Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Saracens battle past Newcastle with a little help from Mike Brown

By PA
Mike Brown /Getty

Saracens saw off a spirited Newcastle Falcons side to claim a 36-21 bonus point win in the Gallagher Premiership.

ADVERTISEMENT

A blistering opening 40 minutes at sunny Kingston Park saw the hosts open the scoring through hooker George McGuigan, who crashed over on five minutes on the back of a rolling maul, with fly-half Will Haydon-Wood adding the extras.

Not to be deterred by Newcastle’s early score, Saracens hit straight back with a score of their own courtesy of hooker Tom Woolstencroft who touched down in similar fashion to McGuigan, with Alex Goode’s conversion tying things up at 7-7.

Video Spacer

Back in the Game – RFU

Video Spacer

Back in the Game – RFU

After trading blows early on, two penalties from Haydon-Wood saw Newcastle take a 13-7 lead midway through the first half.

But the fly-half’s pinpoint kicking was undone when Falcons full-back Mike Brown was adjudged to have batted dead a grubber ball inside Newcastle’s in-goal area, with referee Ian Tempest awarding the visitors a penalty try and Brown 10 minutes in the sin-bin.

Down to 14, Newcastle did well to stem the bleeding following Brown’s sin-binning and even retook the lead shortly after through Haydon-Wood’s third penalty.

However, before the break, Saracens were awarded a penalty in front of the sticks for an off-ball tackle, with Goode punishing Newcastle’s indiscipline to give the visitors a 17-16 lead at the half.

ADVERTISEMENT

After the interval, Saracens scored a second try through full-back Elliott Obatoyinbo, who danced his way past the trailing defence to touch down, with Goode’s conversion splitting the sticks.

Shortly after extending their lead however, Saracens then found themselves on the back foot, with Falcons captain Callum Chick inches away from hitting back for the hosts only to be held up short.

On 53 minutes, Newcastle managed to breach Saracens defence to score their second try through McGuigan, who crossed over again on the back of a rolling maul with Haydon-Wood’s conversion edging just wide to make it a three point game at 24-21.

Saracens number eight Billy Vunipola was left relieved after Tempest deemed his strong tackle on Falcons centre George Wacokecoke a fair challenge, much to the frustration of the home support.

ADVERTISEMENT

Heading into the final quarter of action, Saracens scrum-half Aled Davies looked to have sent flanker Jackson Wray off to the races only for Newcastle’s covering defence to force a handling error as the visitors advanced.

With under 10 minutes left to play, Saracens were keen to wrap things up after letting Newcastle hang around for the majority of the second half.

And they managed to put the game to bed late on through winger Rotimi Segun and Goode, with the latter’s try earning Saracens their try bonus point as the contest finished 36-21 to the visitors.

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

36 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

36 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Storm clouds gather over Biarritz with owner poised to bail out Storm clouds gather over Biarritz with owner poised to bail out
Search