Sarries rally too late

By Jason Harris
May 6 2003

Saracens narrowly failed to overturn a 16-point defecit going into the final quarter, just losing out 26-22 to a Jonny Wilkinson-inspired Newcastle Falcons at Kingston Park. The home side guaranteed their Zurich Premiership status by taking maximum points while Sarries need just one more to be safe.

It didn't start like a classic. The scoreboard operator was not troubled for nearly 29 minutes as both sides failed to take control of themselves or their opponents with handling errors and turnovers ensuring that the fare on offer was mediocre at best.

Andy Goode had missed a penalty and a drop goal attempt before Sarries broke the deadlock. A five metre scrum wide out on the right was won and the ball spun left. Tom Shanklin looped around from the blind side wing to take a long Andy Goode pass and moved the ball to Tim Horan who had the strength to keep the final defender at at bay to touch down. Goode converted from the left hand touchline to make it 7-0 Sarries.

Newcastle replied just five minutes later with the try of the match. Jonny Wilkinson started and finished a 60 metre move involving Mark Mayerhofler and Jamie Noon that had the hitherto silent Falcons crowd in raptures. Inevibatly, the England fly half converted to level the scores.

Saracens, with the wind at their backs, put immense pressure on the Falcons line for the remainder of the first period but the Newcastle defence held firm through some heroic tackling and illegal taking down of the rolling maul which occasionally went unpunished by the referee, provoking the players into taking the law into their own hands at times.

Sarries opted for the catch and drive on several occasions but the only reward for their hard work was a Goode penalty goal in first half injury time. After referee Chris White let play continue for nine minutes over the forty, he blew for the half with Sarries just ahead 10-7.

Newcasle picked up the pace in the third quarter and took the lead after Horan dropped a simple pass gifting Jamie Noon an unchallenged 50 metre sprint to the line. Though the home support thought that Wilkinson's conversion was good, the touch judges' flags stayed down and the gap remained at two points.

Michael Stephenson scored Newcastle's third after another Wilkinson moment of inspiration put the wing through and he was denied a second try a couple of minutes later when last-man Horan had to resort to taking him around the neck to stop him touching down.

Referee White had no option but to award the Falcons a penalty try but, for reasons known only to himself, let the Sarries fullback off the hook by not showing him a card for the nasty-looking challenge. Wilkinson converted both and at 26-10 with the bonus point secured, Newcastle were cruising.

But instead of consolidating their match-winning lead, the Falcons were made to fight all the way (literally at times as temperes boiled over) by a Sarries pack boosted by the sin-binning of Falcons lock Stuart Grimes. First Mike Storey and then Robbie Russell crossed from five metre lineouts to put Saracens back withing touching distance. But despite laying siege to the Falcons line for the last five minutes, the home side held on to take the win.