Mouldy monotonous mound of Merde!
By Leipziger
January 14 2011
The Falcons will go out of the Challenge Cup at the group stage for the first time this season following tonight's home defeat by Montpellier. The most telling statistic from the 'match' is this – we had never before been nilled at Kingston Park in the professional era.
This game doesn't deserve to be remembered for anything better.
Thanks very much to Slacker for (the lift home and) passing me potential headlines all night, from a comment about the away number 23's tiny shorts, to “Shambolic steaming pile of sacre-bleu”. The above was the best one though.
The stands were sparsely populated as the game kicked off on a not-too-chilly evening at KP, not as cold as last week anyway and certainly not as wet, although with the number of knock-ons you wouldn't have known it.
The first half was pretty awful, Montpellier scored two penalties before missing two others, and though the Falcons threw the ball around nicely, we didn't really look like scoring. Charlie Amesbury might be happy to have probably got the ball more tonight than in the rest of the season put together.
The most memorable moment of the first half was perhaps Jon Golding hacking a loose ball back to his own try-line under pressure from opponents, and therefore putting our backline under pressure. It was comical but a little disturbing too.
I should also mention a 29-man brawl on the right of our 22, the only man not involved being Gcobani Bobo, standing a few metres off in a normal right wing position. A Montpellier prop was also sent to the sin bin for persistent offending in the scrum, but it didn't help us.
All through the opening half I kept thinking the word “forgettable”, and it was suggested at the break that we were “lucky to have nil”.
The second half was little better for a long time. The Falcons mixed up nice passing with some absolutely wasteful kicking, bringing derision from the few in attendance. I suppose I should mention that, particularly in the first half, the crowd were pretty quiet, but there was little to get excited about.
The game began to come to life when Joel Hodgson replaced Chris Pilgrim, who had a decent game on his return from injury. Hodgson, along with the rampaging James Fitzpatrick, drove the Falcons forward and we turned down numerous kickable penalties in search for a try.
Finally in the last ten or 15 minutes minutes we got a foothold in the away 22, Hodgson hacking on a loose ball to win us a five metre scrum under the posts. Fitzpatrick and fellow replacement Darren Fearn had runs for the line, as did Gopperth, but we were unable to find a way through.
We kept receiving penalties and taking scrums, but finally a knock-on from Hodgson from a tap allowed Montpellier a scrum. We won the ball back but couldn't get close to the line again and when the visitors stole, they carried into touch and the game was over.
There was still time (in the evening, not the game) for the entire Montpellier team to run over and start another fight as their ball-carrier went through the advertising boards, apparently pushed by Alex Gray according to effja_ball on the message board but I don't know. There were plenty of punches thrown by players on both teams but when calm was restored the referee blew for full time.
I can't wait to see what positive spin Alan Tait will try to put on tonight. At one point I felt like shouting “Oi Alan Tait, have you seen a rugby team around here?” The amount of times we missed gaps and overlaps, kicked and didn't chase (despite both teams finding some success when they did bother to chase) and FOUR kicks out on the full (to be fair, one came off French hands but the officials didn't see that). Man!
Oh, and if I'm not wrong (and I don't think I am) we lost every lineout after Joe Graham came on, although he did make some good runs with the ball, after winning every one Matt Thompson threw, although one was a scramble. Just summed up the night, not a great one tactically or collectively, despite some good individual performances.
At least we still have the LV= Cup and Premiership survival to play for. Onwards and upwards!
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And yes, Gray (or Townson) tackled him off the pitch, looked like a bit of a shot as he did it too.
Having said the first 8 were perfect we still managed to do nothing with the ball though. We either went horizontal along the back and usually lost ground, or we simply kicked the ball away (at least 30 times).
I thought it was strangely passionless, as though we just didnt care. At one point the nearest two Falcons to the catcher from one of our many kicks were Graham and Hall.
Just about says it all really.
Yes I would agree that the subs gave us some 'spark' but why was it missing in the first place?
Come on Mr T and Co the 2500 or so who were there paid good money to watch that dross and 'absorbing' it wasnt - more like BLOODY AWFUL!!
Leeds and Sale must be rubbing their hands with glee.
Mexican wave in the West Stand? I must have missed that. It didn't look like there were enough people for a ripple.
![[:wor kid:]](/phorum-5.1.15/mods/smileys/images/13.gif "[:wor kid:]")
A Mexican wave in the West Stand!
- impossible with only about 100 peopleOfficial attendance yes, including all of the ST holders who didn't turn up.
Real attendance anybody?
I'd have been better not predicting, 0-0 would have got me 8 points!
Our forwards poor, pitch was heavy, ref was very lenient on Montpellier coming from the side. Nowt to do with himself or Moriarty of course
My problem is that we kicked too much, when we were building pressure we stopped momentum by giving silly penalties away and made it easy for Montpellier to defend their lead.
It was just not good enough, however, step forward Fitzpatrick, Hodgson and James Hall because on a dreary night they stood out
But what utter shite, worst match I've seen in all the time I've watched Falcons, or thinking about it any other side too...
Mulling over whether to bother coming to the LV cup game on the 6th, if I do rock up it'll be cos its in the ST & I want to see my friends not because I'm expecting to see decent rugby.
Watching the Heineken Cup today has been a wonderful reminder of what rugby can be. Saddens me that Falcons have slumped so low.
I've moved this season from being a Falcons fan, to being a rugby fan. I'm back where I started in 2001 when I first went to a club game. I want to see decent rugby first and foremost.
Quote:
His report is & what Taits says is bang on as well. His player ratings seem on the high side imo maybe thats because I class 5 as average out 10.
The Journal report didn't mention the fight because the match report had already been submitted by then.
Print deadlines mean the report has to be submitted literally as the final whistle is blown. That makes considered analytical reporting much more difficult for the Saturday Journal, so the report tends to just be more a commentary on what actually happened during the game.
Chronicle deadines mean the Chron report can be more analytical: [www.chroniclelive.co.uk]
The Chron also has a few Taity quotes here: [www.chroniclelive.co.uk]
And tomorrow's Sunday Sun will have a more extensive Taity reaction interview (as well as my Tynedale/Launceston match report from today).
Cheers
Smithy
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:01:15:17:23:16 by Mark Smith NCJ Media.
My remarks referred to the fact that you hadn't been at all critical of the performance as I would expect an unbiased report to be.
And, for what it is worth, I do think Smithy has made a great start on the NCJ publications with his rugby reporting. I really appreciate his knowledgeable insights and his honest reporting.
More power to your elbow, Smithy.
I'm not criticising Smithy's journalistic skills which are head and shoulders better than his predecessor. I had hoped we would get a more objective view on the game though rather than what appears to be an Official report.
The Chron report did say
A turgid and uneventful game
If only the Falcons had shown the same fight for the previous 80 minute
The fact this game will be remembered only for the monumental scrap after the final whistle says it all.
I am not sure what more he could of wrote.
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Smithy is bang on about Journal deadlines I remember a few months ago the back page of the Saturday Journal saying that the Newcastle Eagles match report was on the inside, it wasnt but there was a Glasgow Warriors match report!!! Wonder who got that space filler in at the last minute.
I'm also surprised that the match report was submitted before the fight which was on the final whistle. What would have happened if their winger had scored instead of running out?
I would question the logic of even playing Hodgson as he simply does not have the physique for this level-he spun out of a few tackles and was caught full on by one. He could end up getting a very serious injury if he is played before he is ready for the step up to this level of intensity.
Credit to Montpellier for having a well organised & marshalled defence, but surely somebody should have been able to work out in the first 70 that the kisck over the top wasn't working.
Without doubt the worst game of rugby I have ever had the misfortune to witness, & that coming from somebody who played in a nil all mud fest a couple of years ago.
The report was submitted as soon as their winger crossed the touchline (thus ending the game).
My finger was hovering over the 'send' button in my email, which I pressed once he had gone into touch.
Had the winger not gone into touch but instead scored, it would have been a very hasty re-write indeed!
Cheers
Smithy