Exiles take derby spoils
A fantastic kicking display from Tom Homer helped London Irish clinch a crucial 29-14 win over local rivals Harlequins.
Last Updated: 28/02/10 6:48pm
A fantastic kicking display from Tom Homer helped London Irish record a comfortable 29-14 win over Harlequins at the Madjeski Stadium.
A lack of discipline cost the visitors, with Homer notching five penalties in addition to two conversions for the Exiles.
Ryan Lamb was forced to step in at scrum-half for the home side after international duties and injuries had left them without their three first-choice number nines.
The Exiles opened the scoring when Homer slotted home a 30-metre penalty after Quins lost a lineout on their own 22.
Just four minutes later Homer was given the opportunity to extend the lead but his long range effort went narrowly wide of the uprights.
Quins then enjoyed a spell of pressure and were unlucky not to score on two occasions as they crossed the Irish try-line but were unable to ground the ball.
Penalty try
From one of the resulting five-metre scrums, referee Wayne Barnes awarded a penalty try as the Irish pack fell apart under pressure.
Nick Evans converted to give the visitors a 7-3 lead after 19 minutes but Homer hit back shortly after with another penalty.
Irish then regained the lead after 26 minutes when Chris Hala'ufia slipped a tackle in midfield and played-in Steffon Armitage, with the try being converted by Homer.
The visitors were dealt a further blow when their number eight, Tom Guest, was forced off through injury, while they also lost wing David Strettle soon after.
With five minutes to go until the interval, Quins were caught offside in midfield and Homer's easy penalty extended the Irish advantage to nine points.
To cap a disastrous period of action for the away team, Homer kicked another penalty to leave the visitors 19-7 adrift at the half.
Discipline
Despite the Exiles having the better of the early exchanges in the second half, it was Quins who had the first opportunity to score but Evans was short with a 50-metre penalty attempt.
Very poor line-out work and ill-discipline prevented Quins from gaining any momentum and, when the visitors were once again offside, Homer kicked another three points.
Quins continued to be the authors of their own downfall and the game was effectively sealed in Irish's favour after 58 minutes when Bob Casey intercepted a stray pass to send fellow lock Nick Kennedy on a 35-metre run to the line.
In the latter stages, the game was broken-up by a string of replacements but four minutes to go, Quins at last got something for their efforts when George Lowe finished off a neat move, with Evans adding the conversion.
