Published: Monday, 17th November, 2008 09:00
Exiles out flank Falcons
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Newcastle Falcons 8, London Irish 24
Steffon Armitage
TOBY Booth’s London Irish side stormed up to third in the Guinness Premiership table yesterday with a convincing 24-8 win over Newcastle Falcons.
Flankers Richard Thorpe, Declan Danaher and Steffon Armitage were the three Exiles try scorers as they overturned an early deficit before storming clear in the second half.
Newcastle went in front in the fifth minute at Kingston Park when giant Kiwi lock Mark Sorenson stole lineout ball and fed Brent Wilson, who spotted a gap in the Irish defence and scored for an early 5-0 lead.
That was as good as it got for the home side, though. Not to be out done by Sorenson in the set-piece, Nick Kennedy won a towering lineout six minutes later after Mike Catt kicked for touch and Chris Hala’Ufia battered his way up to the line. The Hoff was held up, but recycled to Thorpe who went over to being the scores level.
Peter Hewat slotted over the penalty to give Irish a lead they would never relinquish. The Aussie full-back then slotted a penalty just before the break to give his side a 10-5 lead.
Falcons 18-year-old fly-half Rory Clegg, who deputised for the injured Jonny Wilkinson, sent over a penalty eight minutes into the second half to bring the home side back within two points, before Irish took the game by the scruff of the neck.
Armitage, dropped to the bench for the trip to Tynecastle, was introduced into the fray after 52 minutes and he did not take long to make his presence felt. Irish overturned a Newcastle scrum in the hosts own 22 and Armitage ran a clever line to score. Hewat slotted the conversion again to open up a nine-point lead.
Armitage also had a hand in the third try, which put the game beyond the hosts. He broke down the left passed the ball inside to Elvis Seveali’i. who set up Danaher for the hat-trick of back row tries on 66 minutes.
The Exiles had a chance late on to claim the bonus-point fourth win, but Shane Geraghty’s ambitious pass went into touch when Seveli’i had the try-line at his mercy.
London Irish: Hewat, Ojo, Seveali'i, Geraghty, Bailey, Catt, Hodgson, Dermody, Paice, Rautenbach, Kennedy, Roche, Thorpe, Danaher, Hala'ufia.
Replacements: Gower for Bailey (74), Lalanne for Hodgson (77), Corbisiero for Dermody (53), Buckland for Paice (61), Lea'aetoa for Rautenbach (64), Johnson for Roche (64), S. Armitage for Hala'ufia (53).
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