 (Subbed On 61')
18. Harry Johnson-Holmes – 4 (Subbed On 50')
19. Kieran Treadwell – 4 (Subbed On 54')
20. Guido Petti – 4 (Subbed 50')
21. Lucas Friday – 5 (Subbed On 58')
22. Josh Bellamy – 3 (Subbed On 73')
23. Rodrigo Isgró – 5 (Subbed On 66')
Bath player ratings
15. Santi Carreras – 7
14. Joe Cokanasiga – 6 (Subbed 58')
13. Ollie Lawrence – 6.5 (Subbed 58')
12. Max Ojomoh – 7
11. Tom de Glanville – 7.5
10. Finn Russell – 7
9. Tom Carr-Smith – (Subbed 58')
1. Beno Obano – 5.5
2. Dan Frost – 6 (Subbed 58')
3. Will Stuart – 6 (Subbed 58')
4. Ted Hill – 6.5 (Subbed 66')
5. Charlie Ewels (c) – 6
6. Josh Bayliss – 6
7. Sam Underhill – 6 (Subbed 48')
8. Dan du Preez – 6
Replacements
16. Kepueli Tuipulotu – 5 (Subbed On58')
17. Scott Kirk – 5 (Subbed On 58')
18. Archie Griffin – 5 (Subbed On58')
19. Ewan Richards – 6 (Subbed On 66')
20. Guy Pepper – 5 (Subbed On: 48')
21. Bernard van der Linde – 5 (Subbed On 58')
22. Cameron Redpath – 5 (Subbed On: 58')
23. Miles Reid – 6 (Subbed On: 58')
