Falcons take honours in European opener

The Falcons opened the European season with an efficient if unspectacular victory at home to Bourgoin, scoring three tries to one solo score by the French side late on that gained the visitors a bonus point.

In front of the Sky TV cameras at Kingston Park, a much-changed Newcastle side featuring youngsters like Grant Shiells, Glen Townson, Mark Wilson and Luke Fielden took on a physical Bourgoin side and put in a solid defensive display in several periods of opposition pressure.

The Top 14 strugglers went ahead within four minutes with a penalty on halfway by Sebastien Laloo after the Falcons strayed offside and referee Carlo Damasco played a long advantage.

Charlie Amesbury and Micky Young had chances to score in quick succession on the left, the former after catching a crossfield kick from fly-half Jeremy Manning, but the away defence held out and another Laloo penalty, again from long distance, doubled the French lead.

Manning on the other hand missed his first kick at goal, but made amends with a quarter of the game gone as Luke Eves made a break and the ball came to Manning on the left. Using Fielden as a decoy the Kiwi stormed over for an unconverted try.

The Falcons began to come more into the game, and Filipo Levi and Tim Ryan, on as an early replacement for Shiells, combined to almost send the prop over.

The second try wasn't long in coming though, and from a scrum hooker Joe Graham got his first try in a black shirt on his first start. Manning's conversion made the half-time score 12-6, although it could have been different had Eves caught another Manning kick with the line beckoning, and had Laloo not missed a penalty on the far right.

Just a couple of minutes after half-time Alex Tait made a try-saving tackle on the pacy Nemani Nadolo, but Bourgoin put the pressure on in the early stages of the second period and after a break in which they got close to the line a couple of times, the Falcons decided to settle for a Manning penalty.

Joel Hodgson replaced Manning with a quarter of an hour left to a huge cheer from the almost 4,000 in Kingston Park, but the young fly-half initially struggled to make his mark on the game and Bourgoin reduced the deficit back to six points with a third penalty.

Hodgson finally got into the mix with a run across the line, passing to captain Ally Hogg who fed Luke Fielden, and the winger rounded the defence to score the home side's third try, converted by Hodgson.

With ten minutes left, the home fans finally found their voices to try to help their team over the finishing line, but Jordan Merle's powerful try, given after the referee's consultation with the television match official and converted by Laloo, set up a nervous finish with the score at 22-16.

Defending on their own line, the Falcons managed to clear through a series of penalties, and though Bourgoin had one last chance with a lineout in the dying seconds, Newcastle stole and Hodgson kicked the ball into touch to end his own promising first team debut and secure the Falcons' first four points in this season's European Challenge Cup.