Marcus Smith outshines Finn Russell but Bath have last laugh

Bath’s refusal to be beaten propelled them to a gripping 26-24 Gallagher Premiership victory over Harlequins made possible by Francois van Wyk’s late try.

Quins led until the 77th minute of a seven-try thriller at The Stoop but were never able to relax against last season’s beaten finalists, who showed their resilience to stay in the fight with Thomas du Toit crossing before Van Wyk struck in the left corner to snatch victory.

Marcus Smith comfortably won his fly-half duel with Finn Russell, whose humdrum performance included twice kicking the ball beyond the dead-ball line in a second half that failed produce the fireworks seen in the opening 40 minutes.

In a boost for England ahead of New Zealand’s visit to Allianz Stadium on November 2, Smith was superb, with his crafty kick to set up the first of Rodrigo Isgro’s two tries a moment of genius.

But it was not enough to prevent Quins crashing from defeat, the defensive steel they produced against Saracens last weekend eluding them when it mattered most.

It was almost five minutes in before the first break in play came and while Bath had the more effective start, it was Quins who claimed the opening try when Alex Dombrandt finished their first meaningful attack.

Tom de Glanville was halted by the uprights as he went close to rounding off another strong Bath drive and having lost centre Cameron Redpath to muscle tightness during the warm-up, they saw back row Alfie Barbeary depart injured.

While the visitors struggled to turn field position and possession into points, Quins were delivering a masterclass in taking chances, although there was also a hint of magic in the second try.

Shaping up to pass left after inroads had been made into the Bath defence, Smith instead kicked against the grain to the right wing where Isgro outjumped Austin Emens to catch and score.

Bath hit back with a Guy Pepper try founded on their forward power and it was the work of their pack that enabled De Glanville to side-step his way over in the 33rd minute.

A pulsating first half was not done yet as Quins plugged away from a line-out drive until Argentinian sevens superstar Isgro spied his opportunity to grab and drive across the whitewash.

Night had fallen when the players emerged from the interval and the pace disappeared from the game until the arrival of Chandler Cunningham-South off the bench injected life into the home attack.

Russell kicked the ball dead to invite pressure on to Bath and they were in serious danger when Smith released Luke Northmore with a delayed pass that sent the centre screaming into space.

Pepper intervened illegally at the ruck when Northmore was stopped and having been sent to the sin bin, Smith kicked a penalty.

Quins led 24-14 but their opponents’ response was immediate when Du Toit completed a sharp attack.

An important moment was partially undone when Russell then sent a free-kick bouncing past the dead-ball line, giving the home side another chance to camp themselves upfield.

But having weathered the storm, Bath showed their mettle to strike in the left corner in the 77th minute through replacement prop Van Wyk.