West Asia Premiership: Abu Dhabi Harlequins easily handle Bahrain without Bolger and Stevenson

Abu Dhabi Harlequins 45, Bahrain 17

Harlequins | Tries: Viser 2, Jenkinson, Penalty, Geraghty, Tuivione, Brown' Cons: Semple 5

Bahrain | Tries: Gibson, Chance, Heath; Con: Radley

Man of the match: Brian Geraghty (Harlequins)

ABU DHABI // With the West Asia Premiership title and a home semi-final in the end-of-season play-offs already assured, Abu Dhabi Harlequins took the chance to rest senior players ahead of the coming challenges last night.

It is a marker of the strength of the capital outfit that, even without the likes of captain Ben Bolger and influential fly-half Luke Stevenson, they still managed to put seven tries on Bahrain.

Bolger and Stevenson ferried drinks to their colleagues while otherwise resting up for next weekend’s playoff meeting against Jebel Ali Dragons.

Even in their absence, Harlequins, who have won three trophies so far this season and have designs on two more, were a finely-tuned machine.

“We went out there with the mentality that, although we had won the league, we wanted to send a message out ahead of the finals over the next three weeks,” Conor Canny, the stand-in Harlequins captain, said.

“I think we managed that. We had a few boys missing, but other people stepped in and stepped up, and it was a good team performance.”

Despite playing into the teeth of a strong breeze in the first half, Harlequins assumed an early 12-point lead. The tourists were even by half-time, though, after making the most of a man advantage.

The midfield battle between two of Gulf rugby’s most powerful centres, Willy Umu, of Harlequins, and Bahrain’s captain Adam Wallace, was always likely to be an intense one.

Each spent time in the sin bin. Umu went first, yellow carded for pulling Wallace back by his long hair as he broke the gain-line. Lindsey Gibson and Lewis Chance crossed for tries for Bahrain in the 10 minutes the Fijian spent off the field.

Harlequins matched that haul within the 10 minutes Wallace was subsequently off the field, for a tip tackle, as they scored a penalty try to a breakaway by Brian Geraghty.

Once that 12-point cushion had been asserted again, they stretched ahead in an ominous show of power against a Bahrain side bayed on by vocal travelling support.

Bahrain still have a chance of exacting revenge this term. If they are to reach the final, where they would play the winner of Harlequins against Dragons, they must navigate an imposing away trip to Doha next weekend.

Harlequins have swept all before them so far this season, winning the Western Clubs Champions League, the Dubai Sevens and the West Asia Premiership so far.

They have lost just one fixture in that time, away in Qatar, and Canny says they are focused on adding the UAE Premiership and West Asia play off trophies to the collection.

“We have struggled at times this season coming off a break, and Mike [McFarlane, the Harlequins coach] emphasised the point that we could not slip into that habit again today,” Canny said.

“We did not want to come into this game half-hearted. The boys did really well and we are going to try to push on from here with some momentum going into the finals, and hopefully that will hold us in good stead.”

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