Falcons give fans something to shout about
By Leipziger
April 21 2014
Newcastle Falcons came close to causing one of the upsets of the season at Kingston Park yesterday, giving a second-string but high-quality Saracens team a mighty scare and gaining a bonus point that all but confirms the Geordies’ Premiership place for 2014/15.
A fast performance full of endeavour and ambition might well have been enough to defeat the league leaders and Heineken Cup semi-finalists but for a freak Ben Ransom try in the second half that sealed an away win, but replacement Warren Fury snuck the crucial score to lift the Falcons eight points off bottom.
Falcons fans were boosted in the run up to the game by the naming of an extraordinarily attacking team. Joel Hodgson and George McGuigan were given their first Premiership starts and Dom Barrow, Richard Mayhew, Adam Powell and Alex Tait returned from injury.
With probably more than half an eye on their upcoming Heineken Cup semi-final against Clermont Auvergne, Saracens made thirteen changes from their previous game but still included England internationals Alex Goode, Charlie Hodgson, Richard Wigglesworth and Matt Stevens.
The home side looked extremely focused in the warm-up and from the off looked a more incisive side than the one that lost to fellow strugglers Worcester and London Irish in recent weeks. The returning Mike Blair provided quick ball and a superb inside flick from former Sarrie Powell set Tait through a gap in the away defence.
The full-back, who all day continued the form that has made him a contender for the Newcastle player of the season award, cut an excellent line before offloading to Mark Wilson. Cumbria’s finest found Sinoti Sinoti on the left touchline and the Pacific winger powered through multiple tackles to touch down. The game was only a few minutes old and the home fans went wild… frankly, I’m getting excited just writing about it!
Things got even better for the Falcons when Tait was taken out in the air by a stupid charge by Jack Wilson and the Saracens winger was sent to the bin for ten minutes.
However, mis-communication saw McGuigan’s throw miss Mayhew on the twenty-two and Saracens went on the attack. The away side built from the left and from Wigglesworth through hooker Jamie George the Falcons defence was sucked inside, allowing Tim Streather a gap on the right for an equalising try.
Saracens’ Hodgson put his side in the lead for the first time with the conversion and added a penalty before Wilson came back.
Newcastle’s heads didn’t go down however and the hosts continued to play an attacking game for the most part, and though there were times when both sides resorted to kicking tennis, the Falcons chased and put pressure on the away catchers in a way that did not happen against Worcester.
A penalty by Joel Hodgson took the Falcons to within two points of their illustrious opponents at half-time. The difference in mood to the previous home game could not have been greater – rather than “You can see why these two are adrift at the bottom”, many thought “We might just win this”.
The game was lost to two sucker punches. The first came just minutes into the second period when Charlie Hodgson kicked a simple penalty in the Falcons’ twenty-two to make the score 8-13.
The Falcons dominated possession in the second half, Joel Hodgson probing around the away defence, but for a while points were hard to come by. The scrum seemed to struggle after Matt Thompson and Scott Wilson replaced McGuigan and Oliver Tomaszczyk too, resulting in more lost opportunities.
Geordie Hodgson cut the deficit back to just two points with a penalty, and with the Falcons in the ascendancy the South Stand called for blood when Wilson committed his second cardable offence with a high tackle on Sinoti on the halfway line. Referee Andrew Small, after discussion with his touch judge, decided that a penalty was sufficient punishment, but Saracens manager Mark McCall clearly recognised how lucky the winger had been, hauling him off at the earliest opportunity.
Ironically if was Wilson’s replacement Ben Ransom who kicked the Falcons in the downstairs with ten minutes left. Sinoti came inside on halfway and flicked a pass to the left, but the ball fell straight to Ransom who beat Grant Shiells and ran in for a converted try that had Geordie heads in hands.
Charlie Hodgson’s conversion made the score 11-23.
Dean Richards threw on Warren Fury and Phil Godman for the final few minutes, and it was the Welsh international scrum-half who rescued a bonus point, scurring in a try on the right with just five minutes to go. The Falcons lined up for a scrum as the referee consulted upstairs, but the try was awarded and Godman kicked the conversion to cut the gap to five points.
All thoughts turned to a win now – the gap at the bottom of the table was seven points with two games to go so surely the Falcons would go for the win – but a kick to touch was kept by Sarries and the away side eventually kicked for touch to seal yet another win on their march towards a potential second league title.
Yesterday was a fourteenth successive league defeat for Newcastle, but there was an air of optimism afterwards, an idea that the management have finally realised what the team should do to give themselves the best chance to win matches.
The Falcons are now eight points ahead of Worcester with two games left, and the Warriors visit Allianz Park on Saturday week. Newcastle are all but safe and there is now absolutely no excuse to be overly cautious against Wasps and Exeter, rather than taking the game to both and looking to gain the win that the players and fans so desperately want and need.
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Quote:The home side looked extremely focused in the warm-up...
That sums up the important bit. Something has changed at KP this week, something has changed for the better.
Roll on the Wasps game.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014:04:21:21:26:23 by Leipziger.
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Saracens Review of Falcons game
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014:04:23:12:34:13 by Squawker2.