ADULT CHAT LINE
Last-gasp Callum gives Falcons a taste of what they have missed and an appetite for European glory
internationals against boys who just want to play for each other.
“Nobody gave us a hope in hell of winning one game let alone two.
“We’re still the minnows, the little boys with absolutely nothing to lose in this competition, but we deserved the win.”
Montpellier had the names but Newcastle the heart. Man of the match Joel Hodgson, up against Aaron Cruden, outshone the All Blacks stand-off and Johnny Williams wasn’t bad beside him. Gary Graham, overlooked by the watching Eddie Jones for his F A BPts 8 6 5 1 autumn squad, was outstanding too. Newcastle led 16-6 at the break thanks to a try by Graham from Williams’s pass and Hodgson’s accurate kicking.
Ruan Pienaar’s influential boot reduced the deficit as Montpellier put the squeeze on. And when the South African drilled one of a string of scrum penalties into the corner and second row Paul Willemse was rumbled over, the visitors led for the first time with 12 minutes left. Pienaar’s fifth penalty extended it.
It left Newcastle with seven minutes to pull back a fourpoint deficit with 14 men as Logovi’i Munipola had been sin-binned, after Graham had also been snared by the clampdown on high tackles.
As the clock ticked down towards zero with Montpellier in possession it looked all over but Graham won a critical turnover penalty and Hodgson drilled them downfield.
Newcastle hammered away and after 39 phases Chick (main pic) stretched over. Hodgson converted and the timeless test was won.
“The players are very disappointed,” said Montpellier director of rugby Vern Cotter. “But they managed to keep the ball for eight minutes
– and that’s a sign of a good team.”