Newcastle Falcons 19 Glasgow Warriors 8

Just like last Friday at Burnbrae the heavens opened, with the rain causing handling errors and slips on both sides, but an early try from wide man Anthony Elliott got the hosts off to a head start.

Flood’s midfield high bomb caused panic on the Glasgow 22, and from a turnover at the ruck Jamie Noon exploited the blindside to play in Elliott, who stood up the last man in the left corner to touch down.

Jonny Wilkinson added the extras from the touchline, and the Falcons continued to make headway as Joe Shaw stepped and probed his way around the Glasgow tacklers, while Elliott punctured the defensive line.

Last Friday’s pattern was repeated as Glasgow conceded a string of penalties, referee Dave Pearson finally losing his patience 20 minutes in as Samoan prop Justin Va’a was yellow carded for skulduggery at a close range ruck.

With the Falcons continuing their policy of not kicking penalties in friendly matches Glasgow were relatively unpunished on the scoreboard despite their misdemeanours, while Wilkinson and inside centre Toby Flood fronted up well in defence and kept their opposite numbers thinking.

On the half hour the Falcons grabbed their second try of the night when good continuity in the visiting half after Phil Dowson and Mike McCarthy runs saw Wilkinson’s run create the space for Shaw to crash over in the right corner, wriggling to get the vital final yard as he slammed the ball down over the line.

Wilkinson was millimetres away from a second touchline conversion as the lead was restricted to 12, but it was Glasgow who were to have the last say of the opening half as Scotland fly half Dan Parks blasted over a penalty as McCarthy was yellow carded for an offence on the floor.

Flood slotted to fly half as the second stanza got underway, as director of rugby John Fletcher had always intended, with Wilkinson making way in one of five changes – Matt Thompson, Robbie Morris, Brent Wilson and James Grindal also entering the fray.

A relatively low key final 40 ensued as both sides failed to find top gear, Flood chipping and chasing to mixed effect while the midfield tacklers continued their heavy artillery of big hits.

The visitors clawed themselves to within four points as Graeme Morrison fielded a crossfield bomb from Parks in the left corner to touch down out wide, Parks weighting his kick over the head of Shaw to create the scoring chance, although his conversion attempt flew just right of the posts.

Flood tried where Parks had succeeded with a cross kick of his own to the onrushing Rudd, but just failed to find his man in the 22 as Dutch youngster Tim Visser was among the string of late replacements to take the field for a first team debut.

But just as it looked like the game would peter out to a scrappy end the hosts finally made the most of their repeated penalties in the Glasgow 22 as Phil Dowson crashed over for a try down the blindside after a close range line out in the right corner.

Flood duly slotted the conversion from wide out, as the Falcons ended their pre-season campaign with a victory nine days before their Guinness Premiership opener at Northampton.

Newcastle Falcons:

Tries: Elliott, Shaw, Dowson
Cons: Wilkinson, Flood

Glasgow Warriors:

Tries: Morrison
Pens: Parks

Newcastle Falcons:

15 Matthew Burke (captain)
14 Joe Shaw
13 Jamie Noon (Tom Dillon, 75)
12 Toby Flood (Gavin Beasley, 80)
11 Anthony Elliott (Tim Visser, 70)
10 Jonny Wilkinson (John Rudd, 40)
9 Hall Charlton (James Grindal, 40)

1 Micky Ward (Jon Golding, 60)
2 Andy Long (Matt Thompson, 40)
3 David Wilson (Robbie Morris, 40)
4 Andy Perry (Jason Oakes, 50)
5 Andy Buist
6 Mike McCarthy (Ben Woods, 50)
7 Cory Harris (Brent Wilson, 40)
8 Phil Dowson

Glasgow Warriors:

15 Francisco Leonelli
14 Thom Evans
13 Graeme Morrison
12 Andrew Henderson
11 Mike Roberts
10 Dan Parks
9 Graeme Beveridge

1 Justin Va’a
2 Fergus Thomson
3 Euan Murray
4 Andy Newman
5 Dan Turner
6 Steve Swindall
7 Donnie Macfadyen
8 Jon Petrie

Replacements:

Eric Milligan
Kevin Tkachuk
James Eddie
Dan Turner
John Barclay
Andrew Wilson
Ruaridh Jackson
Scott Barrow
Hefin O’Hare
Colin Shaw

Referee: Dave Pearson
Attendance: 2,884

This article was originally posted on 25-Aug-2006, 22:04 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 25-Aug-2006, 22:06.