England fly-half Marcus Smith scored 18 points as Harlequins beat Cardiff 43-17 in the European Champions Cup on Saturday with the Welsh side naming a second-choice side due to players respect-ing a two-week quarantine for Covid-19.
Cardiff also lost to holders Toulouse last week-end as stand-in coach Gruff Rees was without 42 first-team squad members after their isolation period following their returning from South Africa earlier this month. Rees’ side led 12-7 early in the first-half after 18-year-old debutant Cam Winnett and Wales back-rower James Botham scored. “Half-time we were pretty vibrant and buoyed by the whole experience.
Then Harlequins squeezed us a little bit and forced mistakes,” Rees told Chan-nel 4. “I’ve just paid tribute to the senior guys in the huddle as well, unbelievable.—APP
