If you fancied engineering a scenario with the aim of enticing a newcomer to rugby union and encouraging them to consume more of the sport, you might suggest that they watch Marcus Smith and Alex Dombrandt attempting to spark a comeback in the sunshine.

Unfortunately for Harlequins, their bid to bypass Montpellier and qualify for the Champions Cup quarter-finals in such circumstances fell short. As their senior coach Tabai Matson acknowledged, the Premiership title-holders were not quite good enough over 160 minutes. Indeed, at no point in the tie did they lead. That they were even in contention at the end, having trailed 34-0 in the first leg, was remarkable.

Ultimately, a far less spectator-friendly passage of close-range scrum penalties for the hosts, which lasted a full 10 minutes yet yielded no points, and Smith’s failure to convert Louis Lynagh’s second try proved costly. Montpellier held on to triumph by an aggregate scoreline of 60-59. But not before Harlequins had produced an astonishing moment of attacking brilliance.

Very few watching at The Stoop on Saturday, even the hardened cynics sitting on the press row, will forget Joe Marchant’s score, and specifically the sparkling build-up inspired by Smith.

It began with a breakdown, as many things do. With Montpellier cycling through phases around the halfway line, Will Evans pounces in a bid to pilfer possession. However, the combative openside, excellent before withdrawing at half-time due to injury, is penalised by referee Mike Adamson for failing to support his bodyweight: