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Harlequins win at Newcastle with three tries in final 10 minutes
By PA
Harlequins ended their three-game winless run in the Gallagher Premiership with a 38-14 victory over Newcastle at Kingston Park. James Chisholm’s converted try handed Quins an early lead and the game evolved into a tight contest, which saw Adam Radwan level seven minutes before the break but Marcus Smith crossed to restore his side’s advantage.
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Smith extended the visitors’ lead from the tee – early in the second half – and Ben Redshaw scored a second try for Newcastle to seemingly close in. However, three tries in the final 10 minutes from Jack Walker, Oscar Beard and Sam Riley ensured Harlequins earned a fourth Premiership win this season, while an eighth league loss sees Falcons remain bottom of the table.
Although Newcastle managed some early pressure, Harlequins struck in the 10th minute when Chisholm scooped the ball up from the ruck and stormed through a gap in the Falcons defence to ground under the posts, with Smith adding the conversion.
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The visitors were forced into an early change seven minutes later when Rodrigo Isgro limped off the pitch and Jarrod Evans took his place. Only moments after being brought onto the pitch, Irne Herbst was sent to the sin-bin for a challenge on Richard Palframan and a promising Newcastle maul was well-stopped by their opponents.
Harlequins’ defence was put to the test again as the Falcons piled pressure on the visitors’ tryline, but a quick switch of play to the right allowed Radwan to sprint in and ground in the 33rd minute before Brett Connon levelled from the tee.
However, Harlequins soon restored their lead before the break after a brilliant driving maul got them into a dangerous position in the right corner and Evans launched a fantastic pass over the top the Newcastle defence into Smith, who charged into space to cross before converting his own try.
The fly-half extended Quins’ advantage six minutes after half-time with a penalty kick straight down the middle of the posts. A scrappy half saw the home side move into some dangerous attacks, but they were left frustrated after conceding two penalties in promising positions.
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Newcastle built phases well and found their second try of the night in strange fashion when a quick switch of play reached Ben Stevenson on the right. The winger kicked the ball forward, but it bounced off the corner flag and into the path of Redshaw, who reacted quickly to ground just inside the lines and Connon converted.
Quins instantly responded just minutes later from a lineout with a driving maul and Walker broke away to cross with Smith adding the extras. A ruthless display in the final stages continued when a Newcastle kick was charged down and the play switched for Beard to ground before Riley crossed with seconds left on the clock, with Smith converting both.
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