London Irish’s 20-year stay in the top flight is all but over after defeat by the only club they can overtake. They are now seven points behind Newcastle with two matches to go and, as one is at Wasps, they are clinging to their Premiership status by a cracked fingernail.
Only a side low on confidence and self-belief could have lost a match they dominated. They had 68% of the territory in the second-half as they attempted to overhaul a 10-6 interval deficit, having presented Newcastle with their try when Greig Tonks’s ambitious, misdirected pass was scooped up by Marcus Watson just inside his own half – and there was no one to stop the wing.
Newcastle were playing at home in front of the biggest crowd of the season here but they were like the away side for long periods, soaking up pressure, defending as if their livelihoods depended on it and maintaining their discipline.
While Irish played to win, it was a game the Falcons dared not lose and they personified two of their coaches, Dean Richards and John Wells, men whose reputations were forged in Leicester where no one fancies returning to the dressing room having left something on the field.
Newcastle in the first half held Irish with their line speed, which forced the Exiles to play behind the gain-line but, when Shane Geraghty replaced the concussed Tonks, varied the angle of attacks and found space, the Falcons stood back more. They had extended their lead to seven points four minutes into the second half when Mike Delany was tackled late by the prop Tom Smallbone, a half-time replacement.
Delany would have taken the resulting 30-metre penalty but needed treatment for his injured left leg. Juan Pablo Socino, who was not renowned for his accuracy when given the goal-kicking duties last season, overcame the wind and any nerves to secure the three points.
Irish, in contrast, snatched at their opportunities, undone by the pressure of the moment. They made 12 line breaks but failed to convert any of them into a try. Why Asaeli Tikoirotuma did not go for the line when 20 metres out and having a clear run ahead, 19 minutes from time, only he can explain, but it is hard to see him dither and throw a blind inside pass had he been in Fiji colours. “It summed up our season,” said the London Irish head coach, Tom Coventry. “We create a lot but we don’t finish.”
The wings Alex Lewington and Andrew Fenby both squandered opportunities and one move in the second half went through 24 phases in the Newcastle 22 before the inevitable knock-on and, while Irish had all the moments of individual inspiration, Newcastle were far stronger collectively, sticking to a simple gameplan and, following the example of their Tongan No 8, Nili Latu, focusing on what they needed to do rather than their predicament.
“We did not play well, the better of two bad sides on the day,” said Richards, the Newcastle director of rugby. “The players are disappointed because we did not show a cutting edge but you cannot be a poor side if you win when nowhere near your best. It was a good result for us, but we are still not safe and there will be no resting for the players with two games still to come.”
Newcastle are at Saracens in the next round but finish at home to Sale. Irish welcome Harlequins before their trip to free-scoring Wasps but it will take a crane to lift their morale. “We have paid again for our inaccuracy and lack of composure at vital times,” said their captain, Luke Narraway. “There was nothing wrong with our effort but a lack of confidence showed.”
One of Irish’s early moves was a loop that left Tonks with two players outside him but both some way in front. He had to take the hit some 10 metres behind the gain-line and Geraghty was better suited to the disorganisation, getting the impressive Jonny Williams into the game and their approach play was impressive in the second-half.
They were undone by their tendency to melt when the line beckoned and, unlike Newcastle, failed to learn from the flurry of penalties in the opening quarter when Wayne Barnes, the referee, was hard on players who loitered after making a tackle rather than roll away. Despite all the pressure they were under after the interval the Falcons did not concede a penalty.
They gave away five in the first period, two in Tonks’s range. Delany replied with one from 45 metres but Newcastle were struggling to make an impact until Watson’s interception after 24 minutes. They mounted only two attacks in the second half but by then it was not about what they did in possession. As Irish’s desperation grew so their mistakes increased, grabbing at chances and losing their grip on their cherished top-flight status.
Newcastle Hammersley; Tait, Tiesi (Harris, h-t), Socino, Watson; Delany, Young (Takulua, h-t); Vickers, McGuigan (Lawson, 69), Vea (Cusack, 69), Green (Hogg, 69), Robinson, M Wilson, Welch (capt), Latu.
Try Watson Con Delany Pen Delany, Socino
London Irish Maitland; Lewington (McKibbin, 69), Hearn (Tikoirotuma, 23), Williams, Fenby; Tonks (Geraghty, 33), Steele; Court (Smallbone, h-t), Paice (Cruse, 69), Aulika (Halavatau, 60), Lloyd (Sexton, 66), Symons, Sinclair (McCusker, 61), Cowan, Narraway (capt).
Pens Tonks 2.
Referee Wayne Barnes
Attendance 7,756
.jpg?w=600)
