THE SCOTSMAN
Glasgow stand firm to get better of Wilkinson
DAVID KELSO AT BURNBRAE

Glasgow 13
Newcastle 7

GLASGOW survived a late onslaught to claim a confidence-boosting pre- season triumph over Jonny Wilkinson and Co at rain-lashed Burnbrae last night.

All eyes were on the World Cup hero as he embarked on his latest comeback quest, and the good news for England and Newcastle supporters is that he emerged unscathed from his 80-minute work-out.

But it was the 2,000 home fans who were even happier when the final whistle sounded in the wake of a heartening display by their team in the build-up to the Magners League. Glasgow broke the deadlock after only two minutes with a straightforward penalty by stand-off Dan Parks when the Falcons were guilty of failing to free the ball quickly enough at the tackle scene.

There was an even bigger roar from the home fans as flanker Stevie Swindall showed off his pace and power to floor Wilkinson with a hefty challenge inside his own danger zone.

New signing from Wasps, Thom Evans, then got in on the act by clattering Newcastle winger Ollie Phillips - in another example of Glasgow's determined defence.

Parks was wide with another penalty attempt, but made amends in the 26th minute from a tricky angle after the visitors were pressured into going offside on the ground.

Glasgow maintained the momentum after the break, particularly through the speed of Evans and they deservedly stretched their advantage.

Mike Roberts was illegally bodychecked as he chased his own chip and Parks sent the penalty to the corner.

The line-out was superbly controlled, allowing flanker Donnie Macfadyen to get the vital touch. Parks was again on target from close to the touchline to open up a 13-point gap.

But in the worsening conditions, Newcastle burst back into the contest when Phillips latched on to a scrambled clearance to cruise 40 metres for the try, which was goaled by Wilkinson to set up a tense finale.

Falcons were camped inside the home 22-area for a ten-minute spell and opted for a series of scrums instead of giving Wilkinson further pots at goal.

But the Glasgow defence continued to hold firm and held on for the win.

Glasgow's second string had got the double-header off to a bright start by beating their Newcastle counterparts 21-7.

Young stand-off Ruaridh Jackson emerged as the star performer with a superb second-half try as well as two conversions.

The other Glasgow scores came from Colin Shaw and Moray Low, with Mike Adamson slotting the other kick.

Scorers. Glasgow: Try: Macfadyen. Con: Parks. Pens: Parks 2. Newcastle: Try: Phillips. Con: Wilkinson.

Glasgow: F Leonelli; T Evans, G Morrison, A Henderson, M Roberts; D Parks, S Pinder; J Ba'a, F Thomson, E Murray, A Newman, A Kellock, S Swindall, J Beattie, D Macfadyen. Subs: Leonelli for Shaw 70min, Roberts for O'Hare 70, Ba'a for Tkachuk 55, Murray for Corser 65, Newman for Turner 65, Swindall for Wilson 70, Beattie for Petrie 40, Macfadyen for Barclay 55.

Newcastle: M Burke; J Rudd, J Noon, J Shaw, O Phillips; J Wilkinson, J Grindal; M Ward, A Long, D Wilson, A Perry, A Buist, M McCarthy, P Dowson, B Woods. Subs: Burke for Elliot, 70, Ward for Williams 50, Wilson for Ward 60, Perry for Oakes 50, McCarthy for Gesinde 55.

This article was posted on 19-Aug-2006, 06:52 by Hugh Barrow.