Harlequins head coach Tabai Matson did not hide his frustration after his side fell to a 39-31 defeat to the Sharks in their Champions Cup opener on Saturday.
The Sharks went down to 14 men when prop Ox Nche was given his marching orders after a high tackle in the 60th minute, but the South African team still held out for their first win in the tournament.
Discipline costs Quins
After the match, Matson rued his side’s ill-discipline, with Quins conceding 11 penalties in total.
“We have given them too many penalties and gave them too many opportunities, and good teams take them, so we are frustrated when we rolled into the changing room because it was an opportunity missed,” said Matson.
“We missed our own opportunities in the game to play our game, so it will be frustrating when we debrief the game.
“We have a day of travelling tomorrow and then a day off, and it’s important to spend some time with our families, and then we are back in on Tuesday and will debrief this game.
Looking ahead
Despite his disappointment, Matson is eager to push on as the focus shifts to Harlequins’ next assignment; Racing 92 at the Stoop.
“We cannot dwell too much because we have one of the biggest teams in Europe – Racing 92 – coming to the Stoop on Sunday. We take some learnings from this game and then get ready for the new challenge,” Matson said.
No surprises from the Sharks
Harlequins captain Alex Dombrandt compared the entertaining clash with the South African side to that of playing against French teams in Europe.
“It was the same [as playing the French], but it was good to mix it up and spend a week in Durban in 30-degree heat, and it makes a change from back home, which has been nice,” said Dombrandt.
He added that the Sharks didn’t spring any surprises on Harlequins and played to the traditional strengths of South African teams.
“They sprung no surprises on us, and we knew they were going to be a physical team; they were lucky to be able to bring back their Springboks from the national team.
“We knew it was going to be a tough challenge, and they are a class outfit, and like Tabs said, it was frustrating, and an opportunity to win was missed.
Harlequins fail to complete their comeback
Since the 2019/20 season, Harlequins have made a habit of overturning large deficits spectacularly but were unable to against the Sharks despite a late rally led by Andre Esterhuizen.
“We have shown in the past that a deficit doesn’t knock us, and we know we can come back because we have that confidence and ability and belief that we chase any score down,” Dombrandt said.
“The momentum was there, but we ran out of time in the end.”
Harlequins host Racing 92 next weekend at the Stoop, with the French outfit heading into the match off the back of a 42-10 humbling by Leinster. Meanwhile, the Sharks head to France, where they will face Bordeaux-Begles.