Leicester climb away from relegation spot with clutch win
Leicester eased their relegation fears and left Newcastle rooted at the bottom of the Gallagher Premiership with a narrow 27-22 win at Kingston Park.
The result went right down to the wire with the Falcons edging towards the Leicester line right at the death only to concede a turnover penalty which saw the Tigers hang on for what could be Premiership safety.
The Tigers dominated much of the first half and led 13-0 after 25 minutes.
The match did not start well for the Falcons with Toby Flood’s kick off going straight into touch and at the scrum on halfway Rodney Ah You was penalised. George Ford kicked the penalty for 3-0 to the visitors after less than two minutes.
Ford dominated the opening exchanges with some excellent kicking to keep Newcastle penned in their own half and the pressure paid off when back row Guy Thompson broke two tackles.
His back-of-the-hand offload sent Jonny May on a typical weaving run for a try which was converted by Ford to make it 10-0 in the 16th minute.
Ford added a 24th-minute penalty when Mike Williams hammered Flood in the tackle and Gary Graham went straight over the ball off his feet. It could have been 16-0 four minutes later when Ah You stupidly pushed Ellis Genge, but Ford’s kick hit the post.
But then Newcastle dragged themselves back into the match with two tries in three minutes.
A brilliant counter-attacking run from Simon Hammersley from deep in his own half into the Tigers 22 saw Tane Takulua find George McGuigan in support and his brilliant offload sent in Chris Harris for the try which was converted by Takulua.
Then a Mark Smith pick up at the base of the scrum in his own half saw the number eight release Niki Goneva who stepped Jordan Olowofela and raced down the right.
Goneva then found Takulua inside him and the scrum-half held off the high challenge of Ford to score in the corner and make it 13-12 in the 35th minute.
Newcastle started the second half with some early pressure but they presented Leicester with their second try in the 47th minute when Thompson intercepted Flood’s pass and raced in from halfway. Ford converted to make it 20-12.
Flood’s decision to got to the corner with a kickable penalty paid off when the Falcons drove for the line and Mike Williams was sin-binned for pulling down the maul.
There was an argument for a penalty try but Newcastle were awarded a penalty and Mark Wilson opted for the scrum. His pick up at the base and drive over led to the Falcons’ third try.
Takulua converted but only after referee Wayne Barnes ordered the kick re-taken when the Tigers charged too early.
That made it 20-19 and then a late tackle by Genge on Flood saw Takulua kick the penalty for Newcastle to lead 22-20 in the 62nd minute.
The lead did not last long with Thompson driven over from a line-out for his second try.
Ford’s conversion made it 27-22 with the crowd voicing their disapproval over how long it took for the kick to be taken.
It looked as if May had sealed the deal with a 72nd-minute try from Ford’s cross kick but the referee ruled that Genge had obstructed Hammersley as he went for the ball and the penalty allowed the Falcons to clear.
With the clock running down, Newcastle hammered away to win a penalty after 26 attacking phases.
They went to the corner with the penalty and looked to have driven Graham over but the referee decided it was held up and awarded Tigers the put in at the scrum.
But when the scrum collapsed, it was a penalty to Newcastle, who took it quickly and then did so again when another penalty went their way.
But with the clock red, Leicester the won a turnover penalty on their line to all but ensure Premiership survival.
Newcastle 22 (Chris Harris, Sonatane Takulua 2 tries; Takulua 2 con, pen) Leicester 27 (Johnny May, Guy Thompson 2 tries; George Ford 3 con, 2 pen). HT:12-13.
Comments on RugbyPass
I wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
83 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
83 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
4 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
4 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
4 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to comments