Falcons fly to the top after nine-try thriller
MANY slate the Premiership Rugby Cup for being a pseudo A-league but all the critics were silenced in a nine-try barnstormer as Newcastle Falcons went to the top of Pool B.
Alex Tait may be kept out of the Falcons team by internationals Adam Radwan and Mike Brown but the experienced wing got two of the home side’s six tries at Kingston Park.
Despite being so prolific with scores also from Will Montgomery, Iwan Stephens, and Josh Basham, Falcons could seal the win only in the final play when Scotsman Gary Graham scored at the back of a driving maul.
Newcastle forwards coach Micky Ward said: “It was a cracking game but in the first half we were a bit inaccurate, it’s always tough when you’ve had guys together for only a short period.
“Some of the boys thought we could fire into them, as every time we had the ball in the first half we caused them problems and looked dangerous but a few mistakes meant we couldn’t get into our rhythm – whether it was a lost lineout, at the breakdown or not getting the final pass.
“We reacted better after the half-time chat, more clinical and got the bonus point which is good as Wasps dug in when no one gave them a chance. Robbie Smith stepping up from the Championship and our academy lads Iwan Stephens and Zach Kerr shows we’ve got talent coming through.”
With both sides seeing wholesale changes from their league XVs there was an expectation Newcastle would dominate and within two minutes Falcons’ 19-year-old winger Stephens burst through but the recycled ball was held up.
The home side were playing with real relaxed flair you don’t always see in the league and fly-half Joel Hodgson, debutant scrum-half Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti and skipper Tom Penny all broke through Wasps line before the visitors’ full-back Cameron Anderson made a try-saving tackle.
Wasps Luke Mehson was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on, allowing Falcons to camp deep in the white-shirted Wasps 22-metre area when Hodgson spiralled the ball wide to Alex Tait for the 33-yearold to dot down in the corner on his 254th appearance.
Wasps countered immediately against the run of play to take a 7-5 lead when the Midlanders caught Newcastle on the restart; fly-half Tommy Mathews slipped an inside pass to debutant Olly Hartley and the inside centre sidestepped Hodgson to score.
Mathews added three from the boot when Falcons were caught offside before Wasps were then caught napping on the restart, Tait and Montgomery linking together for the lock to score in the corner.
A quick-tap restart from
Wasps skipper Sam Wolstenholme set up No.8 James Tunner to score.
Stephens wowed the crowd with his pace, sliding past six defenders but he couldn’t set up the pass and Mehson’s turnover led the visitors to get deep at the other end with hooker Michael van Vurren powering over.
After threatening for most of the half, Stephens side-stepped Mario Pichardie to score at the end of the first-half.
Red-shirted Falcons tightened up and Basham got on the end of some quick cross-field ball and a Tait pass to power over James Tyas and score in the corner. Minutes later Tait was left in acres of space to dot down.
Both sides become error strewn. Wasps narrowed via Mathews boot but after Hartley missed a drop-goal attempt, Falcons loosehead Kyle Cooper won a big turnover leading to Graham’s final play try.
Wasps coach Scott Barrow said: “We’ve come up with a great performance. The young lads came together within a week and exceeded expectations.”