Newcastle vs Leicester match report: Joel Hodgson misses chance to seal victory for Falcons

Newcastle Falcons 13 Leicester Tigers 14: Replacement pulled his effort wide of the posts with the final play of the match

Joel Hodgson reacts to his missed drop-goal effort (Getty)

The Aviva Premiership prides itself on the number of matches that finish as close-run things but a tight scoreline is not always indicative of high quality. Leicester ground out their first back-to-back away win in 18 months, but the continued absence of the injured Manu Tuilagi from the Tigers’ midfield added to the impression the perennial title contenders are still desperately seeking cohesion after a season or two of wholesale changes to their squad.

Newcastle’s 58-5 loss at Bath last week was their heaviest for 11 years but they looked much more comfortable in the Tyneside sunshine, albeit with a limited game plan, and would have snatched victory if replacement fly-half Joel Hodgson hadn't skewed a drop at goal agonisingly wide in the sixth minute of added time at the end.

Leicester admitted their pride was hurt by the concession of four or more tries in each of their previous four league matches – a club record – and they continued in the same vein as poor defence allowed Newcastle an easy score in the sixth minute. A smart turnover forced by Newcastle’s Dom Waldouck led to a line-out drive that crabbed infield, and when Leicester’s Brendon O’Connor and Freddie Burns pushed up to leave a double dog-leg in the defensive line, Newcastle’s Argentinean centre Juan Pablo Socino cut through from a pass by Tongan scrum-half Sonatane Takulua, and fly-half Mike Delany converted.

Delany was given a shot at the posts for a high tackle by England squad prop Ellis Genge with 14 minutes gone. The one-time All Blacks No 10 missed that attempt but made no mistake two minutes later, after a post-tackle offence, and it was 10-0 to the Falcons, who have finished above the bottom three only once in their last eight Premiership campaigns.

Leicester players celebrate after Mike Fitzgerald scores a try against Newcastle (Getty)

Leicester are more accustomed to knocking about in the top four, and their win here moved them back into that slot in the early-season table. A try by lock Mike Fitzgerald helped the cause, made by a couple of penalties kicked to touch and some powerful work at close quarters by another of the five Leicester forwards in the current England squad, flanker Mike Williams.

Burns was unable to convert from wide out but the Tigers’ fly-half bagged a penalty in the 28th minute and when Delany hit a post with a 35-metre effort for Leicester pulling a maul down it left Newcastle 10-8 ahead at half-time.

The elegant running and handling of JP Pietersen was a highlight for Leicester, but the classy Springbok was more a link player than a try threat. And his Newcastle opposite numbers Niki Goneva and Sinoti Sinoti were unable to add to the 42 tries they had scored in their previous 100 Premiership matches between them.

Burns’s penalty nudged Leicester ahead after 49 minutes but he sent a kick wide early in the final quarter when Newcastle’s Mark Wilson reached illegally through a maul. The Newcastle pack with the starting props unusually kept on the field throughout by their former Leicester coaches Dean Richards and John Wells were unable to prevent another Burns penalty putting Leicester four points up with 13 minutes to play.

Joel Hodgson missed a late drop goal effort that would have won the match for Newcastle (Getty)

It took a clever grubber to himself by replacement Newcastle scrum-half Micky Young and a run from Goneva to lift Newcastle, as back-rower Dan Temm plunged for the left corner, only to scrape a boot into touch as Fitzgerald tackled. Referee JP Doyle came back to send Leicester's Peter Betham to the sin bin for offside in the build-up and Hodgson, on for Delany, kicked the penalty to make it a one-point match for the second time.

A great cover tackle by Mathew Tait on Waldouck kept Newcastle out, as the clock ticked into added time, and the continuation of the move was halted by referee Doyle due to a bang on the head suffered by Burns.

It left Newcastle with an attacking scrum seven metres from Tigers’ goalline, and home supporters howled for a penalty as Tigers stood up and wheeled, without sanction. Eventually, Hodgson was in point-blank position in front of the posts but arguably too close to get his angles right, and the 24-year-old hung his head in despair after his right-footed drop veered wide to the left.

Fitzgerald said: "It wasn't up to the standards we're expecting at Leicester this year, but a win's a win, and the boys dug in deep at the end."

Scorers:

Newcastle Falcons: Tries: Socino. Conversion: Delany. Penalties: Delany, Hodgson.

Leicester Tigers: Tries: Fitzgerald. Penalties: Burns 3.

Teams

Newcastle Falcons: S Hammersley; N Goneva, D Waldouck, JP Socino, S Sinoti; M Delany (rep J Hodgson, 60 mins), S Takulua (M Young 61); R Vickers, S Lawson (B Sowrey 72), J Welsh, C Green, E Olmstead (W Witty 66), M Wilson, W Welch (capt), A Hogg (D Temm 69).

Leicester Tigers: M Tait (capt); T Veainu, P Betham, O Williams (J Roberts 65), JP Pietersen; F Burns (A Thompstone 83), B Youngs; E Genge, G McGuigan (T Youngs 50), D Cole, M Fitzgerald (E Slater 72), G Kitchener, M Williams, B O’Connor, L Hamilton (W Evans 66).

Referee: JP Doyle (RFU).

Attendance: 6,570.