Quins reclaim top spot

Harlequins regained the top spot in the Aviva Premiership less than 24 hours after being deposed by reigning champions Saracens with a 14-6 victory over Bath.

The London club's six-month tenure at the head of the table was briefly interrupted when Sarries won 45-9 at Sale on Friday night.

But three penalties from former New Zealand fly-half Nick Evans and a late try by replacement flanker Maurie Fa'asavalu took them back to the top after a hard-fought victory at the Twickenham Stoop.

Bath fly-half Tom Heathcote booted his side ahead from 40 metres with the first of two penalties for the visitors after four minutes, but Evans equalised four minutes later.

Bath took the game to Quins in the first half but a try-saving tackle by Quins full-back Mike Brown, back from Six Nations bench duty with England, kept them out.

The home side were temporarily reduced to 14 men when prop Joe Marler was yellow-carded by referee Wayne Barnes for a 30th-minute high tackle on Bath left wing Tom Biggs.

Excellent

And Bath took the lead two minutes later when Quins were caught offside in front of their posts, leaving Heathcote to slot a simple penalty.

Harlequins twice had the chance to level the scores but the usually reliable Evans missed two straight penalty shots, from 40 and 30 metres, in the space of three minutes late in the first half.

Bath began the second half with a flourish when Heathcote split the Quins defence with a darting run and found Olly Woodburn out wide.

But the right wing was stopped in full flight by an excellent tackle from former England winger Ugo Monye.

Heathcote put a close-range penalty kick wide and Bath were then denied a try by the television match official.

Full-back Nick Abendanon set up the chance with a piercing run before sidefooting his kick to the corner. It found Woodburn who went over but the replay showed that he had knocked on.

Abendanon then came to Bath's rescue, bravely diving on the ball as three Quins players bore down on him but he was injured in the process and replaced by Jack Cuthbert.

Dangerous

Evans' day went from bad to worse when he spurned a penalty shot at goal and went for touch only to squander the attacking opportunity by kicking the ball beyond the corner flag.

But the Kiwi fly-half finally made amends, kicking a 61st-minute penalty from wide on the left to level the scores.

Three minutes later the Quins scrum forced another penalty as they drove Bath back and Evans kicked them ahead from 40 metres.

Bath suffered a further blow when Cuthbert was sin-binned when referee Barnes ruled that he had tackled Brown in the air as the full-back fielded a high kick.

Quins sealed victory in the 74th minute after Brown was brought down just short and replacement scrum-half Karl Dickson delivered a short pass to send Fa'asavalu crashing over.

Evans' conversion attempt rebounded from the post and two minutes later Fa'asavalu was yellow-carded for a dangerous challenge on Heathcote

But Cuthbert hit the post with the resulting penalty and then missed the chance of a losing bonus point for the West Country outfit, when he was wide again with the last kick of the match.