Twitter pic could spell trouble for Gloucester pivot
NEWS: Gloucester flyhalf Owen Williams could be in hot water after Newcastle Falcons posted an image which appears to show the Welshman with his fingers in the eye area of a Falcons player.
Falcons missed a chance to climb off the foot of the table as they were beaten 20-17 at home by Gloucester. However, the ugly incident featuring Williams could now be see the playmaker cited.
The incident occured just before half-time when a row erupted involving Williams, and a picture posted by the Newcastle Falcons account appears to show the pivot’s fingers directly in the eye area of Falcons backrow Gary Graham.
While many suggested he should be cited, others criticised the club account for posting the picture in the first place.
A physical end to the first half. pic.twitter.com/1PGzE7Yaok
— Newcastle Falcons (@FalconsRugby) December 23, 2018
An Ed Slater try sent Gloucester in at half-time 10-6 ahead but the hosts turned it around with the help of a Vereniki Goneva score and led 17-10 midway through the second half.
But Ben Morgan powered over to set up a tense finish and Billy Twelvetrees kicked a late penalty to snatch the win.
There was no mention of the incident from Falcons’ headcoach Dean Richards: “I felt we could and should have come away with something but you’ve got to take your hat off to Gloucester, who are a good side.
“It was one of those games which could have gone either way, but unfortunately went to them by three points.”
“On the whole we didn’t help ourselves by getting on the wrong side of the referee, and that was purely down to us not adapting to how he was officiating.
“As a consequence that cost us a couple of penalties, which ultimately proved the difference.
“There was a huge amount of endeavour from the boys, and you can’t question that. They played their hearts out and they’re very disappointed in the changing room, but we’ll put it right at Bristol next weekend.”
Gloucester are in third now and have an eight-point cushion from Wasps, while a losing bonus point pulls Newcastle within a point of Worcester Warriors in the battle against the drop.
RugbyPass has created a next generation rugby rating system, based on machine learning and shaped by game winning moments. The system (RPI) is a world first for its complexity and comprehensive embrace of northern and southern hemisphere players and teams. By using in-depth data analysis, RPI determines exactly what it takes to win, in real time. Explore the RPI now!
