By Jason Harris (filed:15/9/03)
September 15 2003

Saracens clinched their first win at Kingston Park since 1994 and their first ever in the top division of English rugby over the Falcons on their home turf. Richard Haughton scored the winning try eight minutes from time after new signing Taine Randell won a vital ruck 40m from the Falcons line. Ben Johnston was the recipient of Randell's pass from the breakdown and he then set up the flying Sarries winger for an unopposed run for the match-winning five points.

It was Newcastle who started the brighter. Early pressure gave outside half Dave Walder the opportunity to open the scoring on two minutes, but his 35m penalty sailed just wide. The Falcons stand-off, however, made no mistake just over five minutes later from 30m to put his side into a 3-0 lead.

Saracens came back straight from the re-start and applied some pressure of their own. Several phases deep in the home 22 with Kris Chesney and Morgan williams leading the way, along with Tony Roques, moved the ball to Paul Bailey who touched down under the posts on his Zurich Premiership debut. Andy Goode converted to put Sarries 7-3 up.

The visitors started to worry the home side and with Taine Randell and Simon Raiwalui ruling the ruck and maul areas, further pressure was turned into points on 24 minutes. Garath Archer was penalised for a ruck offence and Saracens took a quick tap and go on the half way line. Newcastle failed to retreat the mandatory 10 metres and Goode stepped up to kick the penalty. 10-3 Sarries.

The Saracens outside half pushed his side three points further ahead with a smartly-taken drop goal from 40 metres four minutes later as Falcons heads began to drop and their frustration with referee Steve Lander began to show.

Mr Lander, ever controversial, frustrated the home side and the majority of a healthy, if subdued, 7,012 crowd even more on 32 minutes by awarding Saracens a hotly-disputed penalty try.

Andy Goode, at the centre of most Sarries attacks, chipped and re-gathered and with just Falcons no15 Joe Shaw to beat put a grubber kick through into the Falcons quarter. Shaw made contact with Goode who fell to the ground and Newcastle scrambled the ball into touch.

It all looked fairly innocuous, but the try was awarded for what happened next, not for the obstruction on Goode. Ben Johnston and Nathan McAvoy were shaping to take a quick lineout 5m out on the Newcastle left but home wing Michael Stephenson interfered, denying Sarries the opportunity to score.

Much to the bemusement of the home fans and the delight of the small army of travelling Saracens, the Liverpool official saw the offence serious enough to warrant the awarding of the penalty try. Goode's conversion was a formality and Sarries were now cuising at 20-3, a lead they took into half time despite Goode's last-ditch attempt at a drop goal from all of 50 metres that narrowly missed the right hand upright.

In the third quarter it was a case of deja-vu for the Men in Black. In last May's Zurich Premiership encounter Newcastle went into overdrive just after half time and it was the same again this time out.

Tries from scrum half James Grindal, outstanding flanker Warren Britz plus the two conversions and a drop goal from Walder were scored and, in just 13 minutes, the sizeable half time deficit was wiped out.

Walder kept pushing his side forward but his remaining contribution with the boot was to miss a penalty and have another drop goal attempt charged down by the superb Randell. Falcons flanker Epi Taione was his side's main attacking weapon and won the Falcons' Man of the Match award, but ultimately his turnover was the one that cost his side the chance of salvaging more from the match than a losing bonus point.

Sarries coach Rod Kafer was pleased with his side's defence in the face of relentless second half pressure and they now go on to face a depleted Leicester side at Vicarage Road next Sunday buoyed by a victory that - according to most pundits beforehand - was supposedly beyond them.