HASTINGS TOO HOT FOR BLUES
CALLUM CHICK’S late heroics showed the Falcons fans what they were missing during 14 years in the European wilderness.
Eight minutes and 42 seconds after full-time, after 40 draining phases of trench warfare, Chick plunged over to give the 14-man Falcons a second big scalp in successive weeks and nearly blow the roof off Kingston Park.
Much more of this romance, in the Falcons’ first Heineken Cup campaign since 2004-05, and this term’s final, which will be played at St James’ Park in May, will be a home fixture.
After a dispiriting start to Falcons’ domestic campaign which sees them rooted to the foot of the Premiership, a twopronged assignment against heavyweights Toulon and Montpellier looked like a fortnight’s break in the salt mines.
Instead after two wins from two in Pool 5 – a start only matched by Euro aristocrats Saracens, Racing 92 and Toulouse – the jump leads have been applied to their season.
“I’ve been involved in a few of those but this was one of the most enjoyable purely because of the nature of the players involved,” said Newcastle director of rugby Dean Richards.
“You have a star-studded team in Montpellier who can bring off and drop in P W D L Newcastle 2 2 0 0 49 45 0 Edinburgh 2 1 0 1 55 35 2 M’pellier 2 1 0 1 41 38 1 Toulon 2 0 0 2 39 66 1 ADAM HASTINGS kicked nine points and scored a try as GLASGOW bounced back in style from an opening-day defeat with a 29-12 bonus-point victory away to CARDIFF.
As well as Hastings (right), DTH van der Merwe, Ali Price and Jonny Gray crossed for the Warriors.
Aled Summerhill touched down twice for Cardiff Blues, Gareth Anscombe converting one.
Three-try TOULOUSE upset LEINSTER 28-27 in an epic battle between the two four-time European champions at Stade Ernest-Wallon.
Maxime Medard scored twice for Toulouse while Sofiane Guitoune also crossed to send the French side top of Pool One.
Sean O’Brien, James Ryan and Sean Cronin scored for Leinster, who led by six points with 20 minutes remaining.
Medard’s second try, from an intercept, clinched a dramatic win as the holders had to settle for a losing bonus point.