From Bad to Worse...
By Happy Hooker (17/11/02)
November 17 2002
The nightmare scenario is fast becoming reality. Three defeats in as many weeks to the bottom three clubs and the Falcons may soon be staring relegation in the face. Yes, I know the season’s not even half over but on current form it's a distinct possibility.
The writing was on the wall from the first minute of this encounter against Bath when scrum half Andy Williams (no, not the singer!) burst through a gap in the Newcastle defence wide as the Grand Canyon to put the visitors ahead. A setback sure but not the end of the world. And the Falcons’ response? A first half display of such staggering ineptitude you began to wonder if these were professional rugby players. Woeful tackling , poor touch-kicking and needless penalties saw Bath rattle up 24 points by the half hour, winger Tom Voyce running in a second Bath try at the corner with the Falcons defence found wanting again. . All we had to show was an Earle Va’a penalty and a Tom May drop goal . Emergency fly-half Va’a slotted another penalty before the break to reduce the deficit but you knew there was a mountain to climb if we were to take anything from this game.
Messrs. Andrew and Co. must have read the riot act during the interval because it was a very different side that took the field in the second half. At last we started to play with some conviction and purpose. The line-outs were still a mess. We must have lost 50 per cent of them during the game, surely unprecedented, and clearly Grimes was a big miss. Early Falcons pressure resulted in a penalty for offside, successfully kicked by Va’a . Another penalty reduced the deficit to 24-15 but we had to wait until midway through the second half for that elusive try, when Joe Shaw finally scrambled over in the corner.. Despite relentless pressure the Bath defence managed to hold on for a precious away win and four points. All we got was a consolation bonus point.
The sad thing is that had Falcons played in the first half the way they played in the second., we would have won this game. Yes, we were fielding a side weakened by injury and international calls, and yes, Bath were fresh from last week’s victory over Sale, but our first half performance was inexcusable.
Epi Taione had a stinker again. He’s obviously been told he doesn’t pass the ball enough so all he does now is pass when he should be bulldozing his way through the defence. It’s hard to think of any players that come out of this encounter with any credit .Va’as place-kicking was good but his out-of-hand kicking poor, too often failing to find touch. Joe Shaw had probably his best game for the Falcons and Liam Botham was solid and reliable but will never be the quickest kid on the block.
What worried me most during the first half was the players’ body language. They didn’t look as if they were up for this game from the start. But why the lack of motivation? These are young players who should be busting a gut to impress and further their careers. So what’s wrong? Is there something rotten in the State of Kingston Park? Over to you Mr Andrew.
