Newcastle ended Premiership pacesetters Bath's unbeaten run with late try from
England Sevens hero Phil Dowson.
The match was no classic but Bath looked to have done enough to win when they
led 14-9 after Zac Feaunati's first half try and three penalties from Olly
Barkley.
But Newcastle roared back in the closing stages to score through Dowson and
David Walder converted from wide out and then kicked a touchline penalty.
Walder narrowly missed a sixth-minute penalty but he was bang on target three
minutes later when Fea'unati was offside but Newcastle lost Hall Charlton in the
16th minute when he was knocked unconscious making a tackle on the Falcons' 22
and the scrum half was motionless on the ground for several minutes with
paramedics before being stretchered off.
Bath levelled the scores with a Barkley penalty for offside in the 20th minute
but Newcastle mounted another furious attack with Jon Dunbar and Garath Archer
crashing through and Bath conceded the penalty as James Grindal tried to work
his way through and Walder kicked the goal to make it 6-3.
Tom May was penalised for hanging on in the tackle and Barkley levelled the
scores in the 33rd minute with the penalty.
Dunbar and Ian Peel thundered through close to the line and were then
penalised for hanging on in the tackle but back swept Newcastle and Michael
Stephenson kicked ahead and both he and Noon hammered Matt Perry into the deck
and forced a penalty for hanging on and Walder made it 9-6.
Walder missed a good chance to make it 12-6 in first half injury time but his
kick from 35 metres flew just wide and in injury time an ambitious penalty from
Barkley from inside his own half was well short.
Barkley was on target from much closer in just after the break for handling in
the ruck to level the scores and when Chris Malone made two clever breaks,
Fea'unati rumbled over in the corner for a try to make it 14-9, Perry's
conversion attempt hitting the post.
Walder missed his third kick at goal in the 57th minute but Newcastle roared
back into the game when Dowson scored within two minutes of coming on as
substitute with Mark Mayerhofler hammering a huge kick downfield and Noon and
Warren Britz caught Perry right on his own line and Dowson arrived to steal the
ball and crash over for the try.
Walder converted from wide out and then kicked a 76th-minute penalty to make
it 19-14 but Bath cut it back to 19-17 in the 81st minute with Barkley's fourth
penalty but the Falcons held on for the narrow two-point win.
Teams:
Newcastle: Charlton, Godman, Stephenson, Mayerhofler, Noon,
May, Walder, Peel, Makin, Ward, Archer, Hamilton, Dunbar,
Britz, Vyvyan.
Replacements: Grindal for Charlton (19), Wilson for Peel (41),
Dowson for Hamilton (67), Taione for Dunbar (73).
Not Used: Thompson, M. Wilkinson, Gollings.
Tries: Dowson.
Cons: Walder.
Pens: Walder 4.
Bath: Wood, Malone, Daniel, Barkley, Crockett, A. Higgins,
Perry, Flatman, Humphreys, Bell, Borthwick, Fidler, Beattie,
Lipman, Fea'unati.
Replacements: Williams for Daniel (54), Knox for Crockett (65),
Blake for Perry (70), Mears for Humphreys (52),
Stevens for Bell (39).
Not Used: Scaysbrook, Gray.
Tries: Fea'unati.
Pens: Barkley 4.
Att: 4,885
Ref: David Pearson (RFU).
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