Newcastle put their slow start to the Zurich Premiership season well and truly
behind them with a Tom May hat-trick putting them on the road to a
richly-deserved victory.
They opened the scoring with a Ben Gollings penalty after 10 minutes of
aimless play from both sides but Gloucester were immediately stirred into action
and hit back with an excellent try just three minutes later.
From a penalty to touch they secured possession for Marcel Garvey to escape
down the right, and a ruck was formed. The quick-thinking Henry Paul put out a
superb pass to Robert Todd, and after two more pairs of hands, full-back Jon
Goodridge was over in the corner.
Paul struck the conversion and the Falcons were on the back foot for 10
minutes but then grabbed the game with some scintillating play that brought them
24 points in the next 14 minutes.
Gollings landed another penalty for them and when Hugh Vyvyan broke from a
scrum, Hall Charlton scythed through the Gloucester defence to put May over in
the corner.
Gollings was on target with a superb touchline conversion and then landed
another four minutes later after May had gone in again in identical fashion,
this time from a Jamie Noon pass.
With Gloucester now in disarray Newcastle hooker Nick Makin latched onto a
loose ball to release Noon, who raced 40 metres to score in the corner, Gollings
again obliging. Right on the interval Paul struck a penalty for the visitors who
quickly escaped to the sanctuary of the changing rooms.
James Forrester, who had replaced Junior Paramore just before the break, made
an immediate second-half impact for the Cherry and Whites when he continued a
Todd break to send James Simpson-Daniel scampering in down the left. Paul
converted and the visitors were back in it at 27-17 but barely had the dust
settled when Charlton put up a high ball from the Newcastle defence and May
caught it on the full to race in for his hat-trick, Gollings again converting.
Gollings then landed another penalty but back at the other end Gloucester
skipper Jake Boer was driven over from a lineout for an unconverted score.
Newcastle deservedly had the last word however and ran in a fifth try when
Michael Stephenson cut loose from the 22 to score in the corner.
Teams
Newcastle: Gollings, May, Noon, Mayerhofler, Stephenson,
Godman, Charlton, Peel, Makin, Hurter, Archer, Andrews, Dunbar,
Britz, Vyvyan.
Replacements: Ward, Thompson, Wilson., Hamilton, Dowson, Grindal,
Shaw.
Tries: May 3, Noon, Stephenson.
Cons: Gollings 4.
Pens: Gollings 3.
Gloucester: Goodridge, Garvey, Todd, Paul, Simpson-Daniel,
Amor, Page, Johnstone, Brotherstone, Olver, Brown, Cornwell,
Boer, Hazell, Paramore.
Replacements: Wood, Fortey, Eustace, Buxton, Forrester, Frape,
Teague.
Tries: Goodridge, Simpson-Daniel, Boer.
Cons: Paul 2.
Pens: Paul.
Att: 6,102
Ref: Roy Maybank (RFU).
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