CONNACHT WILL HAVE to travel to Italy for their last 16 Challenge Cup knockout game after failing to pick up a bonus point in a disappointing display at Kingston Park despite Finlay Bealham scoring a hat-trick.
A bonus point win would have ensured Connacht would have remained in Ireland all the way to the final in the Aviva Stadium in May, but that never looked likely against a Newcastle Falcons side already out of the competition prior to the start of this one.
Indeed, Connacht looked set for a drubbing when they fell 21-0 down in the opening quarter as their woeful record in England continues with this being their 27th loss in 30 visits. Their search for a first win since 2009 continues and they will now have to head to Benetton Rugby for their last 16 knockout game.
Connacht rallied after their dreadful start and hauled the gap back to 21-14 after a bizarre opening half.
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A key factor was the strict way French referee Pierre-Baptiste Nuchy enforced the offside with the result that the team in possession almost inevitably were awarded a penalty or enjoyed an advantage before they scored.
And with Falcons dominating the opening quarter in terms of possession, they raced ahead with Pumas Matias Orlando and Mateo Carreras crossing along with experienced scrum-half Michael Young also scoring, with two of them coming when Josh Murphy was in the bin.
Connacht reduced the gap after 21 minutes when Bealham squeezed over with a penalty advantage after Falcons made a mess of collecting the restart after their third try and the Irish international repeated the feat nine minutes from the break when he again drove over, with Conor Fitzgerald adding his second conversion.
Connacht players dejected after their defeat. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
They could have reduced the margin further but were pinged for crossing after going to the left corner with a penalty just before the break.
Falcons pushed the margin back out to 14 three minutes after the restart when they punished more poor tackling down the right which replacement scrum-half Josh Barton dashed through to score another converted try.
Connacht hit back and while Conor Oliver knocked on as he charged for the line after a lineout, they won a penalty in the scrum and this worked a few close drives before Bealham completed his hat-trick and Fitzgerald converted to make it 28-21 after 54 minutes but that was as close as they got and centre Pete Lucock got over in the left corner to wrap it up.
Gary Graham celebrates after Newcastle won. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
Scorers: Newcastle Falcons: Tries: Orlando, Young, Carreras, Barton, Lucock. Cons: Schoeman (4 from 4)), Thomas (1 from 1).
Connacht: Tries: Bealham (3). Cons: Fitzgerald (3 from 3).
Newcastle Falcons: Alex Tait (Adam Radwan ‘60); Ben Stevenson, Matias Orlando, Pete Lucock, Mateo Carreras; Tian Schoeman (Josh Thomas ‘67), Michael Young (Josh Barton ‘22); Logovi’i Mulipola (Adam Brocklebank ‘55), Jamie Blamire, Trevor Davison (Richard Palframan ‘63); Greg Peterson (Pedro Rubiolo ‘37), Sebastian de Chaves; Gary Graham, Philip van de Walt (Charlie Maddison ‘67), Carl Fearns (Freddie Lockwood ‘54).
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Bealham hat-trick not enough to stop Connacht losing away to Newcastle
Newcastle Falcons 35
Connacht 21
John Fallon reports from Kingston Park
CONNACHT WILL HAVE to travel to Italy for their last 16 Challenge Cup knockout game after failing to pick up a bonus point in a disappointing display at Kingston Park despite Finlay Bealham scoring a hat-trick.
A bonus point win would have ensured Connacht would have remained in Ireland all the way to the final in the Aviva Stadium in May, but that never looked likely against a Newcastle Falcons side already out of the competition prior to the start of this one.
Indeed, Connacht looked set for a drubbing when they fell 21-0 down in the opening quarter as their woeful record in England continues with this being their 27th loss in 30 visits. Their search for a first win since 2009 continues and they will now have to head to Benetton Rugby for their last 16 knockout game.
Connacht rallied after their dreadful start and hauled the gap back to 21-14 after a bizarre opening half.
A key factor was the strict way French referee Pierre-Baptiste Nuchy enforced the offside with the result that the team in possession almost inevitably were awarded a penalty or enjoyed an advantage before they scored.
And with Falcons dominating the opening quarter in terms of possession, they raced ahead with Pumas Matias Orlando and Mateo Carreras crossing along with experienced scrum-half Michael Young also scoring, with two of them coming when Josh Murphy was in the bin.
Connacht reduced the gap after 21 minutes when Bealham squeezed over with a penalty advantage after Falcons made a mess of collecting the restart after their third try and the Irish international repeated the feat nine minutes from the break when he again drove over, with Conor Fitzgerald adding his second conversion.
They could have reduced the margin further but were pinged for crossing after going to the left corner with a penalty just before the break.
Falcons pushed the margin back out to 14 three minutes after the restart when they punished more poor tackling down the right which replacement scrum-half Josh Barton dashed through to score another converted try.
Connacht hit back and while Conor Oliver knocked on as he charged for the line after a lineout, they won a penalty in the scrum and this worked a few close drives before Bealham completed his hat-trick and Fitzgerald converted to make it 28-21 after 54 minutes but that was as close as they got and centre Pete Lucock got over in the left corner to wrap it up.
Scorers: Newcastle Falcons: Tries: Orlando, Young, Carreras, Barton, Lucock. Cons: Schoeman (4 from 4)), Thomas (1 from 1).
Connacht: Tries: Bealham (3). Cons: Fitzgerald (3 from 3).
Newcastle Falcons: Alex Tait (Adam Radwan ‘60); Ben Stevenson, Matias Orlando, Pete Lucock, Mateo Carreras; Tian Schoeman (Josh Thomas ‘67), Michael Young (Josh Barton ‘22); Logovi’i Mulipola (Adam Brocklebank ‘55), Jamie Blamire, Trevor Davison (Richard Palframan ‘63); Greg Peterson (Pedro Rubiolo ‘37), Sebastian de Chaves; Gary Graham, Philip van de Walt (Charlie Maddison ‘67), Carl Fearns (Freddie Lockwood ‘54).
Connacht: Mack Hansen; Adam Byrne, Byron Ralston, Cathal Forde, Alex Wootton (Tom Farrell ’32); Conor Fitzgerald (Tom Daly ‘70), Colm Reilly (Caolin Blade ‘62); Denis Buckley (Jordan Duggan ‘62), Shane Delahunt (Dylan Tierney-Martin ‘54), Finlay Bealham (Jack Aungier ‘62); Leva Fiftia (Darragh Murray ‘54), Josh Murphy; Shamus Hurley-Langton (Ciaran Booth 62), Conor Oliver (Booth ‘7-‘17), Jarrad Butler.
Referee: Pierre-Baptiste Nuchy (France).
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Challenge Cup Connacht Newcastle Rugby