Newcastle Falcons 29 – 41 Bath: Player ratings as Bath reach Premiership Rugby Cup final
Today at 07:00 AM
By Harvey Allen
Bath came out triumphant in a close affair against Newcastle Falcons, to send themselves to the final of the Premiership Rugby Cup.
Newcastle drew first blood after a quick-thinking Brett Connon kicked across to Alex Hearle, who just had one defender to beat to the line. Ethan Staddon would then grab Bath's first, with some quick hands from the backline leaving the flanker on the overlap to run it in the corner.
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Alfie Barbeary put Bath in the lead after he finished off some well-worked phases to power into the corner. Austin Emens would extend Bath's lead after a kick through from Ciaran Donoghue found the fullback. However, Falcons got one back before half time after some hard lines broke the Bath defence and Murray McCallum burst over to score.
Ben Stevenson got Falcons back into the lead, with Connon's chip setting up the winger to run it in. It would then be Stevenson's own boot that set up his next try, catching his own effort and running it through a clear field.
Bath weren't out of the game yet, with an offload finding the hands of Emens for his second. Francois van Wyk's try, carrying just over the line, was sent up to TMO, but was ruled a try for Bath to take back the lead. Staddon got back up after a huge hit to sneak his way past the Falcons' defence to potentially put the game to bed.
Donoghue put three more points on the board to seal the win for Bath, who will go on to play either Exeter Chiefs or Ealing Trailfinders in the Premiership Rugby Cup final next week.
Newcastle Falcons: 29
TRIES: 4 (Hearle 7', McCallum 38', Stevenson 44', 51')
CONVERSIONS: 3 (Connon 39', 45', 52')
PENALTIES: 1 (Connon 18')
DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 0
RED CARDS: 0
15. Elliott Obatoyinbo 14. Alex Hearle 13. Connor Doherty 12. Sammy Arnold 11. Ben Stevenson 10. Brett Connon 9. Sam Stuart 1. Adam Brocklebank 2. Jamie Blamire 3. Murray McCallum 4. Philip van der Walt 5. Kiran McDonald 6. Freddie Lockwood 7. Cameron Neild 8. Callum Chick (Captain)
Replacements
16. Ollie Fletcher 17. Micky Rewcastle 18. Richard Palframan 19. Sebastian de Chaves 20. Ollie Leatherbarrow 21. James Elliott 22. Kieran Wilkinson 23. Oli Spencer
Bath Rugby: 41
TRIES: 6 (Staddon 20', 73', Barbeary 28', Emens 35', 58', van Wyk 68')
CONVERSIONS: 4 (Donoghue 21', 35', 58', 68')
PENALTIES: 1 (Donoghue 79')
DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 0
RED CARDS: 0
15. Austin Emens 14. Joe Cokanasiga 13. Max Ojomoh 12. Will Butt 11. Ruaridh McConnochie 10. Ciaran Donoghue 9. Tom Carr-Smith 1. Arthur Cordwell 2. Tom Dunn 3. Kieran Verden 4. Ewan Richards (Captain) 5. Ross Molony 6. Arthur Green 7. Ethan Staddon 8. Alfie Barbeary
Replacements
16. Jasper Spandler 17. Francois van Wyk 18. Archie Griffin 19. Harvey Cuckson 20. Miles Reid 21. Neil Le Roux 22. Louie Hennessey 23. Jaco Coetzee
Newcastle Falcons Player Ratings:
15. Elliott Obatoyinbo – 7
He did a fullback's job well: solid in the backfield and commanding the defensive line effectively.
14. Alex Hearle – 7
He scored the opener, before putting in a solid defensive job for the rest of the game.
13. Connor Doherty – 6
He did a good job at the breakdown, and was decent going forward.
12. Sammy Arnold – 8
He put an immense amount of pressure on the Bath defence, leading to setting up his teammates’ scores.
11. Ben Stevenson – 9
He used the overlap effectively, and scored a wonder-try through the help of his own boot.
10. Brett Connon – 9
He completely strung everything together, with his kicks in play setting up two tries and fantastic hands to spread the ball.
9. Sam Stuart – 7
Great box kicking saw Newcastle keep the ball going forward effectively.
1. Adam Brocklebank – 7
He was the main man of a great scrummaging unit from the Falcons.
2. Jamie Blamire – 7
He was effective going forward for Falcons, and proved integral to the set piece.
3. Murray McCallum – 8
He was hard-hitting up front and scored a try doing just that, well deserved.
4. Philip van der Walt – 6
A quiet, yet effective job.
5. Kiran McDonald – 6
He did the job asked of him, didn't add much on top.
6. Freddie Lockwood – 7
He put in a textbook performance, with a few big hits to keep a solid defence.
7. Cameron Neild – 7
He piled on heaps of pressure in defence.
8. Callum Chick (Captain) – 7
He hit hard and stuck out until the end.
Replacements – 6
Palframan was key in defence, supplying turnovers at the breakdown. Nothing special from the rest.
Bath Rugby Player Ratings:
15. Austin Emens – 8
He was solid in the backfield, finishing off two tries to put a cherry on top.
14. Joe Cokanasiga – 5
Quiet.
13. Max Ojomoh – 10
His silky smooth handling helped the Bath backline move the ball seamlessly, setting up numerous tries. Exceptional performance.
12. Will Butt – 6
There wasn't much to write about, a fairly uneventful performance.
11. Ruaridh McConnochie – 7
He provided a great option out wide, but chances didn't really come his way often.
10. Ciaran Donoghue – 8
He was one of Bath's two key backs, who transitioned the ball incredibly fast to create plenty of opportunities.
9. Tom Carr-Smith – 8
Great display of box kicking kept Bath moving forward, as well as quick from the breakdown.
1. Arthur Cordwell – 7
Solid performance defensively and in the scrums.
2. Tom Dunn – 7
He was great in set-piece play and also going forward.
3. Kieran Verden – 7
Strong in every aspect of the game.
4. Ewan Richards (Captain) – 8
Great leadership kept Bath disciplined, proving vital in the last 10 minutes.
5. Ross Molony – 6
Nothing big to write home about.
6. Arthur Green – 6
A good job, but nothing special.
7. Ethan Staddon – 9
Two tries and some great pressure going forward proved decisive in the match.
8. Alfie Barbeary – 7
He had great power in attack and defense, scoring a well-earnt try. However, he was unfortunate to not make it past half time.
Replacements – 8
Francois van Wyk scored to keep Bath in it, with other substitutions setting Bath up for a powerful last 10 minutes.
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