Our all-English 22 racked up the points in a clinical performance which saw all but one score converted and an Anthony Elliott hat-trick from full back, however Leeds scored three tries of their own as we eased off at the start of the second half.

We attacked immediately at the beginning of the game, when Leeds fumbled the kick-off and Mike McCarthy passed to the right.  Leeds covered, but we came back to the left and Mathew Tait scored, with Jonny Wilkinson converting, in the second minute.  The visitors looked to score immediately with a swift run on the left but we defended on halfway, before their prop Kees Lensing was taken off with a nasty injury.

Geoff Parling set up the next score when he took a high lineout ball, and Ben Woods broke away from the maul for a try which Wilkinson again converted.  Just minutes later, again following a lineout, Jamie Noon dummied then sent a soaring pas out to Tom May who easily completed the move in the right hand corner.  Wilkinson kicked another two points.

Leeds then had a good spell of possession, attacking with lineouts and penalties, and only a kind bounce to May prevented their first try.  But we came back and Anthony Elliott made a long weaving run through the Tyke defence to secure a bonus point under the posts, while an injury time try from Mike McCarthy finished off the first half scoring.  Two more Wilkinson conversions gave us a strong and astounding 35-0 lead at the break.

Leeds finally got on the scoresheet early in the second period with former Falcon James Isaacson being driven over and Gordon Ross converted.  We looked to hit back straight away but May dropped Tait’s pass on the right with the line beckoning.  Matt Thompson, ironically having one of his better games, was then stretchered off and taken to hospital with a nasty-looking neck injury after being on the ground for a good few minutes.

Leeds’ second try came through Chris Murphy on the right, before Newcastle came back to life and won a penalty for offside in their 22 (the referee having ignored two high tackles in the build-up).  They stole the ball from the scrum but when we won another penalty.  From the resulting lineout Elliott found a gap to score our sixth try, the only one to go unconverted.

Elliott’s hat-trick was completed on 70 minutes when Ollie Phillips found him space and passed to the man of the match full-back, and he steamed over the line.  Wilkinson re-found his kicking boots to add the extras, before he was replaced with Joe Shaw.

Philips himself scored our final try with a scything 25 metre run down the left, and Elliott kicked the conversion.  Leeds scrum-half Danny Care scored an unconverted consolation try under the posts, and the game ended 54-17.

The result of this performance was seventh place in the Premiership, our highest league position since 2002, and third highest since winning the Championship.  Strange after such a turbulent season, but unfortunately whatever we did today, it wouldn’t have been enough to get into the Heineken Cup.

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