The referee initially allowing a Leicester try despite a clear knock-on in the build-up. Harlequins wing Cameron Anderson, concussed on the floor, being shown a red card. England team-mates Alex Dombrandt and Ollie Chessum squaring up.
There were plenty of flashpoints at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Saturday.
Yet the dedicated away fans section stubbornly refused to ignite into more than mild frustration.
On the fringes, where Richard Buck, sporting a Harlequins’ striped blazer, and Phil Ellis, a slightly bewildered Leicester season ticket holder of 16 years, sat side by side, the only thing lobbed between the two were pleasantries and cheery small talk.
“I’ve been a bit ambused by this today,” Ellis smiled. “You usually get the odd smattering of away fans but this is a bit more concentrated than normal.”
“They are all good lads though.”
Phil Ellis (left) and Richard Buck sat side by side on the edge of a block of Harlequins fans
‘Away ends arrive in rugby’ shouted the headlines – including our’s – last month when Premiership Rugby last announced two trial matches with specified areas for visiting supporters.
It is a story with couple of caveats though.
Firstly, they aren’t really away ends. At least certainly not the aggro-and-pyro, strict segregation scenario the phrase brings to mind in this country.
Fans are not kept apart. And neither are they forced to sit with their own tribe. The option to mix in with the hosts is still there and taken by many.
And, secondly, away ends haven’t just arrived in rugby. Travelling fan groups have been block-booking sections of opposition stands off their own backs for decades.
Quinssa – Harlequins’ supporters association, external – are one of the most proactive.
They have concentrated more than a thousand fans together on European jaunts, where ticket offices are more accommodating and the idea of any travelling fans is novel.
Their members, given a dedicated area because of Covid restrictions of the time, helped inspire their team’s semi-final comeback against Bristol at Ashton Gate in 2021.
Their club’s trip to Welford Road, which holds more than 25,000, was an obvious pick for the Premiership’s trial.
Marcus Smith takes a selfie with travelling fans after Harlequins’ Champions Cup match away to Bordeaux-Begles in 2024
“It is a great initiative,” said Leicester chief executive Andrea Pinchen, playing host.
“We want to be innovative, we want to try new things and it adds to the atmosphere with fans of both sides getting louder and louder,”
Her Quins counterpart Laurie Dalrymple, who was previously managing director of Premier League football side Wolves, agrees.
“It isn’t the catch-all that is going to fix all the challenges we have had in our sport over the past few years, but not necessarily about that,” he said.
“It is about giving a slightly different fan experience for the diversifying audience that we need to reach and grow.”