| Newcastle (17) 30 |
| Tries: Carreras 2, Collett, McGuigan Cons: Schoeman (2) Pens: Schoeman (2) |
| Bristol (3) 15 |
| Tries: Purdy Lane Cons: MacGinty Pens: MacGinty |
To end Bristol Bears perfect start to the Premiership campaign, the Newcastle Falcons held off an intense second-half fightback and won a thrilling win.
Despite the loss of Brett Connon due to a late injury, Mateo Carreras and Connor Collett gave the hosts a lead of 17-3 at the break.
AJ MacGinty opened the scoring for Bristol by scoring a routine penalty. He was stopped within touching distance of the line after Piers O’Conor’s fleet-footed work to deceive Carreras.
Although they survived a London Irish fightback, the visitors looked slow for most of the first period.
Andy Uren, one of the early table-toppers, lost possession on his own territory. This allowed Newcastle to capitalize and result in Carreras scoring.
Pat Lam, the director of rugby for Bristol, was a thoughtful figure in a slow period that saw his team struggle to make a name for themselves. He returned to the club where he played and won the 1997-98 Premiership.
Dave Walder, Newcastle head coach, had spoken out about his players’ determination to overcome their 39-5 defeat at Worcester in the last Premiership game. That determination resulted a much better early defensive display.
The second half began with a predictable Bristol attack. Newcastle tried to slow down play but was quickly stopped by Bristol.
Henry Purdy capitalized by winning first for Bristol, before Richard Lane scored his Premiership try and MacGinty converted.
Newcastle returned to their full quota. They found momentum and added to their lead when Tian Schoeman, the late addition of their starting line-up, kicked successfully from far.
The final 15 minutes saw a lot of errors by both teams. Newcastle won the game, hitting twice the crossbar and adding a late penalty. Carreras ran 60m to score and earn a bonus.
Newcastle: Penny, Radwan, Moroni, Orlando, Carreras, Schoeman, Stuart, Brocklebank, McGuigan, Davison, Peterson, Robinson, Welch, Collett, Chick.
Replacements: Maddison, Mulipola, Palframan, De Chaves, Blamire, Barton, Lucock, Wacokecoke.
Bristol: Lane, Morahan, Bates, O’Conor, Purdy, MacGinty, Uren, Woolmore, Capon, Sinckler, Holmes, Joyce, Vui, Heenan, Bradbury.
Replacements: Thacker, Y Thomas, Lahiff, Hawkins, D Thomas, Randall, Sheedy, Bedlow.
Referee: Luke Pearce.