Harlequins Thankful for Care's Attention

If this was a gruelling game to watch, it was absolutely brutal for the players. The result was predictable enough given the two teams' current form, but it told nothing of the massive effort involved from both sides at a rain-sodden, wind-swept Stoop. Harlequins have won seven of their past eight league games, whereas Newcastle's record over the same period is the exact inverse. Their lack of confidence and, at times, competence made for a poor game of rugby.

Quins' run of form has pushed them above Leicester into third place in the table. They deserve it - having controlled this match throughout the first hour, they were forced to play the final quarter with 14 men after De Wet Barry was sent off in the 59th minute. It was punishment for a particularly idiotic and ugly late tackle on his opposite centre Mathew Tait, who hobbled off the pitch after five minutes flat on the turf.

Quins director of rugby Dean Richards refused to criticize the South African. 'De Wet has apologised to Mathew and he has apologized to me,' he said. 'He has an unfair reputation as a dirty player and he doesn't deserve it.'

On the odd occasions when the ball was put into the backs' hands, moves invariably broke-down at the first tackle. The only man to handle the ball with any assurance was England hopeful Danny Care, who put in a superb performance at scrum-half for Harlequins. His wit and invention should have created at least one try for his side, and they came closest when Simon Keogh knocked the ball on as he crossed the line in the left corner, having won a chase after Care's ingenious grubber. 'If three scrum-halves go on tour to New Zealand this summer than Danny Care should be one of them,' added Richards.

Newcastle interim director of rugby Steve Bates has now lost his first three games in charge and, again, they appeared to be desperately short of leadership on the pitch. Jonny Wilkinson and Toby Flood tried hard to construct attacking moves, but outside them the back-three of Ollie Phillips, Jon Rudd and Tom May had an awful 80 minutes.

Adrian Jarvis, who is leaving Quins for Bristol in the summer, landed three penalties in the first half, and Care added a drop-goal that gave the hosts a 12-6 lead. At no point did Newcastle look as though they could overturn that deficit, even when they had a one-man advantage.

The Stoop 12,638

Harlequins Brown; Keogh, Monye (Barry 39),

Turner-Hall, Williams; Jarvis (Malone 61), Care; Jones, Fuga (Botha 54), Ross, Percival (Evans 71), Robson, Easter, Skinner (capt), Guest (Hala'ufia 51)

Pens Jarvis 4 Drop goals Care

Newcastle May; Phillips, Tait (Visser 59), Flood, Rudd; Wilkinson, Charlton (Grindal 51); Ward (Golding ht), Vickers (Thompson 47), Hayman, Perry (Parling 61), Sorenson, Buist, Woods (Wilson 56), Dowson (capt)

Pens Wilkinson 3

Referee M Fox