Falcons go down to PAU

Newcastle Falcons were on the wrong end of a nail-biter on south-west France on Sunday as Pau edged an entertaining opener in the EPCR Challenge Cup.

The hosts led 11-7 at half-time and drew first blood when fly-half Axel Desperes slotted a simple penalty from 15 metres out in front – the pre-match rain having thankfully abated despite both sides still having to contend with a drenched playing surface.

Newcastle surged in front on 12 minutes when they kicked a penalty to the left corner and drove over from the resulting line-out, Sebastian de Chaves taking the ball at two before Ollie Fletcher steered the maul over the line.

Kieran Wilkinson slotted the conversion on his competitive debut having recovered from a pre-season knee injury, but the home side were soon in front again when they kicked a penalty to the left corner and winger Aaron Grandidier Nkanang scored an unconverted try down the short side.

Eager ruck work from Alex Hearle on his own 22 saw the visitors turning over a Pau attack as the game began to open up, and there were similar defensive heroics from Max Pepper when the scrum-half sprinted back 70 metres to prevent what seemed a certain score from a counter-attack.

Pau had to contend themselves with a simple penalty from in front of the posts 33 minutes in to extend their interval lead to four points, but Newcastle regained the ascendancy just three minutes into the second period.

Once again it came from a penalty kicked to the corner – this time the right-hand side – with De Chaves rising high for another line-out take before Fletcher kept a cool head at the base of an advancing maul.

That put the Falcons ahead by a single point, but the home side were not taking it lying down and got themselves back in front when lockJimi Maximin powered over from a pick and go in the right corner with Newcastle seeing Ben Stevenson sent to the sin bin.

Axel Desperes added the conversion, but the see-saw scoring pattern continued on the hour mark when Freddie Lockwood dived in for Newcastle’s third try, rounding off a flowing passage of handling play which ended with simple hands along the line to exploit the space.

Brett Connon’s touchline conversion put the Falcons up by one going into the closing quarter, but yet again it lasted less than two minutes as replacement hooker Youri Delhommel broke a tackle and sped in for Pau’s third try, converted by Desperes.

Newcastle had a chance to nick it at the death when they kicked a penalty to the left corner, but the home pack rose high to steal the line-out and rubbed salt in the wound with Eliott Roudil’s breakaway try for a bonus point.

Newcastle Falcons: 15 Ben Redshaw (Oli Spencer, 64), 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Alex Hearle, 12 Cameron Hutchison, 11 Ben Stevenson, 10 Kieran Wilkinson (Brett Connon, 57), 9 Max Pepper (Hugh O’Sullivan, 57); 1 Murray McCallum (Micky Rewcastle, 71), 2 Ollie Fletcher (Bryan Byrne, 64), 3 Richard Palframan (Callum Hancock, 57), 4 Sebastian de Chaves, 5 Kiran McDonald, 6 Freddie Lockwood, 7 Tom Gordon (Ollie Leatherbarrow, 71), 8 Callum Chick (captain).

Scorers – Tries: Ollie Fletcher 2, Freddie Lockwood. Conversions: Kieran Wilkinson, Brett Connon.

Pau: 15 Clément Mondinat, 14 Aaron Grandidier Nkanang, 13 Olivier Klemenczak, 12 Eliott Roudil (captain), 11 Gregoire Arfeuil, 10 Axel Desperes, 9 Thomas Souverbie, 1 Remi Seneca, 2 Dan Jooste (Youri Delhommel, 52), 3 Jon Zabala Arrieta, 4 Thomas Jolmes, 5 Jimi Maximin, 6 Mehdi Tlili, 7 Reece Hewat, 8 Thibaut Hamonou.

Scorers – Tries: Aaron Grandidier Nkanang, Jimi Maximin, Youri Delhommel, Eliott Roudil. Conversions: Axel Desperes 3. Penalties: Axel Desperes 2.

Referee: Franco Rosella (Italy). Attendance: 5,128.