AMLIN CHALLENGE CUP FINAL Harlequins 19 Stade Francais 18:GONZALO CAMACHO dropped Michael Cheika's jaw last night. And Nick Evans had him spitting fire. The Argentine's late, late try – wildly against the run of play – was converted by Harlequins' expensive All Black outhalf, from the touchline no less, to send Conor O'Shea's team into next season's Heineken Cup.
Evans is worth every penny this morning.
Cheika now needs the Northampton Saints to do a job on his old team this evening if they are to dine at the top table of European rugby next season.
It didn’t end there, with Sergio Parisse and eventually Cheika voicing their displeasure with Irish referee George Clancy in the immediate aftermath over the last scrum.
“In the areas where we dominated (the scrum) the referee took our advantage away,” said Cheika. “It’s big stakes. It cost us the Heineken Cup spot. It was a game we deserved to win.
“Once again we came undone under the short-comings – I don’t even know if I should say it because I’ll only get in trouble, you know? Just like the bloke who stuck the camera in my face at the end – no respect for anyone.”
Cheika had batted a television camera out of his face, provoking a push to his chest from someone on the pitch.
“It is not about what teams do on the field unfortunately.
“At no stage during the game was any halfback told to take any ball out of the scrum except for the last one when it really counted.
“And in the big games, the big players, the big referees, the big administrators, the big coaches make their decisions.
“Probably I made a few mistakes tonight, but what happened at the end was quite costly really.”
All this while O’Shea’s Harlequins were celebrating their third Amlin Challenge Cup title. He can now plan for the main prize.
In theory, having the Challenge Cup decider in the same city and on the eve of the Heineken final is a good idea.
But a “what if” scenario, that the ERC could only dream about, inevitably entered the mind last night. Imagine Munster versus Cheika: “The Return” would have packed out Cardiff City’s football ground (only 18,959 showed up) with the Leinster faithful certain to empty the pubs for a look-see.
Oh well, the neighbours will catch up with each other next weekend in Thomond Park.
The problem with this fixture is that victory meant a hell of a lot to both clubs, but not until next October when European affairs reopen for 2012.
With that in mind, there was a mild suspicion that the departing Stade players could allow their mind wander to sunnier climes.
Not that it was evident from the manner the Toulouse-bound Lionel Beauxis (essentially being replaced by Paul Warwick or Felipe Contepomi – take your pick) went about trying to orchestrate redemption for Cheika in what has now been confirmed as a miserable first campaign in Paris.
A few, like Mathieu Bastareaud and James Haskell, were potentially waiting to make a decision on re-signing with the Parisians club based on this result.
It started in a sticky fashion with plenty of enthusiasm on both sides, and despite a couple of line breaks it was the boots of Evans and Beauxis that brought matters to 9-6, in Harlequins favour, at the turn.
Cheika wasn’t long abandoning his headset to storm down from the stand, early in the second half, to deliver a few choice words to his bench.
He was back sitting a little more comfortably when Bastareaud, amazingly, clipped over a left-footed drop goal to put them 12-9 ahead.
And then it became feral and very scrappy. Every play counted, every call made by Clancy agonised over by whichever side it went against.
Stade muscled up, in the Cheika way, with that old Argentinian dog Rodrigo Roncero mincing James Johnston to earn a penalty under the sticks. As Beauxis lined up the penalty, to make it 15-9, Clancy sought a word with Roncero.
“Number 1 . . .”
Si?
“It’s a good scrum from you but don’t talk to the opposition.”
That’s like telling a mother not to cry on her child’s wedding day. Roncero could only shrug.
Moments later Evans pulled a penalty to the left he would normally land in his sleep.
Sergio Parisse, Haskell and Juan Leguizamon started racking up the energy-sapping hits and Stade seemed safe from some distance out.
They looked certain to end the season on a high when fullback Martin Rodriguez banged over another drop goal with eight minutes remaining.
Quins needed a miracle. It came from the wily scampering of Danny Care and Camacho athletically gathering his kick ahead to touchdown, and then Evans’ conversion.
Parisse was raging about not getting a late penalty. Cue the madness on the pitch afterwards.
O’Shea was too busy celebrating with his players to notice. He has guided them out of Limerick with a victory and now Cardiff with a trophy in the bag as well.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 5 mins: N Evans pen, 0-3; 12: L Beauxis pen, 3-3; 15: N Evans pen, 3-6; 31: N Evans pen, 3-9; 32: L Beauxis pen, 6-9. Half-time. 45: L Beauxis pen, 9-9; 49: M Bastareaud drop goal, 12-9; 57: L Beauxis pen, 15-9; 66: N Evans pen, 15-12; 72: M Rodriguez drop goal, 18-12; 76: G Camacho try, N Evans conv, 19-18.
STADE FRANCAIS: M Rodriguez; J Arias, M Bastareaud, G Bousses, D Camara; L Beauxis, J Dupuy; R Roncero, R Bonfils, D Attoub; T Palmer, P Pape; J Haskell, A Burban, S Parisse (capt). Replacements: J Leguizamon for A Burban (36 mins).
HARLEQUINS: M Brown; G Camacho, G Lowe, J Turner-Hall, U Monye; N Evans, D Care; J Marler, J Gray, J Johnston; O Kohn, G Robson; M Fa'asavalu, C Robshaw (capt), N Easter. Replacements: W Skinner for M Fa'asavalu (60 mins), R Chisholm for G Lowe (75 mins).
Referee: G Clancy(Ireland).