Falcons snatch dramatic winner

CHALLENGE CUP WRAP: Centre George Wacokecoke scored a try in the last play of the game as Newcastle Falcons grabbed a dramatic 17-13 win at Biarritz Olympique on Friday.

Newcastle led at half-time in the Pool A encounter thanks to a try from scrumhalf Sam Stuart, with Biarritz’s only response a Brett Herron penalty.

Brett Connon kicked Newcastle further in front after the break, but flanker Tornike Jalagonia went over for Biarritz on 63 minutes, with Gilles Bosch nudging the conversion to draw the hosts level.

Herron then slotted his second penalty of the game on 72 minutes as Biarritz looked to have done enough to secure a second win in this season’s EPCR Challenge Cup.

However, Newcastle would have the final say as Wacokecoke went over in the corner and made it two wins from two in the competition for the Premiership side.

Newcastle faces a trip to RC Toulon in Round Four next weekend, while Biarritz not in EPCR Challenge Cup action again until they host the three-time European champion in Round Five.

* Meanwhile CA Brive survived a second-half fightback from Section Paloise as they recorded a 33-25 win at Stade Amédée-Doménech.

Brive took control of the Pool C encounter as prop Luka Japaridze and winger Joris Jurand went over in the first half, with Pau only notching two penalties through scrumhalf Clovis Le Bail.

Replacement Martin Puech went over to give Pau some hope following the break, but a penalty try on 55 minutes re-established Brive’s lead.

But Le Bail went over moments later and converted to take his personal tally to 13 points and keep Pau in contention.

Centre Jale Vatubua then crossed for the visitors on 77 minutes but it proved too little too late for a recovery.

Brive, who now sit second in Pool C, travel to Edinburgh Rugby in Round 4, with third-place Pau not in EPCR Challenge Cup action again until their trip to the Scottish region in Round 5.

Friday scores and scorers

Biarritz Olympique 13-17 Newcastle Falcons

Scorers

For Biarritz Olympique
Try: Jalagonia
Con: Bosch
Pens: Herron 2

For Newcastle Falcons
Tries: Stuart, Wacokecoke
Cons: Connon 2
Pen: Connon

The teams:

Biarritz: 15 Joe Jonas, 14 Steeve Barry, 13 Vincent Martin, 12 François Vergnaud, 11 Darly Domvo, 10 Brett Herron, 9 Kerman Aurrekoetxea, 8 Steffon Armitage (captain), 7 Antoine Erbani, 6 Tornike Jalagonia, 5 Joshua Tyrell, 4 Evan Olmstead, 3 Giorgi Nutsubidze, 2 François Da Ros, 1 Baptiste Erdocio.
Replacements: 16 Bastien Soury, 17 Ushangi Tcheisvhili, 18 Luka Azariashvili, 19 Dave O’Callaghan, 20 Thomas Hebert, 21 Barnabé Couilloud, 22 Gilles Bosch, 23 Ilian Perraux.

Newcastle: 15 Mike Brown (captain), 14 Adam Radwan, 13 George Wacokecoke, 12 Peter Lucock, 11 Nathan Earle, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Sam Stuart, 8 Callum Chick, 7 Connor Collett, 6 Gary Graham, 5 Rob Farrar, 4 Greg Peterson, 3 Mark Tampin, 2 Jamie Blamire, 1 Adam Brocklebank.
Replacements: 16 George McGuigan, 17 Conrad Cade, 18 Logovi’i Mulipola, 19 Will Montgomery, 20 Josh Basham, 21 Cam Nordli-Kelemeti, 22 William Haydon-Wood, 23 Luther Burrell.

Referee: Adam Jones (Wales)
Assistant referees: Dewi Phillips (Wales), Tom Spurrier (Wales)
TMO: Sean Brickell (Wales)

Brive 33-25 Pau

Scorers

For Brive
Tries: Japaridze, Jurand, Penalty try
Cons: Laranjeira 2, penalty try does not require a conversion
Pens: Laranjeira 4

For Pau
Tries: Puech, Lebail, Vatubua
Cons: Lebail, Debaes
Pens: Lebail 2

The teams:

Brive: 15 Thomas Laranjeira (captain), 14 Pierre Tournebize, 13 Wesley Douglas, 12 Sevanaia Galala, 11 Joris Jurand, 10 Tedo Abzhandadze, 9 Paul Abadie, 8 Dylan Lam, 7 Matthieu Voisin, 6 Steevy Cerqueira, 5 Mitch Lees, 4 Victor Lebas, 3 Luka Japaridze, 2 Péniami Narisia, 1 Daniel Brennan.
Replacements: 16 Vano Karkadze, 17 Wesley Tapueluelu, 18 Pietro Ceccarelli, 19 Andrés Zafra Tarazona, 20 Otari Giorgadze, 21 Enzo Sanga, 22 Tanguy Lacoste, 23 Seta Tuicuvu.

Pau: 15 Thomas Carol, 14 Vincent Pinto, 13 Vaea Vaea, 12 Jale Vatubua (captain), 11 Daniel Ikpefan, 10 Thibault Debaes, 9 Clovis Lebail, 8 Giovanni Habel Kuffner, 7 Thibaut Hamonou, 6 Reece Hewat, 5 Julien Delannoy, 4 Hugo Auradou, 3 Maks van Dyk, 2 Rayne Barka, 1 Rémi Seneca.
Replacements: 16 Youri Delhommel, 17 Téo Bordenave, 18 Kévin Yaméogo, 19 Martin Puech, 20 Hubert Texier, 21 Alexis Levron, 22 Clément Mondinat, 23 Eoghan Barrett.

Referee: Adrien Descottes (France)
Assistant referees: Andrew Cole (Ireland), Paul Haycock (Ireland)
TMO: Leo Colgan (Ireland)

Source: @ChallengeCup_