Furbank in control as Saints hold on

IT WAS pretty much inconceivable that Saints and Quins would lay on anything other than an entertaining try fest and so it proved at Franklin’s Gardens with the home side just squeezing home.

- BRENDAN GALLAGHER

Both teams were looking to bounce back from defeat last week but although the sharing of 10 tries would suggest optional tackling it was far from that. Indeed George Furbank, deputising at fly-half for Fin Smith who has a sore back, was positively Wilkinsonesque, deciding at an early stage that he personally would deal with Andre Esterhuizen in midfield. And he did! 

Furbank also took control generally with his kicking and passing and not for the first time you are left wondering that he was one of the ‘controversial’ selections Eddie Jones actually got right only to lose faith towards the end. Will his chance come again?

Elsewhere Ollie Sleightholme made a big impression with two tires after a long spell out and it was good to see Cadan Murley make a try-scoring return for Quins. Meanwhile, with an eye to the future, England U20 stars Chandler Cunningham-South and Nathan Jibulu impressed mightily off the bench for Quins in the final quarter.