Harlequins held off a late comeback from London Irish to secure a 26-20 in the Aviva Premiership this afternoon.

There were few try-scoring opportunities early on, but Nick Evans kicked Harlequins to an early lead by making four penalties for the hosts.

Danny Care managed to extend the home side's advantage when he found a gap to squeeze over following a quick break, but James Short was soon over after a run down the sideline down the other end.

Matt Hopper got Quins off to a bright start after the break, scoring their second try of the match, but a counter-attack from the Exiles sent Tom Fowlie over with 15 minutes to go.

Irish continued to press in the final 10 minutes as they looked for a third try to give them a chance to go ahead, but Harlequins defended well to secure the points.

The win keeps Harlequins eighth in the table, two places above Irish.