Falcons have to show their Warrior spirit in tough test
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS CUP DREAM STILL ON AS LATE SHOW WINS IT
NEWCASTLE kept their European Champions Cup dream alive with a late 16-14 victory over Worcester at Kingston Park.
The Warriors looked to have ended the Falcons’ hopes of a seventh-place finish in Premiership and a possible play-off when they led 14-9 with six minutes left - but a late converted try from Sonatane Takulua just edged it for Newcastle.
Worcester dominated the first half but they bombed at least two gilt-edged try-scoring opportunities and found themselves 6-0 down at the break.
It seemed Bryce Heem must score when he was on the end of a free-flowing move but he was hammered into touch on the corner flag by a crunching Sinoti Sinoti tackle.
Newcastle came under real pressure when scrum-half Francois Hougard put in a big tackle on No 8 Callum Chick as he tried to pick up at the base of the scrum.
It led to a Warriors’ scrum five metres from the Newcastle line but they wasted the chance when their front row was penalised for dropping it. Back came Worcester with a line-out drive in the Falcons’ 22 but flanker Mark Wilson came right through the maul to get his hands on the ball and win a penalty.
Warriors’ wing Perry Humphreys squandered another great chance when Ryan Mills chipped over the Falcons’ defence and Wynand Olivier collected the ball close to the corner flag and popped it up for Humphreys.
However, he lost the ball as he went to touch down.
Newcastle were finding it hard to handle Worcester at the breakdown but, paradoxically, their driving maul had Worcester in trouble and when they kicked a penalty to the corner they came close to scoring and won another penalty.
Takulua kicked it in the 32nd minute for 3-0 and then the scrum half slotted another four minutes later for another pen-
The Warriors looked to have ended Falcons’ hopes of a seventh-place finish when they led 14-9
alty following another drive up to the Warriors’ line.
He added a third just after the break for a 9-0 lead with Worcester again penalised at the maul.
However, Worcester hit back with a 52nd-minute penalty try when a driving maul went down on the line and Mills converted for 9-7.
There was nothing questionable about the Warriors’ 60thminute try from Olivier.
A superb crossfield run out off defence from Humphreys and a perfect pass from Heem set up Olivier to score and Mills converted for 14-9 lead. Newcastle had chances in the closing minutes but there was no penalty try for the Falcons despite three Worcester infringements.
It took a swift break and diving try from the five meters scrum by Takalua, who also converted his own try, to seal a 16-14 win.