Noah Flood(s) Boxing Day Sale
By Leipziger December 27 2006
Fly-half Toby Flood kicked, passed and ran the Falcons to a superb Premiership double over Champions Sale yesterday in a thrilling match to end 2006.
Fly-half Toby Flood kicked, passed and ran the Falcons to a superb Premiership double over Champions Sale yesterday in a thrilling match to end 2006.
With Matthew Burke on the bench and Jamie Noon injured, DoR John Fletcher was without his senior offensive backs but Flood stepped into the breach with a storming, skillful display.
Newcastle went ahead soon after kick-off, when Anthony Elliott scored on the left to give most of the 8,574 fans the promise of a late Christmas present. Flood converted, the first of eight successful kicks.
Sale's Lee Thomas reduced the deficit with a penalty, before Flood made just about his only mistake of the day, chipping over the defence into blue hands with men waiting for an overlap on the outside.
Chris Mayor was Sale's first try-scorer but Thomas, having a nightmare with the best and soon replaced by Daniel Larrachea, couldn't convert. The Falcons quickly retook the lead though, when Flood and Mathew Tait combined delightfully to let in Tom May for a second try.
And it was Tait's turn to finish off just before the half hour after Flood chased and caught a kick. The conversions put Newcastle 21-8 up. Sale knocked away at the lead however, Sebastien Bruno and Mayor scoring before the break to claw back ten points as Sale kicks continued to miss the target, although Mayor's second came following a drop forward in a tackle on the right earlier.
After half-time Flood continued to have no such trouble with two quick penalties, the second after Bruno had become extremely violent with Elliott on the ground on halfway and was sin-binned.
A further penalty was all we could do whilst a man up, as Chris Bell secured Sale's try bonus-point with a fourth score which Richard Wigglesworth converted.
With seven replacements freshening up the team, including Burke, Loki Crichton and the athletic Andy Buist, the Falcons set about closing the game out and as Wigglesworth missed another penalty. Flood kicked his side out of BP reach with three more points minutes from the end.
And the fifth league point was won with the final play of the match, with John Rudd, having probably his best game in a black shirt, bombing through for the fourth and final try. Flood's conversion capped a fantastic team and personal performance.
Ahead of tonight's matches, we now lie eighth in the table, six points behind London Irish but a huge twelve ahead of Worcester who entertain Harlequins this evening.
A happy end to 2006. Let's see if we can't make 2007 the year we finally roar up the table and give the Premiership's power players something to worry about.
Newcastle went ahead soon after kick-off, when Anthony Elliott scored on the left to give most of the 8,574 fans the promise of a late Christmas present. Flood converted, the first of eight successful kicks.
Sale's Lee Thomas reduced the deficit with a penalty, before Flood made just about his only mistake of the day, chipping over the defence into blue hands with men waiting for an overlap on the outside.
Chris Mayor was Sale's first try-scorer but Thomas, having a nightmare with the best and soon replaced by Daniel Larrachea, couldn't convert. The Falcons quickly retook the lead though, when Flood and Mathew Tait combined delightfully to let in Tom May for a second try.
And it was Tait's turn to finish off just before the half hour after Flood chased and caught a kick. The conversions put Newcastle 21-8 up. Sale knocked away at the lead however, Sebastien Bruno and Mayor scoring before the break to claw back ten points as Sale kicks continued to miss the target, although Mayor's second came following a drop forward in a tackle on the right earlier.
After half-time Flood continued to have no such trouble with two quick penalties, the second after Bruno had become extremely violent with Elliott on the ground on halfway and was sin-binned.
A further penalty was all we could do whilst a man up, as Chris Bell secured Sale's try bonus-point with a fourth score which Richard Wigglesworth converted.
With seven replacements freshening up the team, including Burke, Loki Crichton and the athletic Andy Buist, the Falcons set about closing the game out and as Wigglesworth missed another penalty. Flood kicked his side out of BP reach with three more points minutes from the end.
And the fifth league point was won with the final play of the match, with John Rudd, having probably his best game in a black shirt, bombing through for the fourth and final try. Flood's conversion capped a fantastic team and personal performance.
Ahead of tonight's matches, we now lie eighth in the table, six points behind London Irish but a huge twelve ahead of Worcester who entertain Harlequins this evening.
A happy end to 2006. Let's see if we can't make 2007 the year we finally roar up the table and give the Premiership's power players something to worry about.
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