Newcastle crush Connacht
Newcastle crush Connacht
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Middlesbrough crashed to a 2-0 defeat away at Basel in the Uefa Cup quarter-final first leg and will need a superb home performance to make it through to their first ever European semi-final. |
Friday, 31, Mar 2006 10:00
Newcastle Falcons booked their place in the European Challenge Cup semi-finals with a comfortable 23-3 win over Connacht.
Fly-half Toby Flood made the most of his chance in the first team, scoring two penalties and a fine solo try in the first half as Dave Walder watched from the bench.
The Irish province could not get into the game and could only reply with a Paul Warwick penalty just before the break.
The second half was uneventful in the terrible weather until second-row Mike McCarthy sealed the win with a close-range try.
In Wales's Celtic League, the Llanelli Scarlets beat the Neath-Swansea Ospreys 30-17 as Gavin Henson was booed throughout.
Wales and Lions centre Henson had made some derogatory comments about Scarlets players in his book, 'My Grand Slam Year'.
The home team responded with first-half tries from centres Lee Byrne and Regan King, which proved the difference between the sides.
King's try was the best moment of the game, as a slick move starting in the Scarlets' 22 ended with the New Zealander scoring under the posts.
The game had been poised at 11-9 and King's score made sure that it would be the Llanelli fans who would go home the happier.
The Scarlets threatened to pull away in the second period, with Mike Hercus on fine form - the fly-half scored 14 points and blazed through the Ospreys defence a number of times.
But the home side were not helped by the sin-binnings of veteran prop John Davies and Irish flanker Simon Easterby.
The Scarlets will play Wasps in next weekend's Powergen Cup final at Twickenham.