Saints come out on top in nail-biter

MATCH REPORT:  Northampton survived a late scare to snatch a narrow 35-34 victory over Newcastle at Kingston Park.

A thrilling encounter saw Craig Wright cancel out Jamie Blamire’s opening try, and after Brett Connon sent the Falcons ahead again from the tee, Northampton seized control just before halftime with Luke Green, Fin Smith and debutant Will Glister all scoring.

Connor Doherty pulled one back for Newcastle after the break and although Tom James struck for Saints, tries from Alex Hearle and Ben Stevenson dragged the hosts back into the contest.

Max Pepper scored the Falcons’ fifth try to threaten a late comeback, but Northampton managed to hold on and end their three-game losing run in the Premiership.

Saints made 14 changes to their starting line-up from the weekend’s Champions Cup win over Castres, but were handed an early blow as Newcastle went ahead six minutes in when Murray McCallum slipped through the visitors’ defence and offloaded to Blamire on the left, who crossed before Connon converted.

Northampton soon levelled following a good spell of pressure on the Newcastle tryline, and some smart passing allowed Wright to burst forward and score his first Premiership try, with Rory Hutchinson adding the extras.

Connon kicked Newcastle back in front with a penalty, and after an impressive build-up through the phases, Callum Chick’s try was chalked off following a TMO review.

Hearle then chipped the ball over the Saints’ defence before chasing it down, and a quick move reached Elliott Obatoyinbo, but the fullback was denied following a big tackle in the right corner.

Pepper came on to replace Obatoyinbo, and Saints then looked to have struck, but Wright’s try was ruled out.

The visitors took the lead for the first time in the game when a quick switch in play towards the right allowed Green to touch down for his maiden Premiership try, and Smith kicked the conversion.

Northampton piled on the misery for Newcastle just before the break with two tries in quick succession when Smith squeezed through a gap before converting his own effort, and Glister kicked a loose ball and chased it down to bag the bonus point, with Smith’s kick successful.

The Falcons pulled one back just two minutes into the second half when a fast break reached Doherty on the left to cross in the corner. Connon’s conversion attempt curled wide of the upright.

Tom Litchfield had a try disallowed by the TMO for a forward pass, but Northampton soon extended their advantage when James sprinted ahead to ground underneath the posts and Smith added the extras.

Newcastle continued to fight back and after a good set of phases, Hearle charged over the line on the left before Connon converted.

Ben Stevenson then dived over in the left corner to pick up a bonus point, and with four minutes left on the clock, Pepper latched onto a loose ball and surged forward from inside his own half to ground.

Connon’s conversion reduced the gap to one point, but Saints withstood some late pressure to snatch victory.

Scorers:

For Newcastle:
Tries: Blamire, Doherty, Hearle, Stevenson, Pepper
Cons: Connon 3
Pen: Connon

For Northampton:
Tries: Wright, Green, Smith, Glister, James
Cons: Hutchinson, Smith 4

Teams

Newcastle Falcons: 15 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 14 Alex Hearle, 13 Connor Doherty, 12 Max Clark, 11 Ben Stevenson, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Sam Stuart, 8 Callum Chick (captain), 7 Cameron Neild, 6 Freddie Lockwood, 5 Sebastian de Chaves, 4 John Hawkins, 3 Murray McCallum, 2 Jamie Blamire, 1 Adam Brocklebank
Replacements: 16 Ollie Fletcher, 17 Micky Rewcastle, 18 Richard Palframan, 19 Finn Baker, 20 Ollie Leatherbarrow, 21 Max Pepper, 22 Sammy Arnold, 23 Oli Spencer.

Northampton Saints: 15 James Ramm, Tom Litchfield, 13 Burger Odendaal (c), 12 Rory Hutchinson, 11 Tom Seabrook, 10 Charlie Savala, 9 Tom James, 8 Iakopo Mapu, 7 Tom Pearson, 6 Angus Scott-Young, 5 Tom Lockett, 4 Chunya Munga, 3 Luke Green, 2 Craig Wright, 1 Tom West
Replacements: 16 Henry Walker, 17 Tarek Haffar, 18 Elliot Millar Mills, 19 Temo Mayanavanua, 20 Juarno Augustus, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Fin Smith, 23 Will Glister

Referee: Luke Pearce