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Marcus Smith shines as Quins thrash Bayonne / Photo: © AFP
Marcus Smith shines as Quins thrash Bayonne
Harlequins raced to a bonus point with four first-half tries on Sunday as they resurrected their Champions Cup campaign with a 68-14 victory over Bayonne.
In the other early game, Castres shut out visiting Edinburgh 33-0 in Pool 2.
For Quins, fly half Marcus Smith sparkled in the London sunshine in Pool 3. His kicks put Caden Murley and Kieran Treadwell in for the first two tries.
In the 31st minute, prop Fin Baxter barged over for a third Quins try in eight minutes. Bayonne hit back with a try by lock Lucas Paulos but, even with flanker Will Evans in the sin bin, Quins struck on the stroke of half time with a try by prop Pedro Delgado.
After the break, scrum half Will Porter touched down twice. Smith, Treadwell and replacements Sam Riley and Jamie Benson once each to complete the rout. Tom Spring replied for Bayonne.
Smith also converted all but the last of his team's 10 tries.
In Castres, winger Christian Ambadiang's unconverted try gave the hosts a 5-0 half-time lead. They pulled clear in the second half picking up a bonus point with scores from hooker Loris Zarantonello, flanker Tyler Ardron, winger Adam Vargas and centre Vilimoni Botitu.
On Saturday, Glasgow fought back from a 21-point half-time deficit to topple record six-time Champions Cup winners Toulouse 28-21 to ruin Antoine Dupont's first start for more than eight months.
Dupont scored the first of his team's three first-half tries after just five minutes but in driving rain at Scoutstoun, the French side collapsed after the interval to lose their first Champions Cup group game since January 2022.
Tries from full-back Josh McKay, back-rower Gregor Brown and Sione Tuipulotu brought the sides level.
Dupont was replaced with 10 minutes left and seconds later, Glasgow's replacement hooker Seb Stephen crashed over from a rolling maul. Fly-half Adam Hastings kicked a fourth straight conversion to claim victory.
"When we scored after half-time, I thought something might be brewing," Tuipulotu told Premier Sports.
"That's one of the great home victories for us, and it's amazing to be a part of," he added.
Glasgow moved top of Pool 1. Toulouse are third.
France fly-half Matthieu Jalibert scored 16 points as holders Bordeaux-Begles hammered the Scarlets 50-21 to maintain their 100 percent start to the Champions Cup season.
E. Carvalho--JDB
