Championship contenders Harlequins threw away an 18-point lead to lose a 40-38 thriller against lowly Bristol.

Quins stormed into a 21-3 lead but allowed their struggling visitors back into the Allied Dunbar Premiership One match.

Fly-half Paul Burke scored 25 points as Bristol recorded only their second win of the season to move off the bottom of the table

Harlequins would have gone third had they won. Their coach Andy Keast was so angry with the performance he warned players will be put on the transfer list.

Bristol's dramatic revival brought them 24 points in 12 minutes either side of half-time turning their deficit into a 30-21 advantage.

Bristol's win puts London Irish bottom of the league

Bristol then strolled into a seemingly emphatic 40-26 lead with just one minute of normal time remaining.

But Quins refused to give in and in the 79th minute Jason Keyter swept in for his second try converted by sub Thierry Lacroix.

Quins needed another converted try to salvage a draw and when wing Dan Luger scored the try it looked as if they might pull off a remarkable last-gasp result.

Rob Liley was chosen for the pressure kick ahead of Lacroix and hooked it wide giving Bristol the points.

Harlequins coach Andy Keast could not believe his side's performance.

He said: "I'm more furious than at any time since I became coach here. The players showed a certain amount of arrogance after the 20th minute.

"We will be downsizing the squad in the New Year. There will be reductions. We are here to be the elite and players will be on the transfer list.

"This is a professional game - not a fun playground."

Bristol coach Alan Davies said: "In the opening few minutes it looked like a practice game for Harlequins but we won the match in the middle period, when our commitment and skill drastically improved."
 

Back to top | BBC News Home | BBC Homepage	©