Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins: Marcus Smith outshines England compatriot Henry Arundell to inspire fearless Quins to a famous European bonus-point victory in Paris

• Marcus Smith dazzled as Harlequins claimed a bonus-point win vs Racing 92 
• Alex Dombrandt and Jack Walker scored late to help Quins secure the victory
• Henry Arundell also featured for Racing and is set to sign a contract extension

Henry Arundell will this week confirm an extension to his contract with French giants Racing 92 meaning the brightest talent in the English game is now ineligible for Test duty as a result. 

But one man who is staying available to national head coach Steve Borthwick is Marcus Smith and the Harlequins magician showed the future can be bright for England even without Arundell as he guided his team to a famous European bonus-point win in the French capital. 

Smith was magnificent here, outshining Arundell in one of his club’s most memorable nights. 

It is a crying shame the two won’t be linking up together for their country in the years to come due to rugby politics. 

One hopes they can be England team-mates again before the 2027 World Cup. Arundell, 21, moved to Racing after the demise of London Irish but his extended deal with the leaders of the TOP14 means he won’t play for England in the Six Nations and beyond. 

Marcus Smith dazzled as the England fly-half led Harlequins to a bonus-point win against Racing 92 on Sunday

He faced off against England team-mate Henry Arundell who is set to sign a contract extension with the TOP14 side

But it was a famous victory for the London side in Paris, with Harlequins now set to take on French champions Toulouse next Sunday

Racing’s former England head coach Stuart Lancaster said: ‘I have not spoken to Henry about his long-term future. It was about preparing for Harlequins. 

‘This was always going to be a difficult game for him and so it proved. It was a good learning curve for him. On that surface with no wind and no rain, it was made for Marcus. 

‘I’m disappointed to lose. We conceded some soft tries. They weren’t system errors. When you play against the best teams like Harlequins it tests you. It shows we still have work to do.’ 

Underused by England at the World Cup, Arundell has been on fire in his short time with Racing so far. 

But it was Smith who was the game’s outstanding performer. With Owen Farrell ruling himself out of the Six Nations to prioritise his and his family’s mental health, the England No 10 shirt will go to either George Ford or Smith for the Six Nations.

The latter showed there is not an English fly-half like him with his running, attacking or all-round game in the French capital. Smith even struck a brilliant 45-metre drop goal which, come the final whistle, proved the difference between the teams. Harlequins were quite brilliant. 

They were led by Smith, but Danny Care, Alex Dombrandt, Will Evans and Will Joseph all excelled too. 

Nolann Le Garrec scored twice during the match and put the home side 7-0 up after 15 minutes converting his own try

But Smith hit back with a try of his own before Andre Esterhuizen followed up with another in quick succession

Alex Dombrandt (L) who also scored during the match, lauded his team-mate Smith after the game, claiming the fly-half is a ‘special player’

Frankly, each and every player wearing white deserves great credit. Harlequins’ win means Saracens were the only English team to lose on the Champions Cup’s opening weekend. 

It represents a huge fillip for the Premiership after a year or so of struggles. 

‘I’m over the moon,’ said Harlequins captain Dombrandt, who produced some brilliant footwork and running lines and scored a crucial second-half try. 

‘We deserved to win. It was a great performance. It shows how far we’ve come from last season. We are trying to build an all-court game. 

‘Everyone knows about our attacking game and we’re stilling bringing that in shed loads. ‘But we also want to bring our defence and line-out.’ 

On Smith, Dombrandt added: ‘He’s a special player. He can create something from nothing. To have someone like him in your team gives you a lot of confidence.’

 Harlequins director of rugby Billy Millard said this win was among the best results he’s had in nearly six years at the club. 

‘He was outstanding,’ Millard said of Smith. ‘They are all heroes for me.’ 

Harlequins played with pace and intent from the first minute. Smith turned down kickable penalties in favour of the corner. 

Match facts 

Racing 92 Tries: Le Garrec (2), Gibert, DialloCons: Le Garrec (4)

Harlequins Tries: Smith, Esterhuizen, Dombrandt, Walker Cons: Smith (4) Drop goal: Smith

Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)

Attendance: 9,385 

Star man: Marcus Smith (Harlequins)

The visitors were unlucky to go 7-0 down when Nolan Le Garrec scored. But Smith weaved over for a brilliant individual effort and Andre Esterhuizen crashed through. Smith converted all four of his team’s tries.

Antoine Gibert’s second Racing score meant Harlequins only led 17-14 at the break. They deserved to be further clear than just Smith’s long-range drop goal as they were the better team. But Le Garrec’s second – plus his boot – and an Ibrahim Diallo effort put Racing back in control early in the second period. 

At 28-17 you sensed Harlequins would struggle to turn the tide. Not a bit of it. They never stopped playing. Dombrandt burst through. The English side’s intent was shown in the 64th minute. 

Smith could have kicked an easy penalty to make it a one-point game but went for touch looking for a try. 

Jack Walker was promptly driven over for a fourth score and Smith improved the effort to end with a 16-point haul after also going on one mesmerising run. 

It was a physical encounter, with England scrum half Danny Care also featuring for Quins

Racing pressed in the second half, scoring twice after the break to take the lead 

But Harlequins would hit back late on to secure the victory, with Smith kicking four penalties and an outstanding 45-metre drop goal

Still, it looked like Harlequins would suffer late heartbreak despite Smith dancing around Arundell. 

Under intense pressure in the final few minutes, Millard’s side saw Dino Lamb yellow carded. 

Racing pounded away but a big Evans hit saw them spill the ball. Harlequins celebrated raucously in front of their impressive travelling contingent of fans. 

It was no wonder they were happy. Harlequins face another French giant in the country’s champions Toulouse on Sunday but after delivering a performance of attacking brilliance and brutal physicality in defence here, they should have no reason to fear Antoine Dupont and Co.

Source: Read Full Article