Harlequins 40-36 Bath Rugby: Two sides play out Gallagher Premiership thriller as visitors fall short in comeback

Harlequins survived a late comeback from Bath to hang on for a memorable 40-36 win at The Stoop, clinching what could prove to be a crucial bonus point to creep into the Gallagher Premiership top four.

The hosts soared to a 40-3 lead with some terrific rugby and looked like they had the game wrapped up with under 30 minutes to go.

But five unanswered tries from Bath put the Stoop faithful on the edge of their seats for an intense finish.

After being routed by Saracens last weekend, Harlequins produced a masterful display of rugby. The axis of Danny Care, Marcus Smith and Andre Esterhuizen combined perfectly for the first 50 minutes. The latter of which grabbed a brace on his birthday, scoring the first just three minutes into the game.

The second for the hosts came 10 minutes later with Smith capping a venomous attacking sequence with a solo chip-and-chase try.

Three more tries followed in the next 30 minutes, from Louis Lynagh, Alex Dombrandt and Will Evans, and the hosts seemingly had the win in the bag. Add an Esterhuizen score eight minutes into the second, and Bath looked dead and buried.

But as coach Johann van Graan said after the game, Bath are “never out until the final whistle goes.”

Scoring 33 unanswered points and five tries within that, the visitors left The Stoop with two bonus points, with the talismanic Finn Russell among those driving the Bath side until the end. Will Muir was responsible for the first score, powering through two defenders in the corner.

Ten minutes later they had a second when Alfie Barbeary stormed to the line. The third came five minutes later through replacement scrum-half Louis Schreuder darting from close range.

It looked impossible, but Bath were on the verge of making one of the Premiership's greatest comebacks.

Then, with eight minutes to go, Ruaridh McConnochie scored after his side produced several powerful carries, and when Elliot Stooke scored in the corner four minutes later, panic set in for Quins supporters. The impossible was within reach.

Fifty minutes of Harlequins magic and 30 minutes of Bath resilience culminated in a standoff on Bath's five-metre line. For the first time in 30 minutes, Quins had managed to push Bath back.

At the death, it was captain Stephan Lewies who rose head and shoulders above everyone to steal Bath's lineout, and Smith booted the life out of the ball for his side to hang on and survive a staggering finale.

As Harlequins move into the top four, there are just five points between second-placed Bath and seventh-placed Leicester Tigers.

The league is becoming increasingly wild and more entertaining with every passing week, and with only a few rounds to go, the run to the play-offs is going to be a blockbuster.

Harlequins: Baxter 8, Walker 7, Lewis 6, Launchbury 7, Hammond 6, Lewies 7, Evans 8, Dombrandt 7, Care 8, Smith 8, Murley 6, Esterhuizen 8, Beard 6, Lynagh 8, Green 9

Replacements: Riley 6, Marler 6, Collier 6, Herbst 4, Trenholm 5, Anyanwu 6

Bath Rugby: Obano 6, Dunn 4, Du Toit 5, Roux 6, Du Plessis 5, Hill 4, Reid 5, Coetzee 5, Spencer 4, Russell 7, Muir 6, Ojomoh 5, Lawrence 5, McConnochie 6, Gallagher 5

Replacements: Annett 6, Schoeman 6, Stuart 6, Stooke 6, Bayliss 5, Schreuder 7, Bailey 6, Barbeary 7

3' - TRY FOR QUINS - HARLEQUINS 7-0 BATH - Harlequins have a line-out on the 22, and Andre Esterhuizen breaks through the defence and is over for a brilliant solo try.

14' - TRY!QUINS GET THEIR SECOND - HARLEQUINS 14-3 BATH - Marcus Smith has it off the back of another well-worked lineout and now chips it ahead and touches down for a great solo try.

24' - TRY! A THIRD FOR THE HOSTS! HARLEQUINS 21-3 BATH Danny Care takes a quick penalty off a Bath mistake at the restart and scampers into Bath's half. Tyrone Green draws the final man and Louis Lynagh is over for a third try from the hosts.

30' TRY! QUINS RACING AWAY NOW - HARLEQUINS 26-3 BATH - Another line-out and they maul towards the line and Alex Dombrandt scores the bonus-point try. Marcus Smith misses with the conversion.

39' - TRY! NUMBER FIVE - HARLEQUINS 33-3 BATH - Marcus Smith delays his pass perfectly for Louis Lynagh to race to the line, beating the last defender and handing the ball off to Will Evans to score.

48' - TRY! TWO FOR ESTERHUIZEN AND SIX FOR QUINS! Try number six and Quins are destroying Bath. Lynagh accelerates down the wing all too easily and and creates a three on one, with the South African running in unopposed.

52'- TRY FOR BATH! After a brief TMO check Bath have their try! Will Muir finishes in the corner despite being tackled by two Quins defenders. Russell looked to be stopped but managed to pass out the tackle with one hand.

64'- TRY! BARBEARY GETS BATH'S SECOND OF THE DAY - QUINS 40-15 BATH A quick-tap penalty from Russell and his offload to Barbeary sees him power through multiple Quins defenders to touch down.

69'- TRY! QUINS 40-22 BATH - Three unanswered tries for Bath as replacement scrum-half Louis Schreuder touches down from short range.

72'- TRY! BONUS POINT TRY FOR BATH! - Quins are SLEEPING. That's four in a row for Bath and they're just 13 points away from the hosts now. It was McConnochie who ran in without any opposition.

76'- TRY! NUMBER FIVE FOR BATH - Elliot Stooke scores in the corner after a number of powerful pick and goes. Russell slots the conversion and it's just a four-point margin!

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