Dr Jekyll and Mr Falcon
By Leipziger
December 5 2009
If rugby were a 40-minute game, then off the top of my head our Falcons would be five points better off now than we are now, and two places higher in the league, with two more wins and two more losing bonus points. One of the latter would've deservedly been at Kingsholm today.
But in another game of two halves, Newcastle took the game to Gloucester before the break but failed to score, or build on this dominance, while yielding to Nicky Robinson's boot in the second half.
Steve Bates fielded a new back row for the trip to the south west, and Hall Charlton and Gcobani Bobo came into the back line. Micky Young wasn't fit enough for the bench in the end, his place being taken by Chris Pilgrim.
The Shed faithful had barely had time to drink up and take their seats before the hosts came forward and took advantage of a disorganised and stretched Newcastle defence to put Charlie Sharples in on the right for a try converted by Robinson.
After that we took control through some powerful forward play, particularly from a storming Filipo Levi who made a load of metres today, while Jimmy Gopperth and Tane Tu'ipulotu linked up well in midfield.
Gopperth kicked two penalties to reduce the deficit to a single point before Robinson gave the Tractor Boys some space with a kick of his own, although he missed his next attempt.
A couple of promising attacks ended through knock-ons by Bobo and Gopperth, but Glasstr struggled to clear and we almost drove over just to the right of the posts, Jon Golding going particularly close.
With the last play of the half, our clearest chance was lost when Tim Swinson dropped the ball on the left with Tom Biggs waiting for the scoring pass, although I could've sworn the ball went backwards.
So we could've been ten or 15 points up at half-time, instead of four down at 10-6. Still, another 40 minutes to rectify that.
But after an initial break by Josh Afu towards the 22 supported by Danny Williams, the Falcons were on the back foot for most of the second half. What are they doing to the players at half-time this season?
Maybe it was something in the Kingsholm air today, as referee Rob Debney somehow spoiled a good first-half performance with an absolute shocker in the second. Listing the most obvious – two knock-on against us that clearly went backwards, and another at a Gloucester ruck when I didn't even see a black hand touch the ball.
But even when we managed to get hold of the ball we were unable to make any progress, Gopperth being charged down twice from close range, and there were plenty of real infringements. Indeed, if there were as many as the referee claimed, it's a wonder we never had a player sent to the bin.
Robinson took full advantage with three more penalties and a drop-goal.
Finally with ten minutes left we got our first penalty of the second half and went for the corner, mounting our first sustained attack since the interval. Our pack, now reinforced with Micky Ward, Matt Thompson and Mark Sorenson, attempted to drive for the line
It was replacement full-back Alex Tait however who found a gap in the Gloucester defence on the left for a consolation score, and with Gopperth having been taken off for Rob Miller, the youngster converted.
A penalty or drop-goal now and we could steal a bonus point, but fielded a kick Tait knocked on and suffered the Shed's laughter, just compounding our miserable second half.
Robinson's final penalty with the last kick of the game sealed a 25-13 win for the Cherry 'n' Whites.
Although we did score points in the second 40 for once today, by my reckoning that is now five second half collapses in ten league games this season. At Bath we were galvanised at half-time, at Irish we competed and hung on by our fingertips – where was that fighting spirit today? Or last week, for that matter?
Is it going to be like this all the time with Bates? Lose a load of games, win a few in a row, then lose a load more before another few wins? The end result league-wise will probably be little different to most of those under Andrew and Fletcher.
We aren't going to be relegated this season, but that is not the limit of supporters' ambitions, and we know it is not the limit of Thompson's.
Keep going like this, despite Bath and Irish, and surely action will have to be taken in the summer.
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A valuable service, sir.
SOunds typivally frustrating. Couple of wins and all is rosy again. Couple of losses and things have a grim air of predictability hanging over them.
Doesn't sound like any improvement from Booboo which is worrying, but Levi and Afu sound like they did well?
"We created two or three really good chances in the first half, but we didn't take them.
"The breakdown became more and more messy in the second half, and we kept giving away penalties. That was the difference in the end.
"It was a pretty even game on most fronts. We just gave them too many opportunities."
Good luck for the rest of the season but you have to get real.
Quote:Gloucester BAZ
Newcastle were never in it.
Are you serious???
Other than the first 10 minutes or so, the majority of the first half was played in Gloucester's half with two missed opportunities that the Falcons should have taken but didn't.
I take it you were too busy getting the ciders in to have noticed any of that.
Newcastle weren't in the second half at all, that is true, but that doesn't mean the first half never took place. The Falcons played well in the first half and@#$%&in the second, but "never in it" is just laughable. You need to get real.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009:12:06:01:06:50 by Hideo.
We are playing a great half but failing to take the chances. This is compounded in the second half by poor discipline, knock ons at crucial moments, bad decision making, slow ball, missed tackles and as always the Ref (The latter is an excuse not a reason as every team should 'play' the Ref!).
This is a squad problem and shows that we must get the basics right. If we don't show the right skills at the right time then results such as this will follow.
You can coach most things but at the end of the day skills and decision making happen on the pitch.
Just my view of course! Not clouded by Gloucester cider
Good luck for the rest of the season though.
Now if we could all stop fighting & concentrate on getting Bath relegated, things could be so much nicer.
Good first half performance from Falcons followed by a @#$%& poor 2nd half showing. I'm just glad I've got till mid Jan to make up my mind if I bother forking out for an away trip again.
Quote:AndyMGlos
Well considering Newks were clearly the better team, dominated the first half, should have been 10-15 points up and, according to the write-up there doesn't seem to have been another team playing in the match, it genuinely is a mystery how they managed to lose!
I don't think any of us are suggesting that Falcons should have won, Gloucester were the better team over the whole match, but Newcastle did dominate much of the first half - surely you could see that? Newcastle weren't in the second half at all - not quite sure how us saying that implies to you that we think Falcons were clearly the better team overall?
Oh, and the write up is on a Falcons site which is why it was Falcons centred...
However...thoroughly enjoyed the trip to Glaws, and enjoyed my first experience of the Shed and Teague's bar...good luck on continuing your improvement in the season.
Leipy: take a bow - you always produce top notch reading matter and I only really appreciate it when I trawl around other boards reading some of the effluent that they come up with.
As for which site the majority of 'hardcore' Glos fans post on - it's Shedweb (www.gloucesterrugby.net), and visitors are usually made very welcome. Our sportnetwork site is not greatly used.
I don't really bother with your SportNetwork site as it's akin to the England site and a bit of a ghost town. Shedweb is where I head for info on your boys.
Same old problems. If they had the nous as a team to play the ref, and to chase kicks, they would start banging points on the board. In the second half there didn't even seem to be any chasers for reswtarts, it was all a bit lacking in enthusiasm. If they want the supporters to show some enthusiasm then it is about time thery pulled their bloody fingers out.
Just trying to visualise that...
