Falcons show they are really in this title challenge
NEWCASTLE must now be considered title challengers after a fifth away league victory of the season – their best tally since they were champions in 1997-98.
A clinical second half display destroyed Harlequins, who defended valiantly for long periods but showed little in attack and whose top six hopes look over.
Ubiquitous hooker Kyle Cooper led the way in a dominant visiting pack, after which the all-action South African declared his side’s top four intentions.
Cooper told TRP: “We knew we had to come here and front-up against a big Harlequins pack and we did that really well in the first half. We got stuck in and we’ve got a world-class squad with backs who can cause damage as well.
“We targeted this big block of games and we’ve won our last two, so all our focus now is on making that top four. The boys are starting to believe in themselves each week and we feel we can drop any other teams, any time.”
Newcastle’s day began badly when Marcus Smith’s excellent kick to the corner resulted in James Horwill being driven over, Smith converting from wide.
Falcons then lost Mark Wilson to a leg injury before James Chisholm and Nili Latu traded blows and were yellow carded. Chisholm was deemed the instigator and Newcastle were awarded a penalty, from which Toby Flood set up a series of close-range lineouts.
Harlequins’ goal-line defence passed the test, though, and a turnover from Luke Wallace enabled Smith to clear. Quins then threatened as Jamie Roberts, Dave Ward and Aaron Morris almost broke through, before Smith shanked a penalty from in front.
A scruffy passage of play was ended by Jono Kitto’s weaving run, but he knocked on, enabling Falcons to counter. Flood again elected to kick a penalty to the corner and, after Joe Gray was binned for killing the ball, Callum Chick smashed his way over. Newcastle found some fluency and Niki Goneva was held up, Simon Hammersley and the impressive Cooper. Falcons laid siege and Alofa Alofa became the third Quin to see yellow, but the game was tied 7-7 at the break.
Falcons resumed as they left off, but a crunching tackle by Roberts on Chick and two lovely pieces of combination play between Smith and Kitto, then Mark Lambert and Dave Ward, put Quins on the front foot.
Smith booted Quins in front after Calum Green failed to roll away but, with Flood directing affairs expertly in midfield, Falcons roared back and, from Matavesi’s offload, Cooper stretched over.
Matters worsened for Quins when Chris Harris shrugged off Wallace for try No.3, before rampant Newcastle suffered a blow when Flood retired hurt with a leg injury.
There was no respite for Quins as Latu broke off a scrum and Sinoti Sinoti powered through Chisholm for the bonus points try on 66 minutes, prompting a mass exodus from the Stoop.