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Newcastle finish miserable season winless as Gloucester bounce back

By PA
Newcastle react to defeat at Gloucester (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Newcastle finished the Gallagher Premiership season without a single win as Gloucester were convincing 54-14 winners in Saturday’s finale at Kingsholm.

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As a result, Falcons followed in the footsteps of Rotherham in 2003/04 and London Welsh 2014/15, who also failed to record victories in a league season and this latest reverse left Falcons with a mere five points from their 18 league fixtures.

After last week’s 90-0 humiliation at the hands of Northampton, Gloucester were mightily relieved to finish on the winning side but it still was not enough for them to avoid statistically their worst-ever Premiership season.

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Zach Mercer, Chris Harris, Charlie Atkinson, Ollie Thorley, Seb Blake, Jonny May, Alex Hearle, and Josh Hathaway scored their tries with Caolan Englefield converting five. Stephen Varney and Santiago Socino each added a conversion.

Jamie Blamire and Matias Moroni scored Newcastle’s tries, both of which Brett Connon converted.

Fixture
Gallagher Premiership
Gloucester
54 - 14
Full-time
Newcastle
All Stats and Data

Newcastle began brightly but it was their opponents who opened the scoring. Their first attack saw acres of space created for Charlie Atkinson to race into the visitors’ 22 from where Mercer was on hand to force his way over.

Englefield converted before Gloucester scored an excellent second try. Deep inside his own half, Harris chipped ahead for Hathaway to collect before returning the ball to Harris, who ran 35 metres to the line.

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Minutes later, Newcastle’s early woes continued when the hosts took advantage of a couple of favourable bounces for Atkinson to win the race to touchdown, with a third conversion from Englefield giving Gloucester a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Newcastle needed a swift response and got one when Blamire finished off a driving line-out but Gloucester soon picked up their bonus-point try when a break from Englefield set up Thorley.

However, Falcons kept in contention at half-time with a try from Moroni but they still trailed 26-14 at the interval.

A minute after the restart, Gloucester extended that advantage when Blake crashed over from a driving line-out before May celebrated his final home appearance for the club with his side’s sixth to extinguish any Newcastle’s hopes of a shock result.

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Ahead of next week’s European Challenge Cup final against the Sharks, Gloucester replaced some of their leading lights, with skipper Lewis Ludlow and impressive scrum-half Englefield both departing as Argentina hooker Socino came on for his final appearance at Kingsholm.

Socino brought the crowd to their feet with a 30-metre burst before Falcons lock Tim Cardall was sin-binned with eight minutes remaining.

The home side immediately capitalised with a try from Hearle and then another from Hathaway to emphasize their superiority over a spirited but limited Newcastle.

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J
JW 34 minutes ago
Lions tour Aussie takes: The Suaalii decision and the Finn Russell factor

Good reads again John. I feel some moments at still within the team to improve, and hopefully some individuals to shine through. After Super Rugby where we were shown you can’t drop your guard at kick off several times in this series have the Lions caught their opposition out with quick throws and restarts, letting the ball go out in this game was a shocker (though the kick was honesty good enough to find the touch had they been ready). Tate tried to strip the try scored just before the half, where he could easily have just dove over the line with him and that pretty much would have been them going into the half with a 10 point lead or so. And in the last play they just didn’t work hard enough, especially one player, I forget who, when back into the ruck area given the Lions too much space wide.


I feel they also didn’t seem to show the same killer instinct once they were in front, playing it safe on a couple of breaks/momentum carries.


I also don’t really understand why Donaldson on the bench. I would much rather have someone you want on the pitch like Pietsch available in a 6/2 split with Gordon or Wright more than able to cover 10 imo. Tate was wonderful on the wing though. And of course lots more positives also present.


I really enjoyed how they were running onto the ball in close in around the ruck. Wilson was playing a different role I thought, he was more the one out man design for quick ball and he presented it as good as you can get all night. That said, he’s not first choice 8 is he, who is that again? Is Wright still injured? I worry that Joe is keeping him their and its dictating too much of the plan just because he has been given the captaincy role.


Will be interesting to see who he thinks might be work a shot in the first team this week, plenty of options. I watched the first quarter of last weeks midweek game and Tupou certainly wouldn’t be one on that list, might be worth a punt though. Think they have to try and work some plays for Bell too, hes got too much class just to be down on form, give him something to work with and I’m sure he’d be a standout as well.


Also seen enough to know Hunter isn’t suddenly going to turn into a class center, I would definitely stick with Joseph but maybe theres a window to put him onto the wing, despite what I said above, now? I think you also do him a disservice in his defending (like many are), he made the player go outside him. It’s the hardest backline spot, I’d be inclined to use him like a league back row and carry it from 12 more often, if that suits Len better.

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