Quins humiliate Newcastle in meeting of bottom two

Harlequins have scored 128 points against Newcastle this season [Getty Images] The Prem Newcastle (10) 17 Tries: Brocklebank, Hodge 2 Cons: Healy Harlequins (45) 76 Tries: Dombrandt, Benson 3, Bradley 2, Murley, Riley, Smith, Hobson, Northmore, Staples Cons: Smith 10 Harlequins secured an easy bonus-point victory as they hammered Newcastle Red Bulls in a meeting of The Prem's bottom two. Quins collected the five points to close the gap on Gloucester in eighth, and the final Champions Cup spot, to just four points. They ran in 12 tries, including seven by half-time as the home side were powerless to stop them.

Jamie Benson scored a hat-trick, Bryn Bradley got two and there was one apiece for Alex Dombrandt, Cadan Murley, Sam Riley, Marcus Smith, Will Hobson, Jamie Northmore and Jimmy Staples - who was making his debut. Defeat for Newcastle leaves them 14 points adrift of their opponents and almost certain to finish last for a fourth straight season. All they had to show for a miserable afternoon were tries from Adam Brocklebank and a double from Josh Hodge.

Newcastle have 23 new players arriving in the summer and on this evidence, the current campaign cannot end quickly enough. They had been slow out of the blocks in their previous two home games in The Prem as Exeter Chiefs and Bristol Bears had games quickly controlled the fixtures - and it was the same here. Dombrandt scored from Quins' first attack as he went over by the sticks and while Newcastle were a man down after a yellow card was shown to Ben Healy for a deliberate knock-on, Benson and Bradley added further tries.

Home prop Brocklebank got his side on the board, but it was a brief respite as Murley jogged in at the corner to wrap up the extra point after 24 minutes. Hooker Riley took a tap-and-go and went past five tacklers to score, while a typical side-step from England fly-half Smith increased the lead. Hodge went over after Benson had been sin-binned, but the second half followed a similar pattern.