The Red Bull era is up and running but Saracens have come to relish the role of party-poopers over the years and duly proceeded to burst Newcastle’s bubble. Owen Farrell was rarely far from the action on his second Saracens debut – 17 years after his first – and though Nathan Michelow was shown the Prem’s first 20-minute red card for the visitors, this was an illustration of the length of the road ahead for the Red Bulls.
Newcastle are not the first side to struggle to escape Saracens’ stranglehold and there were certainly some bright moments. The No 8 Amanaki Mafi was the pick of the summer signings, while Kingston Park has rarely been as vibrant as this in recent years and the manner in which a first sellout crowd in seven years celebrated Freddie Clarke’s try, with the game already up, felt telling. Truth be told, however, this was more reality check than revolution.
“I don’t want to be guilty of drinking the Kool-Aid,” said Newcastle’s director of rugby, Steve Diamond. “What’s happened around the place is fantastic and you can see that, but we’ve got to get our basics right. A bit more graft on the training paddock. It was hard work getting a sellout and we’ve got to match the commercial side of the business on the field.”
Farrell, starting at inside centre for Saracens for the first time in a decade, was a commanding presence for the visitors. He looks a touch bulkier so perhaps No 12 is his future position for club, and maybe even country. Farrell kicked 12 points, with Brandon Jackson, Andy Onyeama-Christie, the excellent Nick Tompkins (twice) and Noah Caluori all crossing for tries on an evening that began with sparkle for the Red Bulls but finished decidedly flat. It was 19-year-old Caluori who provided the champagne moment on his debut, dexterously kicking a chipped ball ahead before gathering and racing away to the line.
Given the sense of occasion it was little surprise that Newcastle began quickly. A sustained period of pressure forced a wide-open gap in the Saracens defence and Alex Hearle timed his run on to the pass perfectly to dash to the try-line after 90 seconds. Newcastle fans feared the worst when the referee Adam Leal went upstairs but a tip-tackle by Michelow on George McGuigan had been spotted in the buildup and Saracens’ 21-year-old was given his marching orders.
A first-half hat-trick from the Harlequins flanker Will Evans proved in vain as reigning champions Bath got the new Gallagher Prem season off to a winning start with a 47-31 comeback victory at Twickenham Stoop.
Bath were rattled in the first half by an enterprising Quins and trailed 17-7 at one stage. But once Chandler Cunningham-South had received a yellow card, there was only one team in the contest as Bath scored 33 unanswered points.
Jack Kenningham and Tyrone Green were the hosts' other try scorers with Jarrod Evans converting two. Bath responded with seven tries. Henry Arundell grabbed a pair with Tom Dunn, Ben Obano, Billy Sela, Archie Griffin, Henry Arundell and Sam Underhill also on the scoresheet, while Ben Spencer added five conversions and Tom de Glanville one.
The Bath director of rugby, Johann van Graan, described the victory as "clunky", adding: "Quins put us under a lot of pressure. They pressed at the breakdown and we didn't react quickly enough and were happy just to be only 17-14 down at half-time.
"We showed good composure in the second half by scoring straight away and it was a good performance after the interval to pick up five points as it's never easy coming here." PA Media
Saracens were shell-shocked but got themselves on the scoreboard with a Farrell penalty. Before 10 minutes were on the clock, Farrell was in the thick of things again, taking a whack on the face when trying to tackle McGuigan. Blood was streaming from his splattered face but, as he tends to, Farrell soldiered on regardless.
Having weathered the early storm Saracens were ahead before they were back to 15 men, Jackson finishing in the right-hand corner after sharp hands from Tompkins. Farrell missed the conversion and not long after a crucial turnover by Mafi, Newcastle were back ahead with a Brett Connon penalty. Saracens flexed their muscles again before the interval, however, systematically going through the phases before Onyeama-Christie splashed over.
Newcastle Chamberlain; Spencer, Arnold (Dickens 79), Clark, Hearle (Obatoyinbo 46); Connon, Elliott; McCallum (Brocklebank 43), McGuigan (Fletcher 60), De Bruin (Palframan 43), Usher (Clarke 43), Hodgson, Neild (Lee-Warner 54), Gordon, Mafi (Lockwood 54). Tries Hearle, Clarke. Cons Connon 2. Pen Connon.
Saracens Malins; Jackson (Caluori 48), Tompkins, Farrell (Hutchison 63), Segun; Burke, Van Zyl (Bracken 73); Carre (Mawi 57), Dan (Clarke 68), Riccioni (Clarey 64), Isiekwe, Tizard (Sodeke 74), Michelow (Wilson 22), Onyeama-Christie, Willis. 20-minute red card Michelow 1. Tries Jackson, Onyeama-Christie, Tompkins 2, Caluori. Cons Farrell 3, Burke. Pens Farrell 2.
Referee Adam Leal. Attendance 10,210.
Saracens put on the squeeze, Newcastle left to feed off scraps on the counter, and another Farrell penalty pushed the visitors’ lead to beyond a score. Tompkins added the try his performance deserved before Caluori demonstrated why he is so highly rated, finishing off with a delightful swan dive. Clarke’s close-range effort brought some cheer but Tompkins – with a fine chip over the top – had the final say.
