Exeter top-four hopes hit by superb Quins comeback
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The Prem
Harlequins (14) 41
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Tries: Kenningham, Northmore, Murley, Porter, Evans, Wenger Cons: Smith 3 Pens: Smith
Exeter (24) 24
Tries: Ridl, Varney, Norey, Ikitau Cons: Slade 2
Harlequins put a dent in Exeter Chiefs' play-off hopes with a blistering 41-24 come-from-behind Prem victory to boost their own aspirations of Champions Cup rugby next season.
Leading 24-14 at half-time, fourth-placed Chiefs had looked set to further cement their hopes of competing for a spot in the Prem final.
But after a second-half blitz from a youthful Quins side, which scored 27 unanswered points, the visitors were left nervously contemplating two difficult games against Leicester and Saracens in order to book their post-season place.
Twickenham's Allianz Stadium proved a very different place in a first half that Chiefs dominated, notching four tries and a bonus point, than the second period when they could not live with Quins' energy.
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Worryingly for Exeter, who made a raft of changes in an effort to regather momentum and control, they gained neither with their hosts running in four second-half tries as the Chiefs finished a man light after a late yellow card.
Nothing in the opening period had suggested the ultimate outcome as Exeter eased to a 12-0 lead in the first 10 minutes, Campbell Ridl and Stephen Varney capitalising on great build-up play from Harvey Skinner and Paul Brown-Bampoe respectively.
The latter bulldozed his way down the right wing leaving Quins, plural, trampled underfoot while Skinner's kicking was incisive and accurate.
A Jack Kenningham try, which Marcus Smith converted, pulled it back to 12-7 but when hooker Max Norey got on the end of a well-worked lineout routine on 26 minutes and Len Ikitau ran a hard-angled burst six minutes later, it looked as though the Chiefs were building a rout.
That proved to be well wide of the mark.
Luke Northmore kept playing when Exeter did not after a possible knock-on to run in a try for Quins four minutes before the break. And after half-time there was only one team in it.
Cadan Murley moved on to the heels of Mike Brown in second place as Quins' leading top-flight try scorer, finishing after a great break from Cameron Anderson.
Another bruising run from Jamie Benson set up Will Porter and, after a penalty was awarded for Chiefs not releasing, Smith took three to put the hosts ahead for the first time in the match on 68 minutes.
Alex Dombrandt and Chandler Cunningham-South then teed up Will Evans to go over on a free right wing after tying up the Exeter defence with some powerful close -range darts.
And with Exeter accepting their fate and visibly wilting after Bachuki Tchumbadze received a 10-minute marching order, Boris Wenger intercepted to stomp to a last-minute try and put gloss on a superb second-half display.
Harlequins: Benson, Anderson, Northmore, Bradley, Murley, Smith, Friday; Hobson, Riley, Delgado, Carr, Williams, Cunningham-South, Kenningham, Dombrandt (c).
Replacements: Musk, Wenger, Streeter, Green, Driscoll, Evans, Porter, Isgro.
Exeter: Woodburn, Brown-Bampoe, Slade, Ikitau, Ridl, Skinner, Varney; Sio, Norey, Iosefa-Scott, Jenkins (c), Zambonin, Hooper, Tshiunza, Vintcent.
Replacements: Dweba, Burger, Tchumbadze, Tuima, Worley-Brady, Cairns, Haydon-Wood, Feyi-Waboso.
Referee: Matthew Carley