{"id":299980,"date":"2023-12-12T18:30:36","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T18:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/?p=299980"},"modified":"2023-12-12T18:30:36","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T18:30:36","slug":"racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins: Marcus Smith leads Quins to a famous win"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1> Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins: Marcus Smith outshines England compatriot Henry Arundell to inspire fearless Quins to a famous European bonus-point victory in Paris<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Marcus Smith dazzled as Harlequins claimed a bonus-point win vs Racing 92\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Alex Dombrandt and Jack Walker scored late to help Quins secure the victory<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Henry Arundell also featured for Racing and is set to sign a contract extension<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Henry Arundell will this week confirm an extension to his contract with French giants Racing 92 meaning the brightest talent in the English game is now ineligible for Test duty as a result.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But one man who is staying available to national head coach Steve Borthwick is Marcus Smith and the Harlequins magician showed the future can be bright for England even without Arundell as he guided his team to a famous European bonus-point win in the French capital.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Smith was magnificent here, outshining Arundell in one of his club\u2019s most memorable nights.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It is a crying shame the two won\u2019t be linking up together for their country in the years to come due to rugby politics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One hopes they can be England team-mates again before the 2027 World Cup. Arundell, 21, moved to Racing after the demise of London Irish\u00a0but his extended deal with the leaders of the TOP14 means he won\u2019t play for England in the Six Nations and beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/10\/23\/78800535-0-image-a-2_1702250074914.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Marcus Smith dazzled as the England fly-half led Harlequins to a bonus-point win against Racing 92 on Sunday<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/10\/23\/78801289-12848381-image-m-3_1702251776074.jpg\" height=\"425\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>He faced off against England team-mate Henry Arundell who is set to sign a contract extension with the TOP14 side<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/10\/23\/78800527-0-image-a-4_1702250202265.jpg\" height=\"447\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>But it was a famous victory for the London side in Paris, with Harlequins now set to take on French champions\u00a0Toulouse next Sunday<\/p>\n<p>Racing\u2019s former England head coach Stuart Lancaster said: \u2018I have not spoken to Henry about his long-term future. It was about preparing for Harlequins.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;This was always going to be a difficult game for him and so it proved. It was a good learning curve for him. On that surface with no wind and no rain, it was made for Marcus.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I\u2019m disappointed to lose. We conceded some soft tries. They weren\u2019t system errors. When you play against the best teams like Harlequins it tests you. It shows we still have work to do.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Underused by England at the World Cup, Arundell has been on fire in his short time with Racing so far.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But it was Smith who was the game\u2019s outstanding performer. With Owen Farrell ruling himself out of the Six Nations to prioritise his and his family\u2019s mental health, the England No 10 shirt will go to either George Ford or Smith for the Six Nations.<\/p>\n<p>The latter showed there is not an English fly-half like him with his running, attacking or all-round game in the French capital. Smith even struck a brilliant 45-metre drop goal which, come the final whistle, proved the difference between the teams. Harlequins were quite brilliant.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They were led by Smith, but Danny Care, Alex Dombrandt, Will Evans and Will Joseph all excelled too.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/10\/23\/78800623-0-image-a-6_1702250311694.jpg\" height=\"388\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Nolann Le Garrec scored twice during the match and put the home side 7-0 up after 15 minutes converting his own try<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/10\/23\/78800561-0-image-a-5_1702250285951.jpg\" height=\"408\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>But Smith hit back with a try of his own before\u00a0Andre Esterhuizen followed up with another in quick succession<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/10\/23\/78800685-0-image-a-7_1702250446704.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Alex Dombrandt (L) who also scored during the match, lauded his team-mate Smith after the game, claiming the fly-half is a &#8216;special player&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Frankly, each and every player wearing white deserves great credit. Harlequins\u2019 win means Saracens were the only English team to lose on the Champions Cup\u2019s opening weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It represents a huge fillip for the Premiership after a year or so of struggles.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I\u2019m over the moon,\u2019 said Harlequins captain Dombrandt, who produced some brilliant footwork and running lines and scored a crucial second-half try.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We deserved to win. It was a great performance.\u00a0It shows how far we\u2019ve come from last season. We are trying to build an all-court game.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Everyone knows about our attacking game and we\u2019re stilling bringing that in shed loads. \u2018But we also want to bring our defence and line-out.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On Smith, Dombrandt added: \u2018He\u2019s a special player. He can create something from nothing. To have someone like him in your team gives you a lot of confidence.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0Harlequins director of rugby Billy Millard said this win was among the best results he\u2019s had in nearly six years at the club.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He was outstanding,\u2019 Millard said of Smith. \u2018They are all heroes for me.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Harlequins played with pace and intent from the first minute. Smith turned down kickable penalties in favour of the corner.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>Match facts\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p><span>Racing 92 Tries<\/span>: Le Garrec (2), Gibert, DialloCons: Le Garrec (4)<\/p>\n<p><span>Harlequins Tries<\/span>: Smith, Esterhuizen, Dombrandt, Walker Cons: Smith (4) Drop goal: Smith<\/p>\n<p><span>Referee<\/span>: Frank Murphy (Ireland)<\/p>\n<p><span>Attendance<\/span>: 9,385\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span>Star man<\/span>: Marcus Smith (Harlequins)<\/p>\n<p>The visitors were unlucky to go 7-0 down when Nolan Le Garrec scored. But Smith weaved over for a brilliant individual effort and Andre Esterhuizen crashed through. Smith converted all four of his team\u2019s tries.<\/p>\n<p>Antoine Gibert\u2019s second Racing score meant Harlequins only led 17-14 at the break. They deserved to be further clear than just Smith\u2019s long-range drop goal as they were the better team. But Le Garrec\u2019s second \u2013 plus his boot \u2013 and an Ibrahim Diallo effort put Racing back in control early in the second period.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At 28-17 you sensed Harlequins would struggle to turn the tide. Not a bit of it. They never stopped playing. Dombrandt burst through. The English side\u2019s intent was shown in the 64th minute.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Smith could have kicked an easy penalty to make it a one-point game but went for touch looking for a try.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Jack Walker was promptly driven over for a fourth score and Smith improved the effort to end with a 16-point haul after also going on one mesmerising run.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/10\/23\/78800565-0-image-a-9_1702250637029.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>It was a physical encounter, with England scrum half Danny Care also featuring for Quins<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/10\/23\/78800529-0-image-a-10_1702250684423.jpg\" height=\"425\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Racing pressed in the second half, scoring twice after the break to take the lead\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/10\/23\/78800533-0-image-a-11_1702250730954.jpg\" height=\"427\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>But Harlequins would hit back late on to secure the victory, with Smith kicking four penalties and an outstanding 45-metre drop goal<\/p>\n<p>Still, it looked like Harlequins would suffer late heartbreak despite Smith dancing around Arundell.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Under intense pressure in the final few minutes, Millard\u2019s side saw Dino Lamb yellow carded.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Racing pounded away but a big Evans hit saw them spill the ball. Harlequins celebrated raucously in front of their impressive travelling contingent of fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It was no wonder they were happy. Harlequins face another French giant in the country\u2019s champions Toulouse on Sunday but after delivering a performance of attacking brilliance and brutal physicality in defence here, they should have no reason to fear Antoine Dupont and Co.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/rugbyunion\/article-12848381\/Racing-92-28-31-Harlequins-Marcus-Smith-outshines-England-compatriot-Henry-Arundell-inspire-fearless-Quins-famous-European-bonus-point-victory-Paris.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins: Marcus Smith outshines England compatriot Henry Arundell to inspire fearless Quins to a famous European bonus-point victory in Paris Marcus Smith dazzled as Harlequins claimed a bonus-point win vs Racing 92\u00a0 Alex Dombrandt and Jack Walker scored late&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":299979,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins: Marcus Smith leads Quins to a famous win - Sports-Life-News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins: Marcus Smith leads Quins to a famous win - Sports-Life-News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins: Marcus Smith outshines England compatriot Henry Arundell to inspire fearless Quins to a famous European bonus-point victory in Paris Marcus Smith dazzled as Harlequins claimed a bonus-point win vs Racing 92\u00a0 Alex Dombrandt and Jack Walker scored late...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sports-Life-News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-12-12T18:30:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"mediabest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Racing-92-28-31-Harlequins-Marcus-Smith-leads-Quins-to-a-famous-win.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"mediabest\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win\/\",\"name\":\"Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins: Marcus Smith leads Quins to a famous win - Sports-Life-News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-12T18:30:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-12T18:30:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rugby Union\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/category\/rugby-union\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins: Marcus Smith leads Quins to a famous win\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/\",\"name\":\"Sports-Life-News\",\"description\":\"sports-life-news.com\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\",\"name\":\"mediabest\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"mediabest\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins: Marcus Smith leads Quins to a famous win - Sports-Life-News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins: Marcus Smith leads Quins to a famous win - Sports-Life-News","og_description":"Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins: Marcus Smith outshines England compatriot Henry Arundell to inspire fearless Quins to a famous European bonus-point victory in Paris Marcus Smith dazzled as Harlequins claimed a bonus-point win vs Racing 92\u00a0 Alex Dombrandt and Jack Walker scored late...","og_url":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win\/","og_site_name":"Sports-Life-News","article_published_time":"2023-12-12T18:30:36+00:00","author":"mediabest","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Racing-92-28-31-Harlequins-Marcus-Smith-leads-Quins-to-a-famous-win.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"mediabest","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win\/","url":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win\/","name":"Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins: Marcus Smith leads Quins to a famous win - Sports-Life-News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-12-12T18:30:36+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-12T18:30:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/racing-92-28-31-harlequins-marcus-smith-leads-quins-to-a-famous-win\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rugby Union","item":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/category\/rugby-union\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins: Marcus Smith leads Quins to a famous win"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/","name":"Sports-Life-News","description":"sports-life-news.com","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609","name":"mediabest","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"mediabest"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299980"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299980\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}