We must hope relegation is never abolished. Most teams, it is alleged, play a boring, pragmatic form of rugby when they need to win and when they are safe and can relax, they change to a more fluid and attacking style. The Falcons must be the only team to do it the other way round, turning in an awful, wasteful performance for the first 40 minutes of last night's game against Saracens.
Thankfully in the second half we saw a much better show, and a try from John Rudd added to the boot of Tom May lifted us back up to ninth in the table, with the prospect of moving up another place if results go our way this weekend and we beat Northampton in a week's time. This was the first time in over three yearsthat we have secured a third Premiership win on the bounce, I was surprised to learn.
The Master, with that title now seemingly a bit more serious following last week's glorious victory over Bristol, stuck with the same XXII that kicked butt at the Memorial Stadium but it was Sarries who were on the scoresheet early this week with a Glen Jackson penalty, as the Falcons' discipline deserted them in the early stages.
Phil Dowson saved a certain try by outpacing Kameli Ratuvou on the left following a loose pass and forcing the winger to knock on, but two further penalty from Jackson taking the visitors further ahead.
The impression I got in the first half was a lack of confidence, particularly among the backs who were hesitant under the high or long ball and many players seemed reluctant to take tackles. One hospital ball in particular on halfway took a miracle for us not to get turned over.
We looked like a team who had lost by 30 points the previous week, not won by 30 – I'm all for keeping players' feet on the ground but while telling players what they did wrong, tell them what they did right too so they can repeat it!
One late penalty from May kept us in the hunt, and then in the second half the Falcons came out like a changed team. They now played more with the ball in hand and were much more aggressive going into tackles. They were almost rewarded with some forward battering on the right, and from a 5m scrum Micky Young looked to go around the outside but was easily bundled into touch.
It was Rudd though who made up for an innocuous first half sin-binning to battle through a tackle and score his second league try of the season – it's a time for unlikely scorers at the moment – and May, as he was wont to do, slowly stepped up to kick us into a slender 10-9 lead.
With Saracens now behind, we had to be careful not to let them back in straight away and credit to the boys, in the remaining half an hour our opponents didn't spend a great deal of time in our 22, never attempting a drop goal, and we usually managed to keep them on halfway. The defence really has improved, what we now need to do is score more tries on a consistent basis.
May missed a penalty to stretch our lead further after Saracens had been reduced to 14 men thanks to Justin Marshall's transgressions, but made no mistake five minutes from time. Saracens now needed to cross the line, but again we held them on halfway and kept our discipline better than earlier.
Finally the clock ticked past zero and I could swear we knocked on – but apparently not, and the ball was kicked out to the elation of the 6,000+ inside Kingston Park who had produced another superb atmosphere.
We can look forward to more days like this next season, as if we weren't safe at 12 points ahead of Bristol, they certainly aren't going to make up 16 with just eight games left.
With higher crowds hopefully due to the sensible season ticket prices for which I congratulate Mr Thompson and the club, the future looks a lot brighter than it did just a month and a half ago, before we embarked on our best league run since November 2005-January 2006.
The last time we won a fourth league game in a row was, off the top of my head, when we beat Harlequins in September 2004 to go top of the table, although that run included one victory at the end of the previous season, at Rotherham.
Well done to man of the match Micky Young, who must be cemented as our first choice scrum half now, and Tu'ipulotu and Noon who are both really coming into form. May might not have been as effective at fly half as against Bristol, but he still had a decent game, and the lineout was decent for the most part.
And last but not least, well done to the poster whose column was on the Supporters Club page in the programme last night – great read.
Onwards and upwards!
Definitely safe now
Posted by: FalconsRugby.org.uk (IP Logged)
Date: 21/02/2009 15:09
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I would hardly say he had to battle through a tackle. He had to catch the ball and make 4 yards. He did that but so would just about everyone else in the side too and others like Visser and Phillips who wern't.
Dissapointing, I thought he'd done some creative work.
Agreed but it was only a couple of yards and him momentum took him over. As I said any player in the team would have scored from there. May had done the work inside him to create it and he gets the credit from what I saw.
It wasn't a fall over the line score but it was one that he really couldn't miss.
It must have given him a big adrenaline surge as he seemed 2 yds faster when chasing high balls afterwards and put in a tremendous hit on Marshall which was good to see
I watched the highlights during the Glos Quins game yesterday and reckon smaller, less physical wingers (oooooh, let's say, for argument's sake ..... erm ... Shane Williams, the IRB Player of the Year) wouldn't have got through the last two defenders. There was no room to step and go round them so Rudd had to go through.
It wasn't as straightforward as you're suggesting Touchy, not in my opinion anyway. It would have been all too easy to be stopped short and there wasn't exactly a huge number of players coming up in support as the majority all seemed to be out on the left (right as seen from the SS).
From my recollection it was at least 5 yards from the touchline, maybe more but plenty of room to step. Even if he'd been tackled around legs he'd still have reached the line it was that close. He didn't even hand off the tacklers.
It'll take a lot more than that to convince me he's a GP winger. Wilson did a lot more to score v Brizz.
I disagree you point out the job of a winger is to score tries so you cant take it away from him when he does so. He got himself in right place, took the right option and did it well. That cant be taken away from him - i've seen them dropped, passed on and fluffed or knocked on as no doubt have you.
It's strange how those of us who were there and witnessed it first hand from about 30 yards away seem to have got it all wrong.
Apparently it was a gimme and Rudd had nothing to do with any of the play except for falling over the line and touching down.
Perhaps I'll not bother next year's ST and just read about the games after they've been analysed and written about by people who weren't there.
How? If every player was able to go through two defenders the line would be broken at every ruck, and defences would be powerless to stop that many tries once the other team powered it's way to the line.
Most of the time when you get that situation is the forwards taking slow ball and tryng to force their way over against a line of defenders ready and waiting for them.
Rudd's try was wide out after the inside players had drawn the defence and created the opportunity.
That doesn't happen 10 times in ant game I've seen for a long time so you must be watching differrnt games to me. If it did then I'd agree with you that we'd see a lot more tries.
I'm not a habutual complainer,i was in the west stand not far from the south sand end- the forwards had done all the work, Rudd had positioned himself very well. My first thought was that he should have drawn the last man and passed to whoever was outside him (not sure who it was). When he decided to go himself, he had to score or it would have been a hugely wasted opportunity.
He did - and i was up out of my seat to give him credit - and hopefully he will do the same on saturday at nothampton as i belive that that is agame we can win as well
Oh feck I hope someone else scores at Saints then - am on the radio and it'll kill me to have to be nice about Rudd!! And I'd have to be wouldn't I if he scores two weeks running!
that i don't know - but he might be feeling the presure of being first chice there now. and if the falcons can keep in touch and add to the pressure - could be 4 wins on on the trot.
and 2 consecutive away wins on the trot since 1922.
Myler has been first choice at 10 for months now so doubt it. Hopefully we can do it and if we do it will be a great scalp and massive morale boost for tough games against Sale, Quins, & Bath after that.
but Spenser was there for most of that time so he had the motivation to keep him out of the team. Now the psychology is completely different - he is the number 1 which brings different pressures - hopefully will work in our favour on saturday.
You've complained about Rudd's selection many a time, citing his lack of tries as the reason.
Wrong again Dodgy.
I have complained about Rudd's selection citing his lack of the necessary skills as a winger as the reason. His lack of tries was evidence to support the argument. One try especially what was essentially a flank forward's try in it's manner of scoring doesn't change my view.
From your tone I assume you have changed your opinion of him then and are now in favour of him being selected every week then? Or are you just being hypocritical?
TouchLine it was at least 5 yards from the touchline, maybe more.... Even if he'd been tackled around legs he'd still have reached the line it was that close..
Five yards or moore from the touchline - if he was tackled round the legs, he could still have reached over. Blimey, I didn't realise we had 15 foot tall players in the team!!!
Watched it again last night. Swinson made the try by running back against the drift and holding the defence. May's pass put Rudd over. He was 5 yards out when he took it with two defenders. The winger didn't lay a finger on him and the No 6 went high with 1 arm only and barely ruffled Rudd's hair
As I said orginally there's no way he "battled through a tackle".
Wearsider From the touchline Merula.
Not the goal line.
Apologies and thanks for putting me right - that'll teach me to read it properly before I reply. OK as one who only listened to it - how far from the goal line was he?
One "tackler" opted out and didn't touch him at all. The flanker tried to tackle but went high with only one arm and had no effect and wasn't even in contact when Rudd when over the line
I might comment on him repeatedly but you're missing the point.
I'm not criticising him on his match winning try like you are. I've not tried to make out he's the greatest, as he's not, but I've refrained from dissing his try.
Just accept that he scored and won us the match, he might be@#$%&usually but give him credit for scoring the try that won us the game man.
Rudd did what was needed. He is not, and never will be a world beater, and frankly you would have expected any GP winger to have scored the opportunity he was given. Did he do well and are we pleased? Yes. But he is still not the answer!! Fine for now, but we need better next season, or it will be more mediocrity.
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