NEWCASTLE are refusing to rule Jonny Wilkinson out of next Saturday's Heineken Cup quarter-final against Stade Francais in Paris, but their injury headaches increased yesterday.

Three props were injured against Bath in dreadful conditions which allowed the powerful visiting pack to kill the game as a spectacle and grind out a victory.

The two props who started for the Falcons, skipper Ian Peel and Galo Alvares Quinones, both suffered back injuries and replacement Micky Ward developed a groin problem.

Director of Rugby Rob Andrew said: "It's too early to tell whether they will be fit for next week."

He also refused to be drawn on Wilkinson's situation, but he has not given up hope of the World Cup hero featuring in the biggest game in the club's history.

Six days ahead of the Heineken Cup clash, Newcastle needed to win yesterday to bolster their hopes of qualifying for the high-profile event again next season.

They made the perfect start with a try straight from the kick-off, which Bath failed to collect. The Falcons won the ball and moved it right with Jamie Noon popping up a pass which put No 8 Phil Dowson into a gap. His overhead pass found full back Michael Stephenson and with left winger Ollie Phillips also in the line the overlap was created for Tom May to squeeze in at the corner.

But with Wilkinson's fly half deputy, Dave Walder, missing two penalties on a generally unhappy afternoon, they were unable to add to the score.

Andrew said: "Conditions were terrible. I just hope it's sunny in Paris. We came second best in a poor game.

"It is disappointing, but all our players who took the field showed enormous commitment when their minds could have been elsewhere.

"It's no good crying about this result, we have to come back tomorrow morning and start preparing for Paris."

While Quinones, Newcastle's new Argentinian prop, held his own in the first half against England newcomer Matt Stevens, and young lock Geoff Parling won some good line-out ball, the presence of two more England men, Danny Grewcock and Steve Borthwick, appeared to give Bath an advantage in the second row.

It was their driving which proved decisive as they stepped it up once Newcastle had lost their props, overturning a 5-3 half-time deficit with a penalty and a drop goal by fly half Chris Malone.

A line-out take by Grewcock generated the first of several impressive drives, from which Bath moved the ball into the left corner, where they were awarded a penalty and opted for a scrum.

The Falcons held them and when the ball came back Bath scrum half Martyn Wood was caught by hooker Andy Long and the ball was turned over.

There was early cause for concern for Newcastle when Peel had to retire after 15 minutes to be replaced by Ward, who immediately won the ball on the deck, resulting in a penalty for preventing release. But from just outside the 22 Walder's kick drifted right of the posts.

This heralded a depressingly long period of kicking which was not only aimless but mostly mishit. It would have been merciful had the fog on the Tyne closed in even further to spare the 8,860 crowd from having to witness this misery.

The surface was greasy and a cold, swirling wind did not help, but there was no real excuse for the poor first half fare.

It was briefly illuminated after 25 minutes when an excellent handling move took the Falcons to the 22 on the left.

May, who had been prominent in the move, seized the ball when it ran loose and raced for the corner. He appeared to have made it, but had put a foot in touch.

The poor kicking continued as Bath, aiming for touch, twice kicked penalties dead from inside their own half.

The referee had occasion to speak to Noon for a dangerous tackle and shortly afterwards Malone landed a 40-metre penalty. Walder attempted to reply from just inside halfway, but his effort drifted just right and it remained 5-3 at half-time.

When rain began to fall shortly after the interval there was no chance of the game improving as a spectacle and conditions were far from ideal for Newcastle to re-introduce Matt Burke after his two-month absence following a knee operation.

He went to full back with Stephenson switching to the left wing for Phillips, and they also sent on 19-year-old prop David Wilson for Quinones.

But when they also had to replace Ward with hooker Matt Thompson the last 20 minutes featured uncontested scrums.

By that stage Bath had crept ahead through Malone's second penalty shortly after he missed one from a similar position on the left.

Bath were winning the forward battle against their depleted hosts and a 30-metre drive took them deep into the 22, giving Malone the chance to drop a simple goal.

There were 15 minutes left, but Bath were content to close the game down and the Falcons sent on Mathew Tait on the left wing and Epi Taione at blind side for the industrious Mike McCarthy.

In the last ten minutes they attacked strongly and kept trying to move the ball, but it proved as slippery as an eel and kept going to ground.

The Falcons remain in seventh place and will now struggle to climb any higher.