Harlequins advertise top-four intentions

Belfast Harlequins 22 Dungannon 0One of Belfast Harlequins' mottos is that you can't be professional on the pitch if you are unprofessional off it.

This week in the build-up to Saturday's match, the Belfast club ran 12 10-second adds on Ulster Television and put up 50 posters around the city. Their match programme was up to date with tables and news and this year they think the club, after raising £4.5 million to build a complex that includes pitches, an ice hockey rink, floodlights and a clubhouse, will make a profit.

Coach Andre Bester has always been free with his time to tell those who will listen that his young Harlequins side are looking for a top-four place this year.

Despite their average age of 23, they looked every bit the part, albeit against a Dungannon side who were tactically clumsy playing with the wind and lacked bite when playing against it.

Dungannon's work ethic was splendid but when Harlequins turned around at half time with a 7-0 lead, it was impossible to see a way back against the wind, and subsequently the home side ran in two more tries without reply.

"We should have had a bonus point today," complained Bester. "The challenge for us now is to get into the top four. This is a side that should be there."

Roger Wilson's try didn't arrive until 33 minutes, when he charged from the back of a maul three yards out and grounded with a couple of Dungannon defenders still clinging to his shirt. Ominously for the visitors, the score arrived after Harlequins' first bout of real pressure.

The Dungannon tactics were hard to fathom and they rarely used the bitter wind coming off Divis mountain, which was blowing everything into the left corner at the club end of the pitch.

But Jan Cunningham did threaten just before the break - with an overlap outside him he lunged for the line but fumbled as the Harlequins cover swallowed him up.

From there on the story was one of outhalf Ajay Derwin and full back Andy Park kicking 50-, 60- and 70-yard balls onto and behind the Dungannon flanks.

The problem for the first 25 minutes was how to take advantage of easy territory as Dungannon relentlessly ran the ball back but without any menace in the execution.

On 65 minutes Derwin stretched Harlequins' lead to two scores with a penalty before a two-try blitz in the closing four minutes. Park found a gap under the posts and Derwin converted, while Johnny Lowe provided an eye-catching finish by chasing 40 yards after the outhalf's measured kick and touching down inches from the closing Dungannon cover.

At home to Buccaneers next week, Harlequins then face Terenure, St Mary's and Cork Constitution away before what could be a telling finish against Clontarf and Shannon in Belfast. By then, of course, they will hope to be still serious contenders.

SCORING SEQUENCE

33 mins: R Wilson try, A Derwin con 7-0; 65 mins: A Derwin pen 10-0; 77 mins: A Park try, Derwin con 17-0; 80 mins: J Lowe try 22-0

BELFAST HARLEQUINS: A Park; S Coulter, G Mitchell, R Botha, J Lowe; A Derwin, A Matchett; J Carey, R Best, C Boyd (capt.), C Beukes, D Barbour, C McCarey, N Best, R Wilson. Replacements: S Clancey for Matchett 71 mins; L Stevenson for Beukes 79 mins.

DUNGANNON: M Bradley; J Turkington, J Cunningham, A Clarke, S Mallon; M Armstrong, K Campbell; G Leslie, N Brady, M Farquhar, A Boyd (Capt.), A Kearney, S Roberts, A Hughes, T Barker. Replacements: P Sandford for Best 79 mins; R Stafford for Cunningham 79 mins.

Referee: D Maloney (Munster)