Newcastle Red Bulls
Look over your shoulders
Another decent game
By Leipziger
February 12 2011
Defeat at London Irish today leaves the Falcons firmly in the relegation mire, and we must hope for a favour from Leicester at Headingley on Sunday ahead of meeting Exeter at KP on Friday. With our own visit to Yorkshire looming large, we would be running out of time to ensure that we could afford to lose that game, had that time not long passed.
So, matchday started well for me today as I actually got on the Tube's Jubilee Line going in the right direction for once. It got weird in the press box as a guy walking around connecting cables asked me if I was with the Irish analysis guys. Not unless Irish have been handing out black and grey shirts with Newcastle Falcons over the heart to their staff.
The bloke wasn't even Irish! (Any Irish people offended by that, I invite you to look up and watch Not Going Out on the BBC iPlayer – as a born-and-bred Northerner it cracks me up and I'm not suing Aunty)
And then getting towards kick-off I was disappointed that The Fields of Athenry was not played over the speakers – watching and hearing the Irish fans sing it is awesome – but by a loud band, as I wanted to mention it in the commentary.
I wondered whether Kevin Williams would ask me about the girl band singing The Boys Are Back In Town on the pitch. I'd have said they reminded me of the lass I watched Wales-England with last week – very pretty, but couldn't sing. Although at least Miss I-Don't-Think-We're-Right-For-Each-Other freely admitted she was unable to string two notes together.
Maybe Kevin could read my mind, and was remembering what happened to Richard “Do me a favour love” Keys and Andy “Comment too vile to print” Gray.
This is why I hate matchdays; I think too much. Most of it is the mental equivalent of a Chicken McNugget.
Back to the point. Alan Tait made only one change to the side that beat Exeter in the LV= Cup last weekend, bringing in try-scorer Luke Eves for James Fitzpatrick. Luke Fielden was fit despite suffering an arm injury on Sunday and James Hall and Andrew van der Heijden made their first Premiership starts.
Ryan Lamb kicked Irish ahead after less than two minutes, but the Falcons hit back soon and from a scrum Ally Hogg offloaded infield to Jimmy Gopperth, and the fly-half cut through the gap under the posts. Gopperth converted his own try, and Lamb missed two penalties, one hitting the posts.
The Falcons' scrum was solid throughout the first half, and the lineout was clean for most of the match. In the first period we had plenty of possession and threatened to go further ahead.
Unfortunately, someone somewhere flicked a switch at around the half hour and some missed tackles allowed Lamb a one-on-one on Luke Fielden in front of the tryline, and our winger made what I can only describe as a pathetic attempt as a tackle, allowing the Irish ten to score and then convert his own try.
The Falcons kept on competing and Gopperth hit the post with a penalty before half-time, sending us into the break 10-7 down. It had been a good first 40 though, there was plenty to be optimistic about.
I hear that on the way to the changing rooms James Hudson asked the officials why they were threatening to penalise the his side for closing the gap at the lineout. A valid question, considering right on half-time the home hooker was standing in line with his lineout when he threw the ball in.
Gcobani Bobo was replaced by Jeremy Manning at the interval, and rumour was that our full-back may have broken his arm, although thankfully I am told that is a worst-case scenario and he was not wearing a sling when he got on the coach post-match.
After half-time Irish looked a more dedicated and aggressive side and their forwards began to take the initiative in open play, breaking the gain line at will and pushing the Falcons back. After ten of the second 40 minutes the hosts spread the ball to the left and Fielden and another defender were unable to stop Clarke Dermody reaching out and placing the ball in the try area.
Lamb failed to convert, just as he did four minutes later when Irish suckered our defence infield and Bobo was left with three attackers bearing down on him. Seilala Mapusua scored easily.
At 20-7, the game was all but over. Yet somehow with ten minutes left the Falcons managed to clear up to the Irish 22 and we put Irish under some serious pressure under the posts. I suppose when you have a six-on-three overlap and the team keep picking and driving (to be fair, they didn't have as good a view as I did) and then you lose the ball, you start to realise it probably isn't going to be your day. No banzai last ten today.
13 points with ten minutes to go was recoverable. 16 points with five to go wasn't, and so it was no surprise that Chris Malone kicked a penalty from halfway towards goal, and he successfully got the points.
The Falcons managed to get a consolation, though only just as Alex Tait decided to kick when he and another attacked had a two-on-one with a defender. At that stage it didn't matter, but if we'd been six or less, or certainly four or less, points behind, and we hadn't scored, then even I might have felt less inclined to defend the in-form Chip against those who seem intent on making him the new John Rudd since we anticipate Bobo leaving in the summer.
Bobo did pop up free to score a second try for us in the last seconds, and Gopperth's conversion made the final score 23-14. I have to agree with Smithy Sr that there is nothing respectable in this scoreline. Not necessarily because Irish looked there for the taking in the first half, but because we so needed those four points!
I don't like to single out individual players, so I won't (in this article anyway). Overall though, we need somehow to get these lads playing like a team. We have players like Jon Golding, James Hudson, Ally Hogg, Jimmy Gopperth (and of course Euan Murray who wasn't playing today), really top-drawer players who would compete for a place in the very best teams in this league. We have competence in most other positions throughout the rest of the team. Why can't they play as a unit consistently? Why can they rarely play for 80 minutes?
If I knew the answer to these questions, I'd be doing Alan Tait's job. What I do know though, is that I am unhappy. More importantly than that, I am worried.
Friday is Exeter at home. Two weeks tomorrow is Leeds away. Defeat in either match is now simply not an option.
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Our last game is away to Bath, there's is at Northampton, Bath will be difficult but would you swap? Win the coming two games and I believe we will be safe. I expect them to be flippin' tense though.
It's going to be a long two weeks.
No point in even talking about the other games.
Quote:DGNTR
Sadly, I think we'll lose to Exeter and Leeds will do the double over us.
No point in even talking about the other games.
The usual doom and gloom stuff from DG!!
Some of us are at trying to stay positive, glass half full stuff! Surely 4 home matches on the bounce in April must be to our advantage
Not doom and gloom, just a bit of sensible reaslim sadly.
Positives- Thought the forwards again played well. I dont know why the changes where made to bring on Brookes and Shiels to replace Golding and Hall. I'm hoping it was not because we had decided the game was lost and wanted to keep them fresh for the Exeter game.
First scrum in the first half Dermody put a shove on Hall. The second scrum in first half Dermody put a shove on Hall, again. Two nil to Dermody and I thought Hall was overawed by the occasion, starting his first premiership game lets not forget, and Dermody is an ex-All Black.
After the first two scrums Golding and co started exerting some pressure on the Irish scrum. Golding had the measure of IOn. Overall I thought Hall did very well against a former All Black and actually put him to the sword from the third scrum onwards.He's been a good buy going by the performances he has put in so far I think.
Again it was the forwards to the fore.Even Jr found his man at lineout time, every time I believe. I thought Hogg in particular was very good in his link play and I wont be suprised if he's called up by Scotland as I was not impressed by their number 8 yesterday.
Swinson made a nuisance of himself again and I think his presence at blindside flank has increased our physicality in that area. Welch again played well at 7 and also made a nuisance of himself but could do with more physicality at the breakdown in particular.Otherwise he (Welch) has impressed me in the last few games, his application especially.
The engine room of Hudson and VDH functioned properly at line out time, aided by Swinson at the front and Hogg at the back of the line. We won all our lineouts if I'm not mistaken.We also did Irish with that massive maul towards the end of the first half.I think we could've won the game if only the forwards played each other.
Negatives
Mickey Young for me was again very poor.The forwards won turnover ball on two occasions in succession in the first half when we were 7-3 up, and on both occasions Mickey Young knocked-on giving Irish posession in our half. From the ensuing free kick Irish scored to make it 10-7. Mickey's nightmare continued throughout the game, throwing too high or too low. At one point he threw too high and from that Gopperth was winded as he caught the ball. Much better when he was subbed but should have been off earlier.
Gopperth was also poor with his kicking into the opposition half. All this just led to Irish countering and putting us under more pressure.We lost a lot of posession with this meaningless kicking. The strange thing was that he looked dangerous when he ran with the ball. Tait was also guilty of this unnecessary kicking. The backs in general just didnt click even though there was no lack of endeavour from Eves in particular.
Basically, we need a good backs coach, if nothing else. Our back play must be one of the most predictable and easiest to defend against. This was clearly evident when Irish backs had the ball. The Mapasua try was an example of how backs should play.
Gopperth always looks dangerous when he runs and I Don't know why he kicks so much, he has Eves inside him who has beaten alot of men this season and has again always looked threatening with ball in hand.
Tait and Manning do the same thing, so therefore it has to be a coaching issue as they clearly lack ideas and a playing structure to succeed, hence the league position.
If Thompson/Tait cannot see that we need a specialist backs coach then we are looking at a season or two in the championship on current form.
I thought the tackling was very poor judging by the highlights of the tries on ITV4, Irish looked like they were just walking through unchallenged, with alot of players making poor efforts to bring the man down.
Dissapointing stuff after a good win against exeter.
Alot of work needed both on and off the pitch if we are to stay up, abysmal!
So why did we lose?
Answers on a postcard.
Raw materials are there, coaching isn't. That and lack of depth in the squad. Just my opinion.
Mickey knocked on twice after the Falcons forwards had turned over Irish ball in the Falcons half. From the resulting free kick and after going through several phases Lamb scored. The other Irish tries all came from our backs kicking away posession allowing Irish to counter. The main culprits for the unnecessary kicking being Gopperth and Tait.
Mickey should be given a rest this coming friday, he's become a liability which is sad to say, after his initial promise just two seasons ago. Gopperth could do better running the ball rather than kicking it. We played better when we kept ball in hand.
I thought Tait had another good game despite the aimless kicking(no ball dropped throughout) although his decision making could be better.I believe he has improved over these last few games.
Eves was another standout performer from the backs.However, our overall back play is poor and I'm beginning to believe this is due to lack of nouce in our coaching set-up. We need a backs' or attack coach quick. Our moves in the back division are just too easy to defend against.This was compounded by the inability to provide quick ball from the breakdown area.
It was only a few short weeks ago that we were bemoaning the fact that the pack were being shoved around and not getting any ball to an exciting back line being marshalled well by Gopperth.
So they appear to sort one problem, the return of Hudson and Golding and the signing of Van der Wosit no doubt being the reason there, and another flaming problem arises.
What we've lacked for many seasons now is cohesion and co-ordination between our forwards and backs play, the link ups just don't happen.
Just compare us with England yesterday. The number of examples of forwards and backs working together was astonishing for a team that had similar problems to us only 12 months ago. England appear to have cracked it with a combination of different personnel and different emphasis on coaching of certain basic drills. You will have noticed that there was nothing fancy in anything that England did yesterday, just simply offloading and support play, forwards and backs all contributing and helping each other. Of course a dominant back row and half backs make a big difference, not to mention Ashton on the wing, he's surely got to be the best player in the world on current form.
The thing is, one of our strengths, or at least it should be, is in our back row and half backs. But sadly, the one thing that is missing is a dominant and in-form scrum half, that's what's needed to gel the backs and forwards together, and Micky is woefully out of touch. It's starting to affect Gopperth's game too, I wasn't there yesterday but how many times was Gopperth put out of his stride with a poorly directed pass from Micky? He cannot ignite pace into the back line if the opposition defence have stolen a yard through Micky's poor pass, so he has to kick behind for field position, something that we all know is not his strongest attribute.
Anyway, that's my take on it, others will no doubt have a different view. One thing is for sure, Jackie has to start on Friday and he has to do a lot of serious work in training this week with Gopperth and Co. Ally Hogg and the back row are key to this too, they all need to gel in training this week.
For me, I'd keep Micky Young well away from the drills.
Other players who were perceived mainly as fringe players have also stepped up. You would not have thought James Hall played for a championship side the way he scrummaged against Dermody. I believe he's now competing against Murray for the number one tight-head position at the club, which is just what we need.
We need the forwards to be on top again against Exeter, and hopefully we can then play as a unit. I will be there and hope to make my trip from Bristol and back worthwhile.
Apart from us there is the example of the Wales Australia match in the Autumn where the ozzie pack were destroyed yet their backs won the game for them.
He should be more than aware of what is required to drive our backs, both in attack and defence
The coaches ability to communicate effectively, and the fact Tait has his clique's.
Quote:Tait has his clique's.
No different to Fletch's era or the latter half of Andrew's
Ok, so if it's fact, what are these cliques?
not something i'd expect to be beyond tait's capabilities
We should have beaten Leicester and most of us came away from the game yesterday feeling very positive about the future.
It's going to be a couple of tense games against you. Let's both come good and move up the table, eh?
Suffering on the Leeds and Yorkshire roller-coaster since 2001
TG1: Not sure. Thommo will probably be on the England bench, but Fourie's England position is less certain if Moody's to return.
Suffering on the Leeds and Yorkshire roller-coaster since 2001
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