Newcastle Falcons - We're back!! Championship winners

GeordieFalcon wrote:Yeah mate...not sure they've decided on Friday games only.

I would make every Sat game without fail.

Never mind.

Jimpy wrote:

GeordieFalcon wrote:Yeah mate...not sure they've decided on Friday games only.

I would make every Sat game without fail.

Never mind.

So, Gopperth can score tries....

See you there DEcember 23rd v London Scottish ;-)

aitchw wrote:Yep, it's hard to see any other side challenging right now. As the season goes on Falcons are likely to benefit further from having a better squad to deal with inevitable injuries and the like. Bristol seem to have been badly affected by the last 2 years final outcomes and don't appear to have anything to offer early season. Carnegie still have a lot to do if they are to finish in the play offs and even more if they are to challenge for promotion. Have very mixed feelings about Diccon Edwards coaching but realise he's working under very tight restraints player wise.

Hodgson in my eyes is as good as Ford at Leicester and could be a dark horse for international honours in years to come...

Newcastle Falcons began their British and Irish Cup campaign with a comprehensive victory over Cross Keys at Kingston Park.

Debutants Zach Kibirige and Scott Wilson had solid outings against the Welsh outfit as the Falcons made it seven wins out of seven this term.

Hot prospect Kibirige showed no signs of pre-match nerves in the early exchanges, skipping through the Cross Keys defensive line with ease following a sweeping attacking move involving Alex Tait and Suka Hufanga.

Kibirige was hauled down 10-metres from the line, but with five minutes on the clock Michael Tait touched down in the corner thanks to some nimble handwork from centres Hufanga and Jamie Helleur.

Marauding drives from forwards Mark Wilson and Will Welch set the platform, before the ball was flung wide to Michael Tait. Waisea Luveniyali, who took over the kicking duties from the rested Jimmy Gopperth failed to convert and the Falcons led 5-0.

Kibirige, who set the tone for the game with his trickery in attack, got his name on the score sheet on 12 minutes.

Fly-half Luveniyali was the architect, breaking through the Welsh rearguard to feed the Yarm School pupil, who left three Cross Keys defenders in his wake with a clean set of heels to sprint in under the posts. Luveniyali added the extras to put his side 12-0 in front.

It was soon 19-0 to the hosts when Taiasina Tu’ifua crashed over from close-range for a converted try, after the Falcons underlined their dominance at the scrum. Ushering the ball towards Cross Keys’ try line, the giant Samoan scooped up the ball to touchdown. Luveniyali made no mistake with the conversion to extend the Falcons’ advantage.

With half-time looming, the Kingston Park crowd witnessed the sorry sight of Cross Keys inside centre Luke Ford being stretchered off with a leg injury. That seemed to galvanise the Welsh outfit as they looked to carve a way through a steely Falcons defence. Full-back Gareth David showed penetration with ball in hand to scurry past his opposite number Alex Tait, but his neat offload was knocked-on by winger Elliot Jones.

On the stroke of half-time Richards’ men conjured up their fourth try of the game courtesy of skipper Will Welch. With the visitors enjoying a rare sight of the Falcons try line, the northeasterners turned defence into attack in a flash.

Jones’s knock-on was hacked deep down-field by Luveniyali with Kibirige giving chase to force Nathan Trowbridge to touch the ball down in goal. From the resulting scrum, Grant Shiells and Matt Thompson had strong carries to enable Welch to squeeze in at the corner.

Luveniyali fell just short with the conversion and the men from the north went into the break 24-0 ahead.

With barely five minutes on the clock in the second period Hufanga took anside pass five-metres from the line to cross in style. Luveniyali’s conversion made it 31-0.

Kibirige continue to terrorise Cross Keys’ defence, ghosting through a gap on 67 minutes to set-up an attacking opportunity. Alex Tait and Scott MacLeod were each thwarted by a scrambling rearguard just inches from the line.

Awarded a five-metre scrum, the Falcons again showed their supremacy at the scrum to earn a penalty try which Luveniyali converted for a 38-0 lead.

From the restart Cross Keys replacement Ryan James was given his marching orders for persistant infringement at the ruck. Hodgson kicked into the corner with the penalty and from the resulting lineout, Hodgson hit Helleur with a flat pass to unleash the Samoan to scoot in under the posts. Hodgson’s simple conversion made it 45-0.

On 75 minutes Kibirige was denied a double for the afternoon when he gathered a looping pass on the wing, before dashing in at the corner only to have been adjudged to have had his foot in touch.

But the Kingston Park troops would not be denied a minute later as replacement hooker Michael Mayhew bulldozed his way through to score. Hodgson nailed the conversion from bang in front of the posts to put his side 52-0 in front.

Coasting to victory, the Falcons will have been unhappy to have conceded a late try courtesy of Dorian Jones. Jones took advantage of a three man overlap to touchdown before failing to convert his own score. However it paled into insignificance as the Falcons ran out 52-5 victors.

Newcastle Falcons: 15 Alex Tait, 14 Michael Tait, 13 Suka Hufanga, 12 Jamie Helleur, 11 Zach Kibirige, 10 Waisea Luveniyali, 9 Warren Fury, 1 Grant Shiells, 2 Matt Thompson, 3 Scott Wilson, 4 Sean Tomes, 5 Scott MacLeod, 6 Mark Wilson, 7 Will Welch (c), 8 Taiasina Tu’ifua

Replacements: 16 Michael Mayhew, 17 James Hall, 18 James Hudson, 19 Chris York, 20 Jordi Pasqualin, 21 Joel Hodgson, 22 James Fitzpatrick

Cross Keys: 15 Gareth David, 14 Elliot Jones, 13 Luke Williams, 12 Luke Ford, 11 Nathan Trowbridge, 10 Dean Gunter, 9 Rhys Dyer (c), 1 Anthony Lott, 2 Gary Horrigan, 3 Craig Gould, 4 Danny Hodge, 5 Ollie Hodge, 6 Rhys Peebles, 7 Gerwyn Price, 8 Adam Powell

Replacements: 16 Sean Higgins, 17 Jamie Sollis, 18 James Johnstone, 19 Scott Matthews, 20 Jonathan Lewis, 21 Dorian Jones, 22 Ryan James

Attendance: 3,561

Newcastle Falcons chief Dean Richards reserved praise for academy products Zach Kibirige and Scott Wilson after making their debuts in Saturday’s 52-5 victory over Cross Keys in the British and Irish Cup.

Kibirige, 17, and Wilson, 18, were handed their chance to impress the Falcons boss after a series of solid displays in the Aviva A League under the guidance of Mark Laycock and James Ponton.

And the duo’s performance was the highlight of the day according to Richards, who revealed it was a frustrating afternoon for his side despite running out comfortable winners over their Welsh counterparts.

“They were outstanding on the day and they did exceptionally well, and for me their performances were the most pleasing thing for me today,” said Richards.

Middlesbrough-born Kibirige wasted no time in introducing himself to the Falcons fans, as he underlined his blistering pace to cross the whitewash on 12 minutes.

“Every time he touched the ball he looked as though he was going to do something with it,” Richards said of the Yarm School pupil.

He added: “We have a lad who is 17-years-of-age and he won’t reach his prime until he’s 22 or 23. I think he’ll be an outstanding player.”

On a day when Richards blooded the teenage twosome, the experienced director of rugby admits that was the only real high-point of the day.

Bemoaning his side’s failure to control the game at times, Richards said: “It was a little bit frustrating to watch at times as we didn’t play as we wanted and went off plan.

“We got the points which we wanted, but they scored a soft try at the end which again disappointed us, so it’s a bit of a frustrating day.”

The Falcons continue their quest to lift the British and Irish Cup with a trip to Connacht next week, before hosting Rotherham Titans in the RFU Championship (kick-off 8pm).