Simple mistakes prove so costly for Newcastle
BATH 30 NEWCASTLE 13
Newcastle director of rugby Dean Richards had no problems pinpointing where his side came up short as they went down 30-13 in the Gallagher Premiership at Bath.
Newcastle conceded three first-half tries to Semesa Rokoduguni, Joe Cokanasiga and Will Chudley before Francois Louw secured the try bonus late on.
A try from Nemani Nagusa and the boot of Toby Flood kept Falcons in the contest for a while but the margin of victory was no less than Bath deserved for what was, at times, a dominant display.
However, Richards felt his team made some simple errors.
He said: “We had a line-out five metres from their line and we overthrew it.
“They’re the little things that account for a lot. It’s the understanding how to nail those on a more regular basis, which we need to do.
“The boys tried hard. They do, week in, week out. That’s never an issue.
“Bath had an unbelievable side on paper, so the boys fronted up. Had we been a little bit more accurate, we might have taken something away from it.
“We probably spent more time in their 22 than they did in ours, so they’re either scoring too easily or we’re not accurate enough in ours.”
Newcastle are now five points adrift of Worcester, who they play at home on March 3.
However, Richards denied that fixture is shaping up to be especially decisive and said he was not looking beyond next week’s visit to Exeter.
He explained: “Every game going into the end of the season is a big game – next week, the week after, or the week after that.”
Meanwhile, Bath wing Cokanasiga will return to England’s training camp next week full of confidence after a try-scoring return with his club.
“Towards the end, I was blowing a bit, but I’m feeling really confident,” said the Fijian-born winger, who would be a surprise pick for the Guinness Six Nations showdown with Wales in Cardiff next weekend so soon after his comeback from a knee ligament injury.
Asked if he had received any instructions from England head coach Eddie Jones after being released to Bath, Cokanasiga said: “Eddie told me just to get some game-time and be ready for selection.”
“I’ve been working very hard on my rehab and I’m just waiting to get a shot at it.”
His try after 31 minutes came courtesy of a perfectlyjudged kick to the corner by international centre Jonathan Joseph, and Cokanasiga added: “It was a very good kick and it was good to finish it off.”
Bath director of rugby Todd Blackadder was happy with the win, but frustrated by the indiscipline and errors which littered the performance.
He said: “I’m pleased with the fact we got a bonus point.
“As the game went on, we improved and improved but there were certainly moments around our discipline that we weren’t happy with. Some of the things around our basics are just not good enough.”