Famous win for Falcons in Toulon
NEWCASTLE started their campaign with a stunning win against three-time European champions Toulon on their own patch, becoming just the second side to do so.
Toulon’s only previous home defeat in 24 games in Europe’s top tournament had been against Saracens two years ago and Newcastle – bottom of the Gallagher Premiership – had to do it the hard way.
Dean Richards’ side found themselves 10 points behind early on, after conceding one of the quickest tries in the competition’s history, when Romain Taofifenua charged down a clearing kick with only 21 seconds on the clock of this Heineken Cup clash.
Francois Trinh-Duc added the conversion and kicked a seventh-minute penalty to make it 10-0, but that was as good as it got for the hosts.
They had three players sent to the sin-bin – Jean-Baptiste Gros, Daniel Ikpefan and Julian Savea – and were left to rue a decision in the final five minutes to kick for the corner rather than goal, when the three points on offer might have won the game.
The last time the Falcons played in the competition was 2005 and Jonny Wilkinson – one of Toulon’s most famous players – was still on Tyneside.
In this game, the French outfit looked a shadow of their former selves and now face an uphill battle to qualify from a pool that also contains Montpellier and Edinburgh.
Yet it looked like it would be a long afternoon for the visitors when Micky Young had his kick charged down to gift Toulon – 12th in the Top 14 with only two wins this season – an early score.
Nemani Nagusa, who stood out on his Falcons debut, won a turnover in the Toulon 22 to allow Joel Hodgson, inset, to kick a simple penalty.
Then midway through the first half, Falcons hooker Kyle Cooper burrowed over from two metres out after Nagusa had been halted on the line, with Hodgson adding a conversion and two penalties. Newcastle’s 16-10 lead was cut to a point before half-time when Toulon No8 Raphael Lakafia reached the line. Welsh referee Ben Whitehouse then awarded a 50th-minute penalty try to the visitors as Ikpefan hauled down wing Sinoti Sinoti with a high tackle following a Hodgson break. After Hodgson saw yellow for a deliberate knock-on, Guilhem Guirado crossed from a driving lineout, with Trinh-Duc adding the extras. Trinh-Duc edged his side in front with a successful kick for goal, but Hodgson had the final word with a 70th-minute penalty soon after Savea had been sent to the sin-bin.