Harlequins win thriller at The Stoop

Harlequins 38-31 Northampton Saints, The Stoop

Harlequins secured a dramatic 38-31 win over Northampton Saints at The Stoop as Tom Lawday scored a last-minute winner in the final round of the Gallagher PREM.

It was an emotional afternoon in South West London, with Quins saying goodbye to several players and coaches. The conditions were damp and windy, but both sides still produced an entertaining contest full of attacking rugby and late drama.

Saints Strike First Before Quins Respond

Northampton opened the scoring after slick handling from Fraser Dingwall and Tom Litchfield took them close to the line. Jonny Weimann then finished from short range to give Saints a 7-0 lead.

Harlequins responded quickly through their forwards. After working their way to within a metre of the line, the ball was moved to the short side, where Marcus Smith slipped a pass inside for Alex Dombrandt to slide over and level the score.

Saints regained the lead when JJ van der Mescht powered over after the visitors again won the gainline battle. Quins pushed hard late in the first half and found a response on the stroke of half-time as Jamie Benson crossed in his final game at The Stoop, making it 12-12 at the break.

Quins And Saints Trade Second-Half Blows

Northampton moved back in front early in the second half through Josh Kemeny, but Harlequins hit back with a sharp counterattack. Benson created front-foot ball before Dombrandt ran a strong line and released Cassius Cleaves, who finished on the left wing.

With the scores level again, Quins then took the lead for the first time. A sweeping move opened space for Cam Anderson, who cut inside from his wing and scored in front of the South Stand.

Saints replied quickly. Toby Thame kicked through to bring the visitors level before Weimann intercepted to score his second try and put Northampton 31-24 ahead.

Lawday Seals Last-Minute Victory

Harlequins refused to fade. With less than 10 minutes remaining, Dombrandt crashed over for his second try to level the match at 31-31 and set up a tense finish.

The decisive moment came in the final minute. Quins launched a coast-to-coast attack, and Cadan Murley kept the move alive with an offload to Lawday, who scored the winning try in front of the South Stand on his final appearance at The Stoop.

The late score sealed a memorable 38-31 victory for Harlequins and gave the home supporters a dramatic finish to the Gallagher PREM season.