Harlequins RL v. Huddersfield Giants

BBC version here.

So, the Twickenham Stoop. On a cold grey day. Planes heading to Heathrow with landing gears down seemed to hang in the mist behind the far goal posts. The cheerleader lassies were allowed to wear trackie bottoms against the cold (I did wonder to myself if their cropped top outfits were some sort of slave driving technique - "dance, or freeze!").

Quins broke through early, with a converted try. For much of the first half, though, they stonewalled the Giants, proving their defences to be impregnable. They scored once more in that half, and twice in the second. Ending with a penalty kicked goal for good measure.

The giants only crossed the line once, in a disallowed try due to an earlier knock-on. Other than that, it was grind most of the way. The pure skill of the big time players showed through, with nifty dummies, tackling, crossing moves and impeccable catching.

3,284 attended in the crowd, and the Quins go second in the league, slightly unusual for a London club...