WHAT HAPPENED?
Injury time try steals victory from under home noses
Edinburgh Rugby: 10 Newcastle: 13 The Italo-Scottish community has made a massive contribution to Scottish life disproportionate to their numbers, through the likes of Tom Conti, Luigi Macari, Alexander Trocchi, and Eduardo Paolozzi. Sir Eduardo, of course, celebrated his 80th birthday this year, and is widely regarded as the father of British Pop Art.
To that artistic Pantheon can be added our own Marcus Di Rollo. Always known for flamboyant footwear when off duty, he has long been an artist when in possession. But this season, he has added no little defensive steel to his attacking panache. So much so, indeed, that his former, rather foppish nickname – “Mars” – has been replaced by the much hunkier sounding “The Grim Reaper”. Tonight he cut down the dangerous Falcon winger, Stephenson, so regularly and remorselessly, that sophisticated observers were reminded of the hooded lad with the big scythe in classic Ingemar Bergmann films. While the skipper may have snaffled the man of the Match award tonight, Newcastle discovered that you can run, but you can’t hide from The Reaper, who so nearly secured an epic, and deserved, home win for the Gunners. If Marcus does not get a run in the national team after his form this season, then your correspondent will eat the editorial beanie.
After a useful Falcons opening ten minutes, and while we’re on the aesthetic theme, the sheer beauty of Hugo’s line kicking throughout the game drew appreciative gasps, and frequent chants of “Hugo” from many in the sizeable crowd. Like a dark-haired Percy Montgomery, only with a better tan, the international superstar was generally a rock in defence and lively in attack. And he had to look lively to halt the charging American giant Gross after eight minutes with Newcastle pressing.
Then the Gunners began to take control, with a maul coming close on 15 minutes. The Falcons only just cleared the danger from the subsequent back move by hook or by crook. Two minutes later, Hogg had touched down, only to be called back for the Newcastle penalty for offside. The Edinburgh pack were rumbling their maul to good effect, and it was little surprise when the Newcastle’s South African tighthead Hurter was carded for repeatedly taking the maul down.
With the Gunners camped in the visiting 22, but Newcastle somehow keeping the pack out, it took a super inside flip by Blair to put Callam over untouched for the opening try, goaled by Paterson. The momentum was now very much with the home side and the lead was deserved.
On 28 minutes, though, Paterson seemed to have tidied up loose ball well, placing the ball on the turf, but was slightly unlucky to be pinged for holding on, Burke kicking the penalty. But the Australian missed two fairly straightforward penalties before half-time, to leave the Gunners ahead 7-3 at the break.
The Gunners made a statement of intent early on in the second period, with Hogg outpacing the right wing chasing his own punt, then nailing Burke in good field position. From the scrummage, a sublime Blair flip saw The Reaper slice through on the angle past three defenders to cruise over for the try. But the pass was adjudged to have drifted forward. Substitute Jonny Wilkinson made no mistake a minute later with a penalty, and all of a sudden, Newcastle were only a point off the lead.
With the statutory extensive substitutions in the third quarter, the game rather lost momentum, although the Gunners were comfortably containing the Falcons on the rare occasions when the visitors ran the ball. Going into the last ten minutes, Edinburgh started to turn the screw, with a nice interchange between Hugo and Joiner putting Paterson away on a jinking run; a run that was ended abruptly by a high tackle that ended his game. Godman stroked a penalty for offside shortly afterwards and, as the clock ticked down, the Gunners were looking good for the win.
But they made the mistake of not playing the game in Newcastle’s half as the match approached no-side, and two uncharacteristic sliced clearances by Godman and then Hugo kept them under unnecessary pressure. Newcastle showed their class by grabbing the lifeline with both hands, putting Stephenson over for the converted try on 80 minutes that gave them the lead.
Edinburgh were not finished, though, and surged back to the Newcastle 22, spurning the penalty that would have tied the game, and went for the win. Despite a number of attacking lineouts and useful mauls, only disrupted by stray Falcons emerging in the most unexpected places, they were not able to drive over for the try that would have given them the victory that their play deserved.
The result leaves Newcastle in the driving seat in the group, needing only one more win to qualify. They are a tidy side, with a good defence and plenty of pace in the backs. Their young stand off looks promising, and they are blessed with a fabulous bunch of fans. There is no reason why they cannot surprise a few people in the knockout stages.
For Edinburgh, lightning has struck twice in two weeks. Their own errors again lost them the game, when they had done all the hard work to take the points. Their sense of frustration is mounting, and someone somewhere is going to pay. Big time. Could it be Ulster, whose current home form is not the best, next Friday night at Ravenhill? As Christmas approaches, the festive Celtic games offer the Gunners an excellent chance to progress from near things to victories and start to climb back up the League again.
MAN OF THE MATCH
TODD BLACKADDER for leading by example.
SCORERS:
Edinburgh: Paterson 1C, Godman 1P, Callam 1T
Newcastle: Burke 1P, Wilkinson 1P 1C, Stephenson 1T
TEAMS
EDINBURGH: Hugo, Paterson, The Grim Reaper, MacDougall, Joiner, Laney, Blair, Jacobsen, Hall, Smith, Pringle, Kellock, Blackadder, Callam, Hogg. Replacements: Kelly, Dickinson, Murray, Strokosch, Lawson, Godman, Dey.
NEWCASTLE: Burke, May, Noon, Mayerhofler, Stephenson, Walder, Grindal, Isaacson, Long, Hurter, Buist, Hamilton, McCarthy, Charvis, Dowson. Replacements: Ward, Thompson, Grimes, Sititi, Charlton, J. Wilkinson, Taione.
Referee: Mene (France)