The London Welsh players and management stood in a huddle at the end of another defeat and spoke for a couple of minutes before ending with a shout that was louder than any statement they had made against the team closest to them in the Premiership.
The Exiles for once did not concede in the final quarter, but the game had long been lost and for all the endeavour, until they stop making the most basic of errors, they will remain at the foot of the table. They were not so much outclassed by a side who have struggled to win since their return to the Premiership last season as outmanoeuvred.
The Falcons were organised and, until they came under pressure in the final 20 minutes, disciplined. London Welsh played as expected and Newcastle fed off their opponents’ numerous mistakes: their three tries all came from turnovers, the first indirectly, and their disappointment at failing to secure a rare bonus point try was offset by keeping their line intact for the first time this season.
London Welsh had several opportunities, most of them at the end when they had a one-man advantage with the Newcastle flanker Mark Wilson in the sin-bin, but a mixture of wrong options, handling errors and robust defending kept them out. Most galling for them was that Newcastle’s one attack of the second-half had resulted in a try: when the home prop Pablo Henn had compounded a knock-on by kicking the ball to the Falcons’ most dangerous attacker, Sinoti Sinoti, the Exiles won the ball back only for Olly Barkley to miss touch with his clearance kick. Two passes later, Ruki Tipuna was scoring under the posts to make victory secure.
Newcastle’s first try came after London Welsh had first won a turnover and then stolen a lineout: they gave the ball away and when Dom Barrow halted the defence when he appeared to be dropping Juan Pablo Socino’s short pass only to cling on, Mark Wilson appeared on his shoulder to supply Adam Powell with the scoring pass. Socino and Barkley had earlier exchanged penalties but while London Welsh had the early initiative, they tended to attack from deep behind the gainline, predictability matched only by inaccuracy.
Newcastle’s tactics were more simple and more effective and, after Socino had extended their lead with his second penalty, Chris Hala’ufia’s knock-on was exploited by Powell and Sinoti who created the space for Mark Wilson to score and give the Flacons a 16-3 interval lead. Newcastle had not won away from home in the league for a year, at relegated-to-be Worcester, and none of the Premiership regulars has suffered so much from travel-sickness since the tournament started 18 seasons ago, their 42 victories on the road by some way the fewest.
Yet there was a clear gap between the sides with the Falcons having a far sharper appreciation of the art of the possible. When London Welsh used short, flat passes from the breakdown, rather than go long and deep, they got in behind the defence and threatened, but a new team are still in search of leaders. Their cause looks hopeless, but there is the example of Leeds in 2009-2010 who were without a win after their first six games before going to Wasps, winning and, ultimately, surviving. The Exiles’ next league match, in four weeks, is at Wasps. “The relegation issue was not decided today,” said Justin Burnell, London Welsh’s director of rugby. “There are 16 matches to go and we have to utilise the fight and endeavour that we all have. We created several opportunities, but the biggest disappointment was that their tries came from our mistakes and, at this level, that will always cost you. It is not over and we have to use the month away from the league to assess and refresh ourselves. It is far from over.”
