FIRED-UP FALCONS CRASH THE PARTY
Injury-time try puts Newcastle top of pile
IT TOOK 40 phases and exactly eight minutes, 53 seconds of blood andthunder, injurytime graft yesterday for Newcastle to claim another prized French scalp amid extraordinary scenes at Kingston Park.
Following their stunning victory at Toulon seven days earlier, this was another epic result which saw Dean Richards’ team once again make a mockery of gold-plated reputations.
Montpellier are one of the superpower Gallic teams but they simply could not withstand the blitz which condemned them to lose a game they had all but won.
Six minutes from time, Newcastle lost replacement prop Logovi’i Mulipola to the sin-bin for a high tackle, which appeared to fatally undermine any last hope of a late twist in this tale. The hosts were trailing 20-16 at that stage, but as the clock reached 80:00, a rare second-half penalty in their favour gave them one last shot at glory.
What happened next was remarkable to behold. Newcastle’s 14 men hurled themselves at Montpellier with frenzied intensity until their opponents’ resistance was finally broken.
They kept the ball safe through a sustained period of close-range driving which took them slowly into the 22, up to the line and eventually, dramatically over it — with Callum Chick the man who claimed the prized try.
There was pandemonium all around as Joel Hodgson converted to seal a famous victory. It leaves Newcastle top of their Heineken Champions Cup pool at the same time as they lie bottom of the Premiership table.
Eddie Jones was in attendance to see England flanker Mark Wilson lead his side to this upset as homegrown heroes and journeymen upstaged so many Galacticos. Montpellier’s 9-10-12 axis of Ruan Pienaar, Aaron Cruden and Jan Serfontein came to Tyneside armed with a collective tally of 173 Test caps. But they left with just a losing bonus, after being eclipsed by their uncapped opposite numbers Micky Young, Hodgson and Johnny Williams. It was the same story all over. Louis Picamoles, Montpellier’s captain and 69- cap France icon, was outplayed by Ryan Burrows, Newcastle’s 30- year- old No 8 from Cleckheaton. Hooker Kyle Cooper was magnificent before being forced to stay off at half-time and Gary Graham’s hard hitting epitomised the local spirit of defiance.
Richards said: ‘Nobody gave us a hope in hell of winning one game, let alone two, but we’re two from two. Montpellier are a starstudded side so that was one of our most enjoyable wins, but we’re still the minnows who have nothing to lose in this competition.’
Ahead of back-to-back encounters with Edinburgh in December, Newcastle are now on track to qualify for the knockout stages — this season’s final is in their city.
Hodgson’s third-minute penalty set the wheels in motion and he landed two more in the first half, despite kicking into a strong wind.
The Falcons fly-half — starting in the absence of the injured Toby Flood — and half-back partner Young came to terms with the challenging conditions far sooner than Pienaar and Cruden.
Newcastle swept forward with ambition early on and soon had a try to show for it. In the fifth minute, Hodgson’s well-timed flat pass sent lock Calum Green storming into the Montpellier 22. The ball was sent left to Williams, his overhead off-load reached Graham and the flanker blasted over. Hodgson converted before two penalties by Pienaar narrowed the deficit. Falcons were then forced into a stirring rearguard action to prevent Montpellier striking just before the break.
In the second half, the French side became more direct, with two Pienaar penalties and a drive-over try by Paul Willemse putting them in control before the Falcons turned the tables so dramatically.
Montpellier head coach Vern Cotter said: ‘Credit to them, they managed to keep the ball for eight minutes and that’s a sign of a good team.’
Richards added: ‘It’s a shot in the arm. It’s a confidence boost for the boys, to remind them how good they are.’