Jonny Wilkinson was taken to hospital for X-rays as Newcastle's controversial
Zurich Championship return to Kingsholm turned into nine-try disaster as they lost 60-9 to Gloucester.
Wilkinson went down under a powerful challenge from Junior Paramore after 15
minutes and was unable to put any weight on his left leg as he tried to stand.
Under the watching gaze of England manager Clive Woodward, the combative
stand-off was carried from the field and taken straight to hospital for an
assessment of the damage.
The loss of his star man was hardly what Falcons chief Rob Andrew needed as
his side attempted to silence a vocal home crowd, needled by accusations of
racism on Newcastle's last visit in December.
Andrew was last week forced into a humiliating climbdown over his post-match
allegations that Newcastle's Tongan back-row Epi Taione had been the victim of
racist insults from Gloucester hooker Olivier Azam and the Kingsholm crowd
And, as Gloucester built up an increasingly unstoppable head of steam, Andrew
was left squirming by the touchline as the sarcastic home supporters gleefully
asked 'are you watching' as the total neared the half century.
The win earned Gloucester a semi-final visit to either Sale or Wasps in a
fortnight, and the possibility of erasing the Parker Pen Shield last four defeat
by the Sharks last month.
A poor opening period, which saw Ludovic Mercier and Dave Walder exchange
penalties either side of Wilkinson's departure, burst into life on the quarter
mark when Andy Todd scooped up a loose ball and weaved his way past a static
Newcastle defence for the first try.
Walder quickly pulled his team back within range with a second penalty, but it
only proved the prelude to a Gloucester attacking blitz, which brought them
three scores and effectively won the match.
Azam, whose entrance was greeted with noisy approval from the home support,
plucked possession from the base of a Newcastle ruck, and fed James
Simpson-Daniel on his outside.
Simpson-Daniel's electrifying recent burst of five tries in two games has
pushed him in contention for an England spot on the summer tour to Argentina.
This time though, he turned provider, advancing 20 metres before sending Jamie
Forrester over.
Simpson-Daniel was also the architect of Gloucester's next touchdown, taking
advantage of hesitant visitors' defending to release Tom Beim on a run to the
line with a neat reverse pass.
Paramore added another before the break and, with Mercier's boot proving as
reliable as ever, the home side held an imposing 23-point lead at the interval.
Newcastle needed to hit the ground running in the second period, and looked
certain to get the perfect start as Michael Stephenson hacked on a loose ball
just inside his own half and charged clear.
Stephenson is one of the fastest players in the Premiership but, from the
opposite wing, Simpson-Daniel hit full throttle and won the race to ground the
ball inside his own in-goal area.
Gloucester held out at the five metre scrum, and though Walder did pull three
points back with a simple penalty, Gloucester quickly replied with a Daren
O'Leary try.
It was all over, and as if to emphasise the point, skipper Phil Vickery raised
the roof with a barnstorming effort, virtually carrying Gareth McClure on his
back for 20 metres, before pushing away Liam Botham to score in the corner.
After a brief respite, Mercier charged through for Gloucester's seventh try,
before Paul shot over halfway and left Botham on his backside with a top speed
sidestep which gave him a clear run to the posts.
Walder's attempted restart flew embarrassingly backwards, bringing raucous
laughter which increased further as Terry Fanolua charged over in stoppage
time.
As beatings go, this was a pretty bad one for Newcastle and brought a dismal
end to the illustrious Falcons careers of Pat Lam, Gary Armstrong and Doddie
Weir.
Teams
Gloucester: Paul, O'Leary, Fanolua, Todd, Simpson-Daniel,
Mercier, Gomarsall, Collazo, Azam, Vickery, Fidler, Pearce,
Forrester, Boer, Paramore.
Replacements: Beim for Todd (33), Deacon for Gomarsall (67),
Woodman for Collazo (40), Yachvili for Azam (74),
Fortey for Vickery (74), Sewabu for Pearce (67),
Gillies for Paramore (69).
Tries: Todd, Forrester, Paramore, Beim, O'Leary,
Vickery, Mercier, Paul, Fanolua.
Cons: Mercier 4, Paul 2.
Pens: Mercier.
Newcastle: Walder, Botham, Noon, May, Stephenson, Wilkinson,
Charlton, Graham, Brotherstone, Hurter, Weir, Grimes, Vyvyan,
Devonshire, Arnold.
Replacements: MacLure for Wilkinson (27),
Armstrong for Charlton (52), Lam for Grimes (43),
Spinggay for Vyvyan (68).
Not Used: D. Richardson, Kirkham, Makin.
Pens: Walder 3.
Att: 5,776
Ref: Steve Lander (RFU).
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