Final flop but Falcons have eyes on bigger prize

Just a month ago, Newcastle were unbeaten in competitive matches all season, but have now lost three out of five, including two at home.

Of course, all of that will be forgotten if the Falcons win promotion back to the Premiership in the upcoming playoff finals against Bedford, the first leg of which takes place on Thursday at Goldington Road.

Last night saw an absorbing British & Irish Cup Final at Kingston Park, with little hangover from Sunday's epic playoff semi-final defeat of Leeds apparent overall.

Kids were allowed in for free and everyone else for just a tenner and the Falcons were rewarded with a crowd of almost 4,000, a lot more than has seen some Championship games this season, and those in attendance on a bracing evening were rewarded with a game that may have been short on fireworks and dancing, but saw two tense finishes through extra time.

Dean Richards made 15 changes to the team that beat Leeds, giving a debut to Jamie Sole and dragging Zach Kibirige away from his schoolbooks, while there were also rare starts for Chris York, James Hall and Sean Tomes. James Hudson became the first player in the professional era to captain the Falcons in two cup finals, and was hoping to avoid become the first skipper in our history to avoid two national cup final defeats. Rory Lawson also returned from injury.

Opponents Leinster A were not at full strength either, with several players called up to the senior squad who were playing Stade Francais in the Amlin Challenge Cup Final in Dublin at the same time as this game.

The Falcons took an early lead through a long-range penalty by Joel Hodgson on the right. The kick looked to be flying past the post in front of the South Stand but a late swerve saw the touch judges raise their flags.

Hodgson, a livewire all night in the Falcons backline, almost increased the lead further through a chip and chase down the far right but was tackled into touch just inches from the line.

The try was not long in coming though. The home pack drove forward and finally, just to the left of the posts, Lawson dived through the bodies to get the ball down on the line. Hodgson kicked the easy conversion.

Fionn Carr, Leinster's full-back and one of the visitors' stars of the evening, made a good break and after making a lot of metres was only stopped by a low tackle from Hodgson on the left of the Newcastle 22, as the home defence appeared to stand off.

Leinster were further encouraged by Ollie Stedman's yellow card for a late hit and, with his team a man up, Brendan Macken got them on the scoreboard with a try down the left courtesy of a fast backs break.

Noel Reid hit the conversion to reduce the Falcons' lead to three points, and that was how it stayed for the rest of the half with Hodgson missing his second penalty attempt at goal.

Hodgson's radar was again off early in the second period and as the Falcons began to make replacements, thoughts turned to seeing the game out. Taiasina Tu'ifua replaced Stedman and was his usual uncompromising self, flirting with the wrong side of the illegal tackle line.

Chris Pilgrim, making a comeback from injury like the man he replaced Lawson, and Michael Tait speeded up the game from the backs but Leinster were becoming increasingly dominant, and searched for an elusive match-winning try.

Now at full-back after the introduction of Waisea Luveniyali, Hodgson was again the hero, making a try-saving tackle on the Leinster right and following it up seconds later by taking an attacker into touch on the other side of the field.

Kibirige, on one of his quieter first team appearances so far, had a chance to make the cup safe late in normal time after a break from Luveniyali but could not offload properly to the supporting Hodgson.

Leinster were getting desperate and a drop-goal attempt flew dead, but in the seventh of stoppage time minutes Reid kicked a long-range penalty to send the game into extra time.

When referee finally lost patience with Tu'ifua and sent the Samoan to the sin bin for a tackle in the air, the Irishmen again took advantage and Carr outpaced the defence on the far right. Reid hit the post with the conversion but after the first additional ten minutes the atmosphere in Kingston Park was one of resignation.

This turned to jubilation in the second period of extra time when Kibirige rounded on the left to score, the teenager keeping up his record of scoring in each of his now-four first team games, and Hodgson put the Falcons ahead with the conversion.

However, the local youngster went from hero to villain, dithering over a long kick from Leinster in his own 22 before a hurried pass inside to Kibirige, who dropped the ball to give the away side a scrum.

From the scrum, the referee awarded a penalty and Reid was on target to win the cup for his team.

After 100 minutes the Irishmen were ecstatic, the Geordies despondent, but the Falcons have two infinitely more important matches coming up against Bedford and if it were possible to guarantee promotion by losing last night, not one person in Kingston Park last night would have been unhappy with that.