By AlanQuin
February 3 2003

It is very difficult to understand how a team that spent most of the first half playing pretty well against opponents whom they have beaten easily earlier in the season could produce a performance so dire in the second half. It is even more difficult to understand how a team with the potential and talent of Quins can play so poorly after a good start.

It is always difficult to play away from home. There are all sorts of reasons. It happens in all team sports. There is no doubt Newcastle were up for the game. They were almost in the same situation as were Quins when faced with Leeds at the end of last season. There was a pistol at their heads and the edge of the precipice yawning at their feet. Newcastle have been without Wilkinson and this was only his first Premiership match back from injury. Only one of their previous losses have been with him playing and the effect he has on their confidence and play is immense. His first match back brought a win against Saracens in the home leg of the Parker Pen Cup. Two of their new signings, Springbok Mark Andrews and former All Black Mayrhofler, were in the team. It was clear that Quins would not have an easy ride. There are no easy rides in the Zurich Premiership.

The first five minutes were all Quins’ with great pressure on the Newcastle line, but they were unable to convert that pressure to points against the Newcastle defence which was well organised and tight. Line-outs brought good ball with Codling winning Falcon’s first two throws.

Newcastle then sought to attack through the centre when Nathan Williams dealt courageously and well with a very high ball from Wilkinson. However, Newcastle regained possession and a series of strong drives by their pack, led by Taione, gave them a penalty which Wilkinson scored to lead 3 - 0 after 11 minutes. Almost immediately Harlequins struck back when a penalty was conceded for not releasing in the tackle and Paul Burke equalised the score after 13 minutes. 3 - 3.

The next Newcastle attack foundered in a knock-on in the face of strong Quins defence but shortly after they were awarded another penalty, this time against Bemand for being on the wrong side in a ruck, for which he also received a good stamping from Taione. Although well within Wilkinson’s range, instead of taking the points he kicked to touch on the Quins’ 5-metre line. But once again Codling won the ball on the Newcastle throw, Burke cleared and the threat diminished.

After 25 minutes another fierce pick and drive led by Taione resulted in a penalty which Wilkinson kicked to take the score to 6 -3. It also brought his points tally in Premiership matches over 1000 points and earned him a Golden Boot, the third player to win one.

Shortly after one had the only moment in the game when one could begin to believe that the gods were with Quins. Mayrhofler, seeking to set up an attack down the Newcastle left had his kick charged down by Tani Fuga who collected the ball and ran in to score from 30 metres. Burke converted and Quins led 6 – 10. But it was a short-lived lead. Immediately, Newcastle were on the attack. Even as the referee was indicating that he was playing advantage against Quins, Botham with a smooth show of the ball to his left went through the gap created and with a fine inside pass found Grimes who went over for the try. Wilkinson converted to put Newcastle ahead 13 –10.

Quins attacked again and a series of mauls and rucks ever nearer the line were held out. They retained possession however and only a last desperate tackle held Bemand about a metre out as he darted through. A hurried pass finally led to a knock-on and Newcastle’s line remained secure to leave the half-time score 13 –10.

So far this was a balanced and competitive and fascinating game of rugby between two well matched sides. However the Quins who emerged from the dressing-room for the second half seemed a different side. Bell replaced Greenwood, apparently suffering the effects of flu, at half-time and had himself to be replaced by Jewell after only 17 minutes. One must, however, give credit to Falcons. They have the talent and they acquired increasing self-belief. Their forwards, led by Taione and Mower began to dominate and to provide opportunities for the backs.

A penalty missed by Wilkinson shortly after the start of the half was sufficiently unusual to produce a ripple of disbelief among the crowd. Then the Newcastle forwards again took up the pick and drive which was followed by a run and inside pass from Botham to his hooker which, if Makin had been able to get up from the ground would have been a certain try. As it was there was a ruck almost on the line and the ball came to Vyvyan who had all of his own length to dive in for the try. With the conversion by Wilkinson the score was 20 – 10 and the game beginning to slip away from Quins.

After some more inconclusive play the ball came to Wilkinson who threw a long pass missing two players in his back line to reach Noon who burst through Fuga’s tackle interchanged passes with Stephenson to score a good try to the left of the posts. The conversion by Wilkinson took the score to 27 – 10 and after fifty-five minutes the game was gone from Quins.

Now the Newcastle forwards began to drive with powerful rolling mauls and with Taione breaking from a powerful drive on the right only a determined tackle by Moore with help from Williams and two other Quins caused him to spill the ball only feet short of the try line.

Harlequins were now less effective than at any time in the match. The loss of Greenwood from the centre had apparently left the defence without the direction that he seems to give them and only Satala, who was almost Quins’ man of the match, threatened any penetration. The final Newcastle score came when the match was long lost. Mayerhofler beat Bemand’s tackle and offloaded to Stephenson who was one of a two man overlap. The conversion was missed. 32-10.

Quins, however, were not finished and a series of attacks had them camped on the Newcastle line. Penalty followed penalty until the referee warned that one more piece of negative play would result in a penalty try. With Quins retaining possession the ball went back and forth along the line coming to Vos on the right wing whose inside pass to Fuga allowed him to cross the line although tackled by Wilkinson and ground the ball for the try. The last kick of the match was Nathan William’s conversion from the touchline. 32 –17 was the final score.

I can offer no solutions any more than, it seems, can the individual players with whom I spoke. I will not quote them because it would serve no purpose. Watching the match again on tape from the Sky broadcast, one could see no reason for the fall off in the Harlequin performance except the growth in self-belief of the Newcastle players whose contracts and future depended on producing a result. A loss would almost certainly have condemned them to relegation. Even the win may not have saved them.

The Newcastle administration was at it’s most inefficient and the press pass to the after-match conference which was promised never materialised so that I cannot report Mark Evans words of wisdom. They are widely reported in the press and offer no panacea.