Falcons book their quarter-final spot

NEWCASTLE FALCONS clinched Pool Five of the Amlin Challenge Cup with a 20-3 victory over Petrarca Padova at Kingston Park last night.

A first half penalty try and a late solo effort by Gcobani Bobo clinched the victory which sends the Falcons into the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup for the fifth successive year.

Jimmy Gopperth extended his lead as the tournament’s top scorer with a further eight points.

But the result was also mixed with disappointment after they failed to score the four tries which would have guaranteed a home tie in the knockout stages.

The Falcons had to win to top the pool with Montauban breathing down their necks and welcomed back club captain Carl Hayman for the crucial tie.

And the tight-head prop spearheaded the Falcons scrum which earned a penalty try on 16 minutes that looked to have set them on their way.

Gopperth added the conversion to an earlier penalty and kicked another on the stroke of half-time, after Ludovic Mercier got Petrarca off the mark, for a 13-3 lead at the break.

But the Falcons were also chasing a bonus point which would guarantee a home tie in the first knockout stage and frustration grew as time ticked away.

Young replacement prop Grant Shiel went close to scoring his first try for the club on 58 minutes only to lose possession over the line – and that summed up Newcastle’s night.

Bobo beat three defenders to score 13 minutes from time but it was too late to secure maximum points for the Falcons.

Montauban beat Albi 27-20 in the pool’s other tie but also missed out on a bonus point despite tries by Jean Philippe Viard, Abdellatif Boutaty and Felix Le Bourhis.

Worcester had all three back-row players sent to the sin-bin in their 8-3 loss at Montpellier. James Collins, Tom Wood and Matt Cox all saw the yellow cards in separate incidents at Stade Yves du Manoir.

Worcester led 3-0 at the end of a tense first half thanks to Matthew Jones’ 11th-minute penalty.

But Marc Giraud went over in the 62nd minute before Jaques Schutte added a late penalty to condemn Worcester to third setback in Pool Two.

■ Newcastle Falcons fullback Tom Catterick scored two tries on his England Under-20s debut, as they defeated Cambridge University 61-7.

Catterick, who made his Falcons first team debut this season, joined fellow Newcastle players Will Welch and Alex Gray in the England starting XV, while prop Kieran Brookes came on from the bench.

The evening was a particularly encouraging one for head coach Mark Mapletoft as he prepares the side for the tournament opener against Wales at Gloucester on February 5 (7.45pm).

“We know strength in depth is the key to being competitive in the Six Nations and in the Junior World Championship,”

said Mapletoft.

“You’re always a bit apprehensive and I didn’t know how we’d go but I’m really pleased with the performance.

“Defensively after we’d conceded an early score we looked composed when we could have been rattled and nine tries was a good return.

“We still lack a bit of a cutting edge, making breaks and the last pass going to ground, but that’s all part of the learning process and the development of these young athletes.”

■ England have confirmed a 2010 autumn Test schedule that will include Twickenham clashes against all three Tri- Nations teams.

Australia are first up for Martin Johnson’s men on November 13, with world champions South Africa arriving two weeks later and then New Zealand on December 4.

The Investec-sponsored series also includes a November 20 appointment with Samoa.

All four games will kick off at 2.30pm.