England fly-half Marcus Smith scored 18 points as Harlequins beat Cardiff 43-17 in the European Champions Cup on Saturday with the Welsh side fielding a second-choice side as a host of players complete a two-week Covid-19 quarantine.
The only other two matches played on Saturday saw two-time winners Munster beat Castres 19-13 at Thomond Park while Glasgow upset 2020 champions Exeter 22-7 in the Scottish fog.
The first half in Glasgow was a dogged display of winter rugby with the only points coming from a penalty by Ross Thompson.
He added three more penalties after the break to put Glasgow 12 points up after an hour.
No. 8 Sam Simmonds gave Exeter hope, bludgeoning over from close range. His brother Joe converted and Exeter trailed by five with nine minutes to play.
But Thompson nailed his fifth penalty before Glasgow’s forwards forced a try which substitute hooker Johnny Matthews touched down in the gloom.
“I’ve never played in anything like that,” said Glasgow’s Australian No. 8 Jack Dempsey who is playing his first season in the northern hemisphere. “We didn’t change our game plan at all.”
Glasgow, who lost their opener in La Rochelle, climbed to fourth in 12-team Pool A.
“I hope we can do it again and again.”
“Once we started rolling they couldn’t stop us. We delivered.”
Five second round matches between French and British sides were postponed on Friday due to strict coronavirus travel rules.
Two further matches were cancelled with Montpellier and Racing 92 handed 28-0 bonus point victories over Leinster and the Ospreys due to Covid-19 cases.
Cardiff lost to holders Toulouse last weekend as stand-in coach Gruff Rees was without 42 first-team squad members who had travelled to South Africa earlier this month.
Rees’ side led 12-7 early in the first-half after 18-year-old debutant Cam Winnett and Wales back-rower James Botham scored.
Despite the Welsh side’s unexpectedly impressive start, Quins led 14-12 after 20 minutes as 22-year-old Smith dotted down from a sublime long-range break.
Smith added a penalty before 20-year-old Cardiff winger Theo Cabango, the younger brother of Wales football centre-back Ben Cabango, finished a superb solo effort on only his second Cardiff appearance just before the break.
“Half-time we were pretty vibrant and buoyed by the whole experience. Then Harlequins squeezed us a little bit and forced mistakes,” Rees told Channel 4.
“I’ve just paid tribute to the senior guys in the huddle as well, unbelievable. The last couple of weeks, to create that environment with the young fellas, and the semi-pros, who came in and flourished.”
Quins target knock-outs
As Cardiff tired, England winger Joe Marchant touched down and No. 8 Alex Dombrandt scored twice to give Quins a bonus point.
South Africa centre Andre Esterhuizen claimed Quins’ fifth try before Smith reached the 18-point mark with two minutes left.
“We knew it was going to be a tough match with all the disruption they had, they still have a quality side and they put in a great shift against Toulouse,” Dombrandt told Channel 4.
Quins won their opener last Sunday at Castres.
The only Champions Cup tie including a Top 14 outfit this weekend saw Castres travel to Limerick to take on Munster — Ireland not being affected by France’s border restrictions.
The Irish province welcomed back a host of senior players after they finished their 14-day isolation period on their return from South Africa but unsurprisingly they looked rusty.
Fly-half Ben Healy kicked them to a 9-3 lead at the break. He added another penalty before No. 8 Jack O’Donoghue dotted down in the 57th minute.
His opposite number Kevin Kornath replied four minutes from time and Benjamin Urdapilleta’s conversion gave Castres the consolation of a bonus point at one of rugby’s great strongholds.
“We are very happy with this victory, to have nine points after two games,” said Munster coach Johann van Graan whose side moved up to second in Pool B.
“It was an ugly victory. It was the first game for some in seven or eight, maybe nine weeks. It was a tough one but we could have done better.”
On Sunday, two-time winners Leicester travel to Connacht after edging Top 14 leaders Bordeaux-Begles last Saturday.
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