Star performance
Leaders lose to lightning Falcons
Star performance
By Leipziger November 4 2006
The Falcons won their third home match on the trot last night as following a storming first half they held off dogged Premiership leaders Bristol at the end to hold on for a 26-21 victory at Kingston Park.
Star performance
The Falcons won their third home match on the trot last night as following a storming first half they held off dogged Premiership leaders Bristol at the end to hold on for a 26-21 victory at Kingston Park.
With a new half-back pairing in Lee Dickson and the returning Jonny Wilkinson, who was backed up by Mathew Tait and Toby Flood, the visitors struggled against the Falcons’ pace but almost managed to sneak the points at the end.
Bristol went ahead after a few minutes when Jason Strange kicked a penalty following a maul. The home captain Matthew Burke took an outstanding catch on the right touchline and made a good run into Bristol territory, where we fed left and Flood failed to pass when tackled with men outside him. Eventually, the ball came to Tait who fought his way over the line for the opening try after eight minutes.
Another chance came soon after from another Burke run, but the ball was dropped in front of the line. Tait and John Rudd then combined after a Bristol spilled a chased ball on the left, and Wilkinson was set up for a drop goal and then added a penalty soon after. The Falcons were putting in a strong, pacy performance in attack and with a three-man overlap on the right, hooker Matt Thompson on the far right dived over from close range.
Strange kicked his second penalty, but the hosts were in the ascendancy with Brent Wilson claiming a loose ball, being tackled and then sliding onto the line before spilling the ball forwards. Referee Wayne Barnes however decided the ball had been grounded on the line, and Wilkinson’s conversion sent the Falcons into half time with a healthy 23-6 lead.
As so often happens though, Newcastle seemed to take their foot off the gas after the interval, although Micky Ward being helped from the pitch after only five minutes of the second period didn’t help. Strange and Wilkinson exchanged penalties, and Tom May had a chance for a bonus point try stopped when he was tackled close to the line, but it was now Bristol who were making the most inroads.
Lee Robinson was the first to get involved in his side’s fightback as he took what looked suspiciously like a forward pass on the right to score from around ten metres. A succession of lineouts and mauls then saw number 8 Dan Ward-Smith driven over, and at 26-21 the game was very much alive with a nervy last 20 minutes or so for the 6,041 supporters in the stadium.
Bristol continued to attack for most of the remainder of the match, as the Falcons put in some sterling defensive work with James Grindal adding some fresh legs by replacing Dickson. A stolen lineout led the home side to realise this would be their night, and the referee blew the final whistle to signal Newcastle’s second league win of 2006/07.
The Falcons have now climbed to ninth in the Premiership, although London Irish have a game in hand today, and a win next weekend against Harlequins would be of great benefit in pulling us away from the bottom of the table.
Bristol went ahead after a few minutes when Jason Strange kicked a penalty following a maul. The home captain Matthew Burke took an outstanding catch on the right touchline and made a good run into Bristol territory, where we fed left and Flood failed to pass when tackled with men outside him. Eventually, the ball came to Tait who fought his way over the line for the opening try after eight minutes.
Another chance came soon after from another Burke run, but the ball was dropped in front of the line. Tait and John Rudd then combined after a Bristol spilled a chased ball on the left, and Wilkinson was set up for a drop goal and then added a penalty soon after. The Falcons were putting in a strong, pacy performance in attack and with a three-man overlap on the right, hooker Matt Thompson on the far right dived over from close range.
Strange kicked his second penalty, but the hosts were in the ascendancy with Brent Wilson claiming a loose ball, being tackled and then sliding onto the line before spilling the ball forwards. Referee Wayne Barnes however decided the ball had been grounded on the line, and Wilkinson’s conversion sent the Falcons into half time with a healthy 23-6 lead.
As so often happens though, Newcastle seemed to take their foot off the gas after the interval, although Micky Ward being helped from the pitch after only five minutes of the second period didn’t help. Strange and Wilkinson exchanged penalties, and Tom May had a chance for a bonus point try stopped when he was tackled close to the line, but it was now Bristol who were making the most inroads.
Lee Robinson was the first to get involved in his side’s fightback as he took what looked suspiciously like a forward pass on the right to score from around ten metres. A succession of lineouts and mauls then saw number 8 Dan Ward-Smith driven over, and at 26-21 the game was very much alive with a nervy last 20 minutes or so for the 6,041 supporters in the stadium.
Bristol continued to attack for most of the remainder of the match, as the Falcons put in some sterling defensive work with James Grindal adding some fresh legs by replacing Dickson. A stolen lineout led the home side to realise this would be their night, and the referee blew the final whistle to signal Newcastle’s second league win of 2006/07.
The Falcons have now climbed to ninth in the Premiership, although London Irish have a game in hand today, and a win next weekend against Harlequins would be of great benefit in pulling us away from the bottom of the table.
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