Harlequins fought back twice to claim an opening day victory at the start of their 150th season, as Bristol missed a golden opportunity to claim a win on their first Premiership appearance in over 7 years in miserable conditions at Twickenham
After a dominant opening 20 minutes, Bristol took the lead as Tom Varndell perfectly read Danny Care's loose pass to touch down under the posts.
Quins hit back with a penalty, but after a poor kick from Ross Chisholm, were soon under their own posts again as Bristol fly half Tusi Pisi cruised through a hole to make it 14-3.
Despite trailing by 11 points with just 90 seconds of the half remaining, Quins went in to the break ahead after a driving maul and clever move in midfield saw Marland Yarde and Joe Marchant cross respectively.
But Bristol came back in the second half, as Marchant let the ball squirm out from a kick through and Ryan Edwards pounced to put the Premiership new boys back in the lead.
Quins would come through however, as they squeezed out Bristol with a tactically superior performance, and two Nick Evans penalties were enough to give them victory.
Lacklustre game-management puts Quins in trouble
Quins burst out the blocks, and had a chance to take the lead as they earned a penalty deep in the Bristol half, but they opted to go for the try, and it proved to be a big mistake, as the chance fizzled out and Bristol took control.
The newly promoted side dominated for 20 minutes as Quins struggled to exit their own half. Poor set piece and handling repeatedly gave Bristol chances when Quins would get the ball back, and Bristol looked dangerous in possession.
Quins looked to be out of the woods as Bristol's poor ball retention came back to bite them again, but rather than telling Nick Evans to clear downfield, Danny Care took a quick-tap penalty and drifted a pass out wide down the short side on the right and Varndell snatched it before running in for the lead, his kick was converted and Bristol led 7-0.
Varndell is 5 tries away from being the Premiership's record try scorer
From the restart, a Bristol knock on gave Quins a scrum that the former were penalised from and the latter were on the board through Evans' reliable boot, but soon they were in even more trouble.
After a brilliant deep kick from Wallace for Bristol, Ross Chisholm sliced a kick straight down the throat of Cliff in midfield who fed Pisi through a gaping hole in midfield and he touched down under the posts to give Bristol an 11 point lead.
Pisi's try gave Bristol a nice buffer
Quins had played the conditions and match situation poorly, and were paying for it. Any pre-premiership nerves had gone for Bristol and Quins would need something special to head into half-time in a decent position in the match.
Quins burst into the lead as Bristol unravel
With three minutes left in the first half it seemed Quins would be heading into the break in dire trouble, but a penalty gave Quins field position before a driving maul gave them a penalty 20 metres out. The London side opted not to go for the posts but for the corner and from a second maul, Marland Yarde took the ball from the back and drove over for their first try.
Backchat from Jordan Crane meant that Quins were given a penalty on halfway and they went straight for the corner. Care peeled away from the lineout drive and switched with Yarde in midfield who cut through and fed Marchant for a try. It looked forward, but was similar to Bristol's second try in that sense and the referee awarded it to give Quins a half-time lead.
Marchant's try completed a stunning turnaround for Quins
It had been a great recovery from Quins as Bristol had seemed to fade, knowing that there was not long left in the half. Jordan Crane's stupidity had gifted Quins a second chance and they wouldn't miss out. Bristol would need a big start to the second half to remain in contention.
Bristol strike back, but improved Quins come through
With a minute gone in the second half, Bristol kicked down the left touchline through Ryan Edwards, and he went after his own kick. Joe Marchant seemed to have it, but it slipped through his hands and against his leg, giving Edwards an easy try in the corner. Bristol had pounced again and it was another soft try for Quins to concede.
Bristol looked to be heading for the perfect return to the Premiership
Quins spent minutes camped on the Bristol line, going in search of the try that would put them in the lead, but after around 10 minutes of pressure Bristol cleared. Their defence looking as if it was well up to the task.
Sadly for the away side, playing in gold, their discipline continued to let them down and with just over 20 minutes left, Nick Evans drew Harlequins to within a point with a good kick from 35 yards out and at quite a wide angle from a scrum penalty.
They had the lead with 15 minutes remaining, Bristol having to concede another penalty as Quins piled on the pressure with quick ball and good phases all the way upfield. Evans slotted and Quins led for only the second time in the game, having led for just 90 seconds of the game previously.
The end of the game was tight, but Nick Evans' tactical kicking and Quins' discipline in their own half was rock solid. Bristol did threaten, most notably through a Tusi Pisi kick through that Varndell almost latched on to and an Olly Robinson charge down, but Quins showed impressive management of the conditions and defence to hold on for a fifth straight win in the London Double Header.
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