It was Nick Easter who provided the sweet joy of a first win of the season for Quins, finally driving over after sustained pressure on the Bath defence, which had resulted in the sin binning of Ben Skirving after persistent infringements. The England No.8 has taken the game by the scruff of the neck on so many crucial occasions for Quins that it was hardly surprising to see him emerge from the bottom of a bundle of players clutching the ball with which his name sake Evans knocked over the posts to clinch the win after an anxious wait for the video referee to confirm the try.

Harlequins success was made ever more cathartic by an intensely frustrating game endured throughout; from the opening exchanges where scrappy play and ill-discipline allowed Nicky Little to kick Bath into a 6-0 lead within 10 minutes. Evans clawed three points back for Quins with a kick of his own and his side began to settle down, creating more openings and another penalty opportunity, which Evans put wide from 30 yards. But while Harlequins enjoyed the majority of possession, Bath’s backs were looking more incisive and a concession was only avoided thanks to a vital tackle from Ugo Monye on Matt Carraro after Nicky Little had broken through the Quins defence.

Matters began to get desperate for the home side when Monye’s effort was disallowed after a knock on from Gonzalo Tiesi with little over ten minutes remaining, but Evans cooled the situation with a levelling penalty. Yet with a minute left disaster struck as Quins fell asleep after the restart and allowed Shontayne Hape to canter over to score what seemed to be the winning try. Fatally Little dragged the conversion wide in blustery conditions and the London side stormed back and looked to have finally broken Bath when David Strettle wriggled free from a tackle but his pass inside to Rory Clegg was spilled agonizingly close to the line. Seconds remained and Quins were not finished until they finally got their try, brought to them by their hero Easter.

The rapturous celebrations that were sparked in the crowd at the final whistle and in particular on the pitch within the squad demonstrated what this win meant to the club; the relief at the team's first win and the return of the Mighty Quin.