1st try
Falcons sunk on last day
1st try
By Leipziger
April 30 2007
The Falcons seven-month unbeaten home run came to an end as Bath came away victorious from Kingston Park on the final day of the Premiership season. Despite dominance for most of the match, Newcastle couldn’t complete a comeback after being well behind at half time.
1st try
April 30 2007
The Falcons seven-month unbeaten home run came to an end as Bath came away victorious from Kingston Park on the final day of the Premiership season. Despite dominance for most of the match, Newcastle couldn’t complete a comeback after being well behind at half time.
The defeat means a ninth-placed finish as the season ended on a downer for the first time since we lost at the Rec in 2003, and although the Falcons kept the visitors, including former Falcon Michael Stephenson, in their own half of the field for much of the match, an interception try by David Bory in the first period knocked the wind out of the home side.
Bath scored in only the third minute when Peter Short went over from a lineout, which from the Geordie point of view was an object of criticism all day. That was, pretty much, the last Bath saw of our line for most of the first half as the Falcons battered their opponents with some running passing rugby, however a regular feature was a failure to use wings when the Bath defence was stretched.
Both sides missed penalties as the long-ball kicking game was called into action, however it was from a long Bath kick that Mathew Tait took a catch, beat a man but when he came to pass David Bory intercepted and with the line gaping he scored under the posts, Olly Barkley converting. After such domination, it was a kick in the teeth for the Falcons to be 0-12 down at half time.
With Matt Thompson and Andy Buist on for the second half, a maul on the right rumbled towards the Bath line and when the defence were barged out of the way Buist had nothing to stop him scoring his side’s first points of the day, only his second Falcons try. Toby Flood converted to give the hosts renewed hope of seeing out the season with a win, but his opposite number Shaun Berne crossed within minutes to give his side a new ten-point lead.
John Rudd and Tom May came more into the game as the Falcons reasserted their territorial control, however the second try did not come until just before the hour when a move which began in our half saw Rudd create a chance for Mathew Tait who flew in for the score, although Flood couldn’t convert.
That was the end of our scoring, despite the introduction of Brent Wilson, Ollie Phillips and, on his last Falcons outing, Loki Crichton, and Bath pulled clear with just two minutes left through a Berne drop-goal and seal the 12-20 win which moved the south westerners above us in the final table.
Bath scored in only the third minute when Peter Short went over from a lineout, which from the Geordie point of view was an object of criticism all day. That was, pretty much, the last Bath saw of our line for most of the first half as the Falcons battered their opponents with some running passing rugby, however a regular feature was a failure to use wings when the Bath defence was stretched.
Both sides missed penalties as the long-ball kicking game was called into action, however it was from a long Bath kick that Mathew Tait took a catch, beat a man but when he came to pass David Bory intercepted and with the line gaping he scored under the posts, Olly Barkley converting. After such domination, it was a kick in the teeth for the Falcons to be 0-12 down at half time.
With Matt Thompson and Andy Buist on for the second half, a maul on the right rumbled towards the Bath line and when the defence were barged out of the way Buist had nothing to stop him scoring his side’s first points of the day, only his second Falcons try. Toby Flood converted to give the hosts renewed hope of seeing out the season with a win, but his opposite number Shaun Berne crossed within minutes to give his side a new ten-point lead.
John Rudd and Tom May came more into the game as the Falcons reasserted their territorial control, however the second try did not come until just before the hour when a move which began in our half saw Rudd create a chance for Mathew Tait who flew in for the score, although Flood couldn’t convert.
That was the end of our scoring, despite the introduction of Brent Wilson, Ollie Phillips and, on his last Falcons outing, Loki Crichton, and Bath pulled clear with just two minutes left through a Berne drop-goal and seal the 12-20 win which moved the south westerners above us in the final table.
Bookmark or share this story with:
Digg
Delicious
Facebook
Reddit
StumbleuponSPORTNETWORK SPECIALS
More Newcastle Falcons headlines
Newcastle Falcons latest threads
Newcastle Falcons Poll
