Leicester came back from 18-3 down to score 20 points in a spellbinding 10
minutes against a resurgent Newcastle side who had skipper Mark Andrews
sin-binned at Welford Road in the Zurich Premiership.
The Falcons were down to 13 men at one stage with Hugh Vyvyan joining his
captain in the sin-bin as referee Ashley Rowden judged Leicester blameless in
two fights.
Newcastle were 18-10 up at half-time and the gap would have been more had the
Falcons not given away a soft try when Ramiro Pez charged down Mark
Mayerhofler's kick and scored under the posts.
It was Mayerhofler who set up Newcastle's second try in the first half which
silenced the Welford Road crowd, bursting through the middle to set up a ruck
deep in the Tigers 22 and Michael Stephenson finished if off with a take off his
toes and a dive over in the corner.
The Falcons had taken an early lead with third minute Ben Gollings penalty but
nearly conceded a try when Daryl Gibson intercepted Tom May's pass and had it
not been for Jamie Noon and Mayerhofler tracking back, it would have been a
score.
Then Tim Stimpson missed a penalty from wide out before kicking one from
halfway to level the scores.
Newcastle bravely went for the try when they were awarded a penalty in the
21st minute, Gollings putting it in the corner and they were rewarded with a
rolling, surging drive that ended with Warren Britz scoring under the posts, and
Gollings converted.
Stephenson's try followed and when Leicester collapsed the scrum in the 35th
minute and Gollings kicked the penalty to make it 18-3, the Tigers looked
toothless.
But then Mayerhofler's kick on halfway was charged down by Pez and the ball
stood up nicely for the fly half, and Stimpson converted to put the Tigers right
back in the game at half-time.
Mark Andrews and Ricky Nebbett were involved in a scrap just after half-time
but it was the Newcastle skipper who was singled out while.
Nebbett got no warning as the Falcons were penalised, Stimpson kicking the
penalty.
The Tigers were on a roll and John Holtby broke clear down the left and scored
in the corner and Stimpson's conversion made it 20-18.
Then Andrews ended up in the sin-bin when he took out Louis Deacon in the air
from the restart and a third Stimpson penalty had the Welford Road faithful back
in full voice.
Vyvyan was also sin-binned in the 55th minute when there was another flare-up
in the forwards.
While Newcastle were down to 13 men they were unable to resist a rolling drive
and a try by James Hamilton.
There was more shape to Newcastle with the return of Andrews and a penalty
from Gollings made it 28-21 as the Falcons were very much in the game going into
the closing minutes.
Teams
Leicester: Stimpson, Smith, Lloyd, Gibson, Holtby, Pez, Ellis,
Morris, Chuter, Nebbett, Hamilton, L. Deacon, W. Johnson,
Kronfeld, Balding.
Replacements: Richards, Holford, Ryder, H. Tuilagi, Healey, Vesty,
W. Skinner.
Tries: Pez, Holtby, Hamilton.
Cons: Stimpson 2.
Pens: Stimpson 3.
Newcastle: Gollings, May, Noon, Mayerhofler, Stephenson,
Godman, Charlton, Peel, Makin, Hurter, Archer, Andrews, Dunbar,
Britz, Vyvyan.
Replacements: Ward, Wilson., Hamilton, Grindal, Dowson, Thompson,
M. Wilkinson.
Tries: Britz, Stephenson.
Cons: Gollings.
Pens: Gollings 3.
Sin Bin: Andrews (45), Vyvyan (55).
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