By Peter Taylor
April 4 2012

A review of the second part of the 2002 – 2003 seasonThe 2002 – 03 season started so promisingly after a good opening day win against London Wasps. However, like this season, things did not go according to plan.

Again, like this season, it was an away game at Sale Sharks that initiated change. By May 2003 Newcastle Falcons had performed an amazing escape act as we finished the season in 10th spot, with Bristol Shoguns being the side relegated to the Championship. So let us hope that the coincidences continue and this time the Falcons survive at the expense of London Wasps, who incidentally finished the 2002 – 03 season as runners up.
The Falcons set up for the 2002 – 03 season was as follows; DoR was Rob Andrew, coaches were Andrew Blades, Peter Walton and Steve Black; the squad was, R. Arnold, L. Botham, S. Brotherstone, H. Charlton, R. Devonshire, P. Dowson, J. Dunbar, P. Godman, J. Grindall, S. Grimes, C. Hamilton, M. Hurter, J. Issacson, N. Makin, T. May, G. McClure, A. Mower, J. Noon, S. Okuvata, I. Peel, D. Richardson, J. Shaw, A. Springhay, M. Stephenson, E. Taione, M. Thompson, H. Vyvyan, D. Walder, M. Ward, J. Wilkinson and M. Wilkinson. These players were supplemented by the following 5 players that joined midway through the season. They were M. Andrews, W. Britz, J. Christian, M. Mayerhofler, and C. Newby.
Strangely the coincidences do not end there as Jonny Wilkinson, like his direct replacement Jimmy Gopperth, signed a new 3 year agreement through the season and both were on record as saying that it didn’t matter if Falcons were relegated they would be still at the club in the following season!

After the afore mentioned opening day win, we went into the New Year rooted to the base of the Premiership, out of the Powergen Cup, beaten by London Irish and with the 2 leg quarter final of the European Challenge Cup against Saracens over the 2nd and 3rd weekends of January, but it was the Premiership that caused most cause for concern. We were 6 points behind Bath, with 16 points. We had been beaten by Saints, Gloucester, Tigers, Quins, Irish (twice), Bath and Bristol.
The return fixture against London Irish on the weekend between Christmas and New Year, at the Majeski Stadium, had seen us completely out played and score no points in the game, conceding 20 points. James Christian, having made his debut in the home defeat to Bristol at the beginning of December, started at hooker, whilst Craig Newby (now at Tigers) and Mark Mayerhofler, both made their debut.

James Christian – joined from Auckland Blues, where he was a try scorer in the Super Rugby Final that the Blues lost. He represented NZ at all age group levels. He played 3 games for the Falcons, against Bristol, London Irish and Sale Sharks. Unfortunately he severely injured his neck in this Sale game and had to retire from the game.
Mark Mayerhofler – 6 All Black caps (1998), 53 Crusaders caps (1996 – 2000) and 11 Blues caps (2002) in Super Rugby. Mark stayed at the Falcons until he retired from rugby, making 70 appearances for the Falcons scoring 45 points.
Craig Newby – joined from Auckland Blues (7 caps in Super Rugby) in 2001. He played the 2002 Super Rugby for Otago Highlanders, before making 7 appearances for the Falcons, in 2002 – 03 before returning to the Highlanders, eventually winning 3 All Blacks’ caps. He joined Leicester Tigers in 2008, where he is still playing.
The London Irish loss was the catalyst for change and that change duly happened after the Sale Sharks game on 3rd January 2003 at Heywood’s Road, their ancestral home. We were hammered 36 – 3 and lost new signing Christian to a serious neck injury after just 4 minutes. Falcons were bottom of the Premiership with 16 points, 6 adrift and relegation was a distinct possibility!

I remember the night well, Christian’s injury happened right in front of Jackie, Becky and I, and after the game there was a top level management meeting, on the halfway line, owner Dave Thompson and Director of Rugby Rob Andrew, plotted what to do next. What they decided ultimately dictated Falcons policy over the next 5 – 10 years. However it was what happened over the next 5 months that was of immediate concern.
Coach Steve Bates was moved sideways to “Opposition Analysis” and World Cup winner Mark Andrews and fellow South African Warren Britz were added to the roster.
Mark Andrews – 77 caps for South Africa, including winning the Rugby World Cup in 1995. Natal Sharks from the inception of Super Rugby in 1996, including losing the first ever final to Auckland Blues, up to 2002, member of an unofficial team picked from the leading players that played in the first 3 seasons of Super Rugby. A true giant in the world of rugby.
Warren Britz – 1 cap for South Africa. Member of the Natal Sharks Super Rugby Squad.
Falcons entered a 2 week European sojourn of Challenge Cup Quarter Finals, a home and away fixture against Saracens, in successive weeks, which we lost 41 – 60, although we did win the home game. However this gave the Falcons time to integrate fully, not only Andrews and Britz, but also Mayerhofler and Newby, as well as the returning Andrew Mower, from a loan spell with the Border Reivers.
The rescue mission started on 1st February 2003 with Harlequins the visitors to Kingston Park for round 1 of 8, in what was billed as “The Great Escape”! Very few people outside the North east gave us any chance at all, claw back a 6 point deficit in 8 games, it couldn’t be done could it?

1/2/2003 Falcons 32 v Harlequins 17
We scored 4 tries and had a much improved performance and the new boys, Mayerhofler and Andrews showed their true class, as did returning openside Mower. This bonus point win, coupled with losses by Bath, Irish and Bristol, left us 2 points behind Bath and 5 points behind Irish and Bristol, this was just what had been ordered?
Vyvyan and Tione were immense in rampaging around the field and causing havoc, while Noon, Stephenson and Botham  regained some confidence. All this and a well controlled performance from returning skipper Wilkinson, made Falcons good value. The tries were scored by Vyvyan, Grimes, Noon and Stephenson, with Wilkinson converting the first 3 tries and kicking 2 penalties.
Wilkinson opened the scoring with 2 penalties, with a penalty return by ‘Quins for 6 – 3. Mayerhofler then had a kick charged down as Quins scored a converted try for 6 – 10. Falcons then weighed in with 4 tries, 3 converted, before Quins were allowed a consolation try, in the 6th minute of injury time as the referee repeatedly (so no change here!) penalised us. The referee tried to make this game open , but was very lenient towards Quins, although we eventually managed to win through.
So that was part 1 accomplished, bring on Leeds!
7/2/2003 Leeds Tykes 12 v Falcons 17
A try deep into injury time by replacement scrum half, Hall Charlton, saw Falcons squeeze past a Leeds side currently in 3rd place in the Premiership. The 4 points for the win lifted Falcons off the bottom of the Premiership for the first time since 1/12/2002.
Leeds started so much the brighter, with van Straatem kicking 3 penalties, in the 1st, 8th and 40th minutes to lead 9 – 0 at half time. Leeds were looking at going 2nd in the league, however no one told the Falcons.
Back roared the Falcons, Wilkinson converted his own try for 9 – 7. The score stayed that way for 25 minutes, until 3 minutes remained. May and Noon combined to send Botham up the right. Leeds were penalised and Wilkinson kicked the penalty from the acutest of angles, 9 – 10 Falcons and the game. NO, Mower was yellow carded for offside at the lineout maul and van Straatam never looked like missing, 12 – 10 Leeds, 3 minutes into injury time, win Leeds, surely, but NO there was one further twist. 

Mr. White found another 3 minutes of injury time. Leeds clear long and Botham shows his cricketing skills, taking a good running catch and feeds the ball inside to Shaw, who throws it further infield to Stephenson, who attacked hard into the Leeds 22. A ruck was set up and, for once, we got quick ball. A glance from Charlton takes in 2 things, 1) Leeds out covering the open side, wary of the Wilkinson drop goal and 2) an undefended blind side. Simple choice, Charlton collects the ball and darts blindside, to scamper in from 25m for the score under the posts, making the conversion easy for Wilkinson, 7 points and a priceless road win for Falcons.

The corpse spluttered once again, perhaps the Falcons are not dead!
The season now took a 3 week break for 6 Nations games, but Andrew didn’t want the shoots of revival to die,  so there was a friendly game against the Cats, from South Africa as they were limbering up for Super Rugby, who were very cynical and conned a young up and coming ref, the 23 year old Wayne Barnes (some would say the intervening years have not changed Barnes) but some fringe members of the squad got some valuable match day experience. Also, it was the first viewing of a future Falcon, as Gcobani Bobo made his Kingston Park debut, at outside centre for the Cats.
1/3/2003 London Wasps 13 v Falcons 12
Newcastle Falcons returned to the bottom of the Premiership, as a bonus point loss was not enough as Bath won.
High flying Wasps were kept contained by some excellent defence, except on 22 minutes, when a King chip was batted on by Britz, who was attempting to get the ball to Shaw. He missed Shaw and only managed to get the ball to Rudd, who had the simplest of jobs in falling over the try line, and King converted for a 10 – 3 lead, Wilkinson had kicked an earlier penalty in reply to one from Wasps. A Wilkinson drop goal after half time brought the score to 10 – 9, before a 70th minute penalty for Wasps made the score 13 – 9, and Wasps were more than a penalty ahead. A 72nd minute penalty set up a tight finish, but Falcons were unable to force another score. A losing bonus point might prove valuable in the final reckoning.
Again a break occurred as 6 Nations rugby took over, but at least we had time to sort out our injury list before the visit of Tigers.
16/3/2003 Falcons 24 v Tigers 22
This win saw the Falcons off the bottom of the Premiership and with the performances of the season. If they continue like this then relegation will be a distant memory. Seemingly in control of the game at 21 – 10, when referee Spreadbury took hold, reducing the Falcons to 13 men and waited for Tigers to score the points that would win the game. However that didn’t happen and a 74th minute penalty from Wilkinson took Falcons out to a 9 point lead and that was that, hopefully.
A record crowd saw Tigers take the league with a converted try, but Falcons hit back with 2 Wilkinson penalties’. He also added a drop goal and the conversion of Stephenson’s try, that started in their own 22. A Noon try took the score out to 21 – 10, as Tigers reply with a penalty. Then, with 10 minutes left, pandemonium broke out. The referee sinbinned Andrews for use of a shoulder and 5 minutes later Falcons were reduced to 13 men as mower was despatched to the sin bin for punching, this being on the TJ, Campsall, recommendation. What made this hard was the fact that Tigers, and England, captain Johnson was spraying punches around, without sanction from the officials; one rule for everyone else and another for us.

While down to 13 men Tigers scored an unconverted try and this set up a grandstand finish as the score was now 21 – 15. On 74 minutes Wilkinson kicked a penalty to make the score 24 – 15 and a 9 point lead. But the drama did not end there! On 80 minutes Mr. Spreadbury decided that Tigers had held on in the tackle – penalty and game win, but no in stepped TJ Goodliffe! He had spotted the tiniest push in midfield and Spreadbury reversed the penalty. Tigers kicked to the corner, won the lineout and drove over for a try, which was converted, 24 – 22 and thankfully the referee decided “no side” and the Falcons jumped up to 10th place with 30 points.
Falcons now had a month’s break before a trip to Premiership leaders Gloucester. Andrew kept the momentum again by using the break to play a friendly against the Border Reivers, which was won 41 – 12.
12/4/2003 Gloucester 25 v Falcons 23
What a game! Trying to emulate their win at Kingsholm in their Premiership winning season, 5 seasons earlier, and with 5 minutes of the second half gone, the travelling faithful were starting to believe, but then disaster struck. Andrews was helped from the field with a suspected broken rib, and Gloucester starting to chip away at the lead.
Falcons jumped out to a 20 – 0 lead with tries from Shaw, Mayerhofler and Grindall, with Wilkinson kicking a penalty and a conversion.
However from this position of strength Falcons had to withstand the fight back of the Premiership leaders. Gloucester scored a penalty and a try before Wilkinson added a final penalty, 8 – 23. Again Gloucester came back and scored a converted try and a penalty, 18 – 23. Then the hammer blow as with time up Gloucester launched one last attack. The dangerous backline attacked again and despite some good defending, Gloucester snook in at the corner, 23 – 23, with the conversion to came and no time. The conversion was nailed and Gloucester had nicked a thriller 25 – 23.
Heartbreaking and even with the losing bonus point Falcons were sent back to the foot of the table, but with 3 games left and 2 of those at home, there was a glimmer of hope!
24/4/2003 Falcons 22 v Saints 20
This game was important, because it saw the return to competitive rugby, on 64 minutes, of local hero Dave Walder, after his broken leg, which he got in a pre-season friendly against Edinburgh.
In a match refereed by Steve Lander (roundly criticed by Chronicle rugby correspondent, Duncan Madsen, whose scores and critiques were widely read, said, “a truly awful and inconsistent display, not helped by his touch judges” – given a score of 1 out of 10 {because he turned up}), this was a real nailbiter, not good for the heart, but great for the neutral supporter, but something the Falcons specialised in during this run-in.

Grayson and Wilkinson swapped early penalties, before 2 glaring misses by the referee allowed illegal blocking and Dawson benefited, twice, with tries. At this level this kind of mistake by the officials should not happen, but it does and still happens today, showing that little has changed. Saints lead with 13 points, but Falcons were still in the hunt with the 4 penalties that Wilkinson had kicked, 12 points. A further converted try by Saints, stretched their lead to 12 – 20, before Wilkinson added his 5th successful penalty, 15 – 20, so setting up another tense finale.

With 3 minutes left on the clock Mower disposed Dawson at the base of the scrum and a series of close drives, the ball was moved out to Noon. A trademark howitzer of a run sees Noon hurtling towards the Saints line. He is hauled down, metres short. From the ruck Charlton whips the ball out to Wilkinson, who floats out a trademark pass of his left hand, straight to Mayerhofler, who drew the last defender and put Vyvyan in for the try, 20 all and the conversion to come. The game had been played in a swirling wind and Wilkinson was wideout left. Of course he nails it with sumptuous ease to take Falcons out to a 2 point win. But no! Somehow the referee finds some extra time. Saints kick off and the ball is recovered and now with there being no time left, Lander finds a way to penalise Falcons. Up steps Grayson, fully 56m out, this will be some kick. There was a hush round the ground and the thud of boot on ball is clearly audible. The ball rotates end over end towards the posts, seemingly unaffected by the wind, it can’t be? Can it?, but the ball then dies and strikes the post. An relieved gasp as the ball rebounds into Wilkinson’s arms, he thinks about it then dumps the ball at the back of the South Stand, now the celebrations can begin!

Unbelievably Falcons could actually qualify for Europe!
4/5/2003 Falcons 26 Saracens 22 (Crowd 9127)
The final home game of a remarkable season and the “Great Escape” was nearly complete.
4 tries for a bonus point win sealed the game. The tries were  scored by Wilkinson, Noon and Stephenson all crossed the whitewash, while the bonus point try was a penalty try. This win seems to have made Falcons safe from relegation. This however is not the view held by Referee White, wou seems to think that it is his right to penalise everything that anyone did. An amazing 10 – 2 penalty count in the 2nd half, and one of those two penalties were due to the penalty try, makes this even harder to believe. The class of 2012 are also giving away lots of penalties and this needs to stop as they can become easy points. This win sees us in the dizzyingly high position of 8th and dreaming of Europe in the Heineken.
The Chronicle’s Duncan Madsen addresses this point in his match report as he does with the outcome of Haran’s attempted decapitation of Stephenson was only worth a finger wagging rebuke, yet Grimes is sent to the sin bin for an innocuous event, only Mr. White really knows why he acted as he did, but luckily for us these sin bins didn’t cost us the match. Duncan Madsen’s column always had a comment about the referee and a score out of 10. Duncan had been fiercely critical of the standard of refereeing in the premiership, with regard to Falcons being paramount, something that does not seem to have been removed!

The column gave Mr. White, England’s most prominent referee at that time, a score of ZERO. Not even one mark for turning up!. The column read as follows and I quote, “I have always rated Mr. White as one of the top English referees, so what has happened to him? He was dire, even by the current abysmal refereeing standards.”
But all that mattered to the 9127 fans was that we were safe and the buzz in the bar afterwards was the same as if we had actually won the Premiership, not scrape a way to stay in this league. It was with positivity that we looked forward to the 2003 – 04 season, as well as Jonny winning the Rugby World Cup in November 2003, what a year 2003 promised to be!!!

10/5/2003 Bath Rugby 24 v Falcons 12
This was a bit like” after the Lord Mayor’s parade”. Bath were in dire straits and needed a win to retain their Premiership status, otherwise a club, inconceivably, one of England’s biggest club could be relegated from the Premiership, and their ground would not meet the strict guidelines on Stadia and so would be denied promotion, although a lot of fans, cynically, felt that the RFU would change the criteria so that Bath could be promoted. A win would make all of this speculation academic.

Falcons were awful, the complete opposite of all that they had been in the defeat of Saracens! This played directly into the hands of Bath, who grasped this lifeline and hauled themselves out of the mire that they were in.
Bristol were relegated and we finished 10th in the Premiership. The Great Escape had happened and Premiership status was retained. However the squad was never overhauled in the way that it should have been and the management of the club always put pragmatism ahead of ambition and that is why it has been a relegation struggle in everyone of the last 9 seasons.

We need to learn from this season that it is possible to escape the obvious, but also that the club must be ambitious and want to stay in the Premiership. Falling crowds would be a thing of the past as the North East public want to see a winning side and watch an occasional stellar performance and more importantly see a wining culture at the club, banish losing and let us show the country and the world that Falcons’ Rugby is a massive successful band to watch and support.
Anyway I hope that you have enjoyed this amble through a season past and can see the similarities to this season, so can 2011 – 12 be “The Great Escape” The Sequel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I certainly believe they can!