Gallagher PREM rugby: Harlequins beat Saracens 33–15 for first win

Harlequins ended their winless league start by beating London rivals Saracens 33–15 at The Stoop on 25 October 2026. The victory brought a bonus point—an extra league point—for scoring tries, which involve grounding the ball beyond the opponents’ goal line, but did not lift Harlequins off the bottom of the Gallagher PREM table.

Smith makes an impact at both ends

Marcus Smith launched and finished the opening attack after just 175 seconds on his 200th appearance for Harlequins. Seb Driscoll followed him over the try line after Baxter passed out of a tackle.

Rotimi Segun scored for Saracens, but Harlequins then received a penalty try—awarded when illegal play prevents a probable try—after Ben Earl illegally stopped a maul, a drive by players bound together around the ball. Earl’s yellow card took him off the field for ten minutes. Soon after he returned, Fergus Burke received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Rodrigo Isgro, and Cadan Murley scored on the next passage of play.

Smith also denied Max Malins a try with a last-gasp tackle that dislodged the ball before Malins could ground it. Theo Dan did score for Saracens before half-time. Burke failed a head injury assessment following his dangerous tackle, so Malins moved to fly-half. Andy Onyeama-Christie also left after a head knock.

Will Porter scored Harlequins’ final try in the 55th minute after Segun mishandled a difficult pass from Tomos Williams. Nick Tompkins answered for Saracens, but Harlequins conceded no further scores.

Baxter returns before England’s autumn opener

RugbyPass said England loosehead prop Fin Baxter, a left-sided front-row forward, completed 40 minutes in his first appearance since sustaining a foot injury ten months earlier. His return came a fortnight before England’s scheduled autumn opener against Australia.