Gallagher Premiership
Harlequins: 28 (14)
Tries: Cunningham-South 2, Dombrandt, Northmore Cons: Smith 4
Bristol: 53 (21)
Tries: Williams, Genge, Ibitoye, Thacker, Lahiff, Heward, Oghre Pens: Williams 2 Cons: Sheedy 3, Williams 3
Bristol Bears missed out on a Premiership semi-final spot despite beating Harlequins in a thriller at The Stoop on the final day of the season.
The visitors scored four tries in a scintillating second-half display to secure a bonus-point victory and end the season on a high.
Tries from James Williams, Ellis Genge and former Quins winger Gabriel Ibitoye gave the Bears the lead at half time, despite Chandler Cunningham-South and Alex Dombrandt replying for Quins.
Harry Thacker, Max Lahiff, Noah Heward and Gabriel Oghre all scored after the break after the away side lost Genge, Benhard Janse van Rensburg and Callum Sheedy - making his final appearance for the club - to injury in the first period.
Tries from Luke Northmore and a second from Cunningham-South secured a losing bonus point for Quins, with both sides missing out on the end of season play-offs.
Surprise defeats for Northampton Saints and Saracens ensured Bath and Sale Sharks would join them in the play-offs, with Bristol finishing fifth in the table two points off the top four, and Harlequins three points and one place below the Bears.
Quins and Bristol knew they needed to win and for results elsewhere to go in their favour if they were to reach the play-offs, and it was the Bears who made the perfect start.
They were ahead inside the first minute through centre Williams after Ibitoye burst forward down the left and got up to the line.
Harlequins levelled the score as Cunningham-South bulldozed his way through between the posts for his first ever Harlequins try following some quick passing between Danny Care, Andre Esterhuzen and Dombrandt.
Genge then sold a brilliant dummy to run behind to dot down and open up a seven-point lead for Bristol.
The prop then got through for a third Bristol try but it was disallowed for a foul against hooker Thacker on the ground in the build-up.
A television match official review showed Dombrandt grounded ball in the right-hand corner after a sustained period of Quins pressure finally got over the line, following some resilient defending from their opponents, with Marcus Smith converting from distance.
But Bristol were again in the lead moments later as Ibitoye took advantage of a mistake to charge through between the posts unchallenged.
The visitors were dealt a blow when Genge and Cardiff-bound Sheedy both left the field looking to be in real discomfort towards the end of the first half.
However, the Bears began the second half the same way they started the first, with Thacker scoring inside three minutes to secure the bonus point and open up a 12-point lead, before Williams hit the post with the conversion attempt.
Northmore turned over the ball on the break and kicked and chased before juggling over the line to reduce the deficit to five points.
Cunningham-South ran through for his second try as Quins took the lead for the first time and also gave them a bonus point, in what would be the high point of a disappointing afternoon for the hosts.
Yet Williams opted to kick three points from a penalty to regain the lead for Bristol and set up a tense last 20 minutes.
Their fifth try from replacement Lahiff was met with an almost stunned silence at The Stoop as the home crowd saw their semi-final hopes fade and Williams kicked another penalty to open up an 11-point lead.
Winger Heward left the Quins defence in his wake to charge through for a sixth try in an incredible second-half Bristol performance.
Replacement Oghre added a seventh as Harlequins were unable to take advantage of their stacked bench as the game got away from them.
Harlequins head coach Danny Wilson said:
"Fair play to Bristol, they ran everything, challenged us around the fringes, challenged us wide and we got cut to ribbons. Defensively we struggled.
"We did score four tries, but I think there was probably a bit of inaccuracy with some of our attack, some balls on the floor and so on.
"We knew we would have to score at least four tries to give ourselves a chance of winning and that's where this narrative has to change."
Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam told BBC Radio Bristol:
"That's all we could control [winning the match].
"We're playing the type of rugby that we really want to play. We're a much stronger team at this stage of the season than a few weeks ago.
"We want to keep building on what we're doing to get to another level."
Harlequins: T Green; Lynagh, Northmore, Esterhuizen, Beard; Smith, Care; Baxter, Walker, Collier; Herbst, Lewies (c); Cunningham-South, W Evans, Dombrandt.
Replacements: Riley, Kerrod, Lewis, Hammond, Chisholm, Porter, J Evans, Joseph.
Bristol: Malins; Heward, Janse van Rensburg, Williams, Ibotye; Sheedy, Randall; Genge, Thacker, Sinckler; Dun, Batley; Luatua, Harding (c), Bradbury.
Replacements: Oghre, Woolmore, Lahiff, Caulfield, Grondona, Marmion, Vakatawa, Naulago.
Referee: Adam Leal
