Jack Kenningham, Will Joseph, Louis Lynagh scored first-half tries for Harlequins, who held off late Exeter fightback to bag Premiership win; Ehren Painter, Dan Frost scored Exeter tries in defeat, but Will Edwards’ penalty with final kick deprived Exeter of even losing bonus point
Last Updated: 22/10/23 5:22pm
Will Joseph and Louis Lynagh scored tries for Harlequins in Premiership victory vs Exeter
Harlequins picked up their first league win of the Gallagher Premiership season with a hard-fought 22-14 victory over Exeter at the Stoop.
There was little between the sides but the hosts had slightly more attacking flair than their opponents as Jarrod Evans and Luke Northmore possessed more ideas in how to break stubborn defences.
This resulted in three tries for Quins through Jack Kenningham, Will Joseph and Louis Lynagh with Evans kicking two conversions. Will Edwards added a penalty.
Exeter responded with tries from front-rowers Ehren Painter and Dan Frost, both of which Henry Slade converted.
A superb 50-metre run from full-back Josh Hodge gave Exeter an early attacking platform and they took advantage of it when Painter forced his way over.
Within four minutes, Quins were level when well-timed passing gave Kenningham an easy run-in as both sides sought to exploit the excellent playing conditions.
A third try looked inevitable and it soon came to give the hosts the lead for the first time. Thirty metres out, an inside pass from Evans gave Lynagh the chance to skip past two defenders and score.
Evans converted and his side had a 14-7 lead at the end of an enterprising first quarter before Exeter suffered a huge blow when they lost Hodge with an arm injury after he had fallen awkwardly in fielding a high ball.
Jack Kenningham responded with a try for Quins after an early Exeter score
Chiefs soon received another setback when Quins scored their third try. A strong burst from Northmore put the defence on the back foot before the ball was recycled for Joseph to stroll over in the corner.
Evans missed the conversion but Quins deservedly held a 19-7 interval advantage.
Chiefs began the second half strongly to pressurise the home defence but they still continued to lose possession at crucial times. Inaccurate passing and frequent turnovers greatly hampered their try-scoring opportunities.
As a result a competitive third quarter finished scoreless, mainly due to Exeter replacement Immanuel Feyi-Waboso showing exceptional speed to deprive Tyrone Green of a touchdown.
Exeter staged a late second half fightback, but ultimately ended without even a losing bonus-point
The home side suffered an injury blow when the impressive Northmore was helped off the field with a leg injury to be replaced by Edwards.
Exeter immediately capitalised with a try from Frost from a driving line-out which Slade converted to set up a grandstand finish.
There were still nine minutes left on the clock but Exeter could get no closer as the hosts regrouped to keep their opponents at bay in the final stages with a last-minute penalty from Edwards depriving Chiefs of a merited bonus point.
