A good win for the Falcons today, beating Northampton. Good win, 32 - 22, Wilkinson scoring 22 points, including a drop-goal with his wrong foot. Looks a bit chunky, unless he was wearing body-armour.

Good win aye, i've not been though for a couple of years

Speaking of rugby, heres the european draws

HEINEKEN CUP

GROUP 1: Munster, Clermont-Auvergne, Montauban, Sale
GROUP 2: Castres, Edinburgh, Leinster, London Wasps
GROUP 3: Leicester Tigers, Perpignan, The Ospreys, Benetton Treviso
GROUP 4: Stade Francais, Llanelli, Ulster, London Harlequins
GROUP 5: Toulouse, Bath, Newport-Gwent, Glasgow
GROUP 6: Biarritz, Gloucester, Cardiff, Calvisano

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP

GROUP 1: London Irish, Dax, Connacht, Rovigo
GROUP 2: Northampton, Toulon, Bristol, Montpellier
GROUP 3: Bourgoin, Worcester, Petrarca Padova, Bucharest
GROUP 4: Newcastle, Brive, Overmach Parma, Cetransa El Salvador
GROUP 5: Bayonne, London Saracens, Mont de Marsan, Viadana

Brive are a tough team, but other than that, its an easy enough group.

Saracens at Vicarage Rd on Sunday - lets have a repeat of last year

The same Brive side that they beat home and away last season both impressively.

I dont hold out much hope about the game at Saracens, apart from the great win last season, their record there is pretty much total wank

Wasps just lost their 3rd successive game today

Bristol 6-9 Sale Sharks
Gloucester 24-20 London Harlequins
London Irish 16-20 Bath
Northampton 24-20 London Wasps
Worcester 17-19 Leicester

TOMORROW
London Saracens v Newcastle

TABLE
1. Leicester ........ 12
2. Sale Sharks ........ 12
3. London Harlequins ........ 10
4. Bath ........ 9
---------------------------------
5. Northampton ........ 8
6. Gloucester ........ 8
7. London Irish ........ 6
8. Newcastle ........ 5
9. Worcester ........ 5
10. London Saracens ........ 2
11. London Wasps ........ 2
---------------------------------
12. Bristol ........ 1

I almost went to Vicarage Rd, but half the underground was down and parking is a nightmare, so I missed the 5 try thrashing

44-0 down witn 10 minutes left, a right pasting indeed

Much better from the Falcons last night - Gloucester up next!!!!!

With Gloucester coming up, they needed that win, i dont think now they'll be in serious relegation trouble because Bristol already look like relegation certainties, i think it'll be between them and Northampton with the Falcons battling Worcester for 9th

TABLE AT THE MOMENT

1. Sale ...... 16
2. Leicester ...... 12
3. London Harlequins ...... 10
4. Bath ...... 9
5. NEWCASTLE ...... 9
6. Northampton ...... 8
7. Gloucester ...... 8
8. London Saracens ...... 7
9. London Irish ...... 6
10. London Wasps ...... 6
11. Worcester ...... 5
12. Bristol ...... 1

VITAL win this weekend. We have to beat the likes of Bristol .... really reassuring to see JW in such good form, a much better performance overall, as you say. Back row shaping up nicely.

what an exciting premiership it's turning out to be this year .... watched the Qunns / Exiles game yesterday .... first class attacking rugby

Wilkinson got injured again last night Suspected knee ligament damage.

We managed to score three tries but went down 39 - 23

We were well in the game (19-16 at one point) before Wilko went off, no bloody luck eh

Oh well, its away to Newport-Gwent next in the european challenge cup, only realistic chance of Heineken cup qualification

Wilkinson out for 5 months - dislocated knee :Poor fecker gets no luck

That'll hurt

35 minutes gone

Newcastle 21-0 Cetransa El Salvador

EDIT: Falcons ended up winning 63-0

Weekend's local results

EURPOEAN CHALLENGE CUP - Thursday
Brive ........ 36-22 ........ Newcastle Falcons ouch

RFU NATIONAL LEAGUE TWO
Cambridge ........ 39-28 ........ Blaydon
Tynedale ........ 29-20 ........ Southend

EDF NATIONAL TROPHY - 1st ROUND
Bedford Athletic ........ 17-47 ........ South Shields Westoe
Huddersfield ........ 54-10 ........ Aspatria
Hull Ionians ........ 26-7 ........ Darlington Mowden Park
Kendal ........ 62-7 ........ Halifax
Loughborough Students ........ 73-12 ........ Harrogate
Morpeth ........ 22-21 ........ South Leicester

I'm feeling a bit more optimistic about the Falcons' this season.

The win against Gloucester was as welcome as it was unexpected. Although we lost against Brive, it was good battling performance in difficult conditions against a good side on one hell of a run of form.

The 7-try victory over Cetransa El Salvador puts us into the last 16 of the Challenge Cup.

The lads have a couple of weeks off now to prepare for the crunch game against Bristol - a must win fixture

I'm more concerned about the long term future of the club.

It looks as if Wilkinson may leave for France in the Summer. With Matthew Tait and Toby Flood already allowed to depart, the ground sold to the University of Northumbria and Carl Hayman likely to head home at the end of this season, a year before the end of his long term contract, I worry about the direction we are taking.

Crowds have been poor this season, rarely passing the 5,000 mark. I've got tickets for the away matches against Wasps and Quinns, and I might try to get to the quarter final at Sarries.

Although we should survive this season, I think that as with the Toon, expectations have been 'downsized' and that the Falcons are heading for a long period in the wilderness

I worry too mate, but if we do stay up i dont see Wilko leaving. If we do get relegated though then the introduction of a 12 team professional league below the premiership next season will help a lot.

Bristol 3-35 Newcastle. Great win. This will go a long way towards ensuring Premiership survival and hopefully climb the table

In terms of important wins, this was the big one, possibly the most crucial result of the season

BOTTOM HALF

7. London Saracens ........ 31
8. Northampton ........ 27
9. Newcastle ........ 21
10. London Wasps ........ 20
11. Worcester ........ 18
---------------------------------
12. Bristol ........ 9

The Falcons win again, beating Sarries 13-9

Thats now 3 league wins in a row and 4 wins from 5 in all competitions, thats us pretty much safe now

TABLE NOW

1. Sale ................ 45
2. Gloucester ................ 45
3. London Irish ................ 41
4. Bath ................ 40
----------------------------------------------
5. London Harlequins ................ 35
6. Leicester ................ 34
7. London Saracens ................ 32
8. Northampton ................ 27
9. Newcastle ................ 25
10. London Wasps ................ 24
11. Worcester ................ 18
----------------------------------------------
12. Bristol ................ 9

All better considering they now have 2 tricky away games coming up at Northampton then Sale before Harlequins come to KP

Great stuff - I've got tickets for the away games at Wasps and Harlequins. I'm really looking forward to them now

rugby is poo

The rules are rather complex, so I wouldn't expect most women to understand the game

I don't. I've watched several games and have concluded that there are no rules in rugby.

QED

(Thinks...... a blonde goth???? )

NORTHAMPTON 13-19 NEWCASTLE

4 league wins in a row, the falcons are flying high. Never mind relegation, hows about a late push for a Heineken Cup place eh

GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP TABLE

1. Gloucester ........ 51
2. Sale Sharks ........ 45
3. London Irish ........ 43
4. Bath ........ 42
---------------------------------------
5. London Harlequins ........ 39
6. Leicester Tigers ........ 39
7. London Saracens ........ 32
8. London Wasps ......... 29
9. Northampton Saints ........ 29
10. Newcastle Falcons ........ 29
11. Worcester Warriors ........ 22
----------------------------------------
12. Bristol ........ 9

Brilliant stuff - 3 tries in the opening 15 minutes.


Sale (a) next

Nowt to fear, we've got a good record against them

I've been proved right

SALE 25-32 NEWCASTLE

Not only that, but 4 tries as well, meaning a bonus point. Thats now 5 wins on the bounce, 3 of them away from home , what the hell have Steve Bates and Alan Tait done to get it so right?

I listened to it on Radio newcastle and they were saying that it was a good a game of Rugby as you'll ever see, a cracking game

GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP

1. Gloucester ........ 51
2. Leicester ........ 47
3. London Harlequins ........ 47
4. Sale ........ 47
--------------------------------------
5. Bath ........ 47
6. London Irish ........ 45
7. London Saracens ........ 37
8. Newcastle ........ 34
9. London Wasps ........ 33
10. Northampton ........ 33
11. Worcester ........ 22
--------------------------------------
12. Bristol ........ 10

And apparently, sales of season tickets next season at KP are going through the roof, on the downside though Davey Wilson signed for Bath this week.

I watched it on Sky - an absolute cracker of a game.

Saw the highlights of it for myself this afternoon and it was simple, we started slowly but once the pack got going we were unstoppable, Carl Hayman was a colossus, Tom May's kicking was great but most of all, i was impressed with the young kid Jon Golding at number 1, some of the pundits afterwards were saying that he might have a chance with England soon.

Carl Hayman to stay

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_unio...tle/7942576.stm

Its SIX wins in a row FALCONS 24-16 QUINS

I listened to it on radio newcastle, excellent game with Tom May absolutely outstanding at fly half, they've gone down a place despite tha though because of Northampton thumping Sale yesterday

TABLE

1. Gloucester ........ 55
2. Leicester ........ 51
3. London Irish ........ 51
4. Bath ........ 48
--------------------------------
5. Harlequins ........ 47
6. Sale ........ 47
7. Saracens ........ 42
8. Northampton ........ 38
9. Newcastle ........ 38
10. London Wasps ........ 34
11. Worcester ........ 22
--------------------------------
12. Bristol ........ 11

Tough game next week though, a trip to Bath

Any tougher than Sale? We are on a roll

I've got my tickets for the Wasps game in three weeks time - it should be a classic

Bath are a different kettle of fish though, damn good team and we have a shite record down there, i live in hope though.

This makes good reading too

LAST 6-GAME FORM TABLE

1. Newcastle ...... 26
2. Leicester ...... 20
3. Harlequins ...... 20
4. Gloucester ...... 18
5. London Wasps ...... 18
6. Saracens ...... 16
7. Northampton ...... 15
8. Bath ...... 14
9. London Irish ...... 12
10. Sale Sharks ...... 12
11. Worcester ...... 4
12. Bristol ...... 1

All good things must come to an end

Put up a good fight though, getting 3 tries at Bath is no mean feat, but the good news today is Bristol's defeat at Wasps, it means we are now officially safe from relegation.

Really hopeful for next weeks visit of Leicester, a good win could put the Falcons into the top 7

Almost forgot about last nights win

NEWCASTLE 14-10 LEICESTER

7 wins from 8 now putting us up into the top 7, and the highest attendance of the season too at over 7,500, Newcastle are now just 1 place and 9 points off a Heineken Cup place

1. Leicester ........ 57
2. Gloucester ........ 56
3. London Irish ........ 55
4. Bath ........ 53
-------------------------------
5. London Harlequins ........ 52
6. Sale Sharks ........ 51
7. Newcastle ........ 42
8. London Saracens ........ 42
9. Northampton ........ 39
10. London Wasps ........ 38
11. Worcester ........ 26
-------------------------------
12. Bristol ........ 12

Still looking good

Team P W D L F A BP PTS
1 Leicester 19 12 1 6 456 354 7 57
2 Gloucester 19 12 0 7 404 361 8 56
3 London Irish 19 10 1 8 464 329 13 55
4 Bath 18 10 2 6 466 376 9 53
5 Harlequins 18 11 1 6 403 330 6 52
6 Sale 19 11 0 8 364 349 7 51
7 Saracens 19 9 0 10 398 376 10 46
8 Newcastle 19 9 1 9 330 398 4 42
9 Northampton 19 8 1 10 364 371 5 39
10 Wasps 18 8 0 10 335 367 7 39
11 Worcester 18 5 2 11 284 424 2 26
12 Bristol 19 2 1 16 257 490 7 17

There are six of us going to the Wasps game on Sunday. For the first time in a long while I think we will beat them

I watched them on sunday against Sarries, they were shite apart from Cipriani's kicking, but difference is they'll have their England players back including Sackey

It'll be tough but i fancy us to get at least a losing bonus point from the trip, need a win though if they want to keep any realistic hopes of a top 6 finish.

I'll be at Westoe though on Saturday, there'll be a big crowd for their final home game against Birkenhead, if they win and Hull lose at West Hartlepool, then the Shieldsmen will be promoted into the realms of NATIONAL LEAGUE RUGBY!! (Rugby's equivalent of league 2)

North Division One Table going into final 2 games

1. Westoe ................ 34
2. Hull ................ 32
3. Sheffield ................ 28
4. Birkenhead ................ 27
5. Morley ................ 26
6. Middlesbrough ................ 18
7. West Hartlepool ................ 16
8. Beverley ................ 16
9. Stockport ................ 16
10. Cleckheaton ................ 11
11. West Park St Helens ................ 8
12. Darlington ................ 4

Oh and in case youre interested, Westoe are coached part time by Falcons back Russell Witner and full time by Falcons legend Joe Shaw

Westoe are nearly there, they only need to match Hull's result in their final game away to Beverley to secure promotion to National League 3 North That is after today's 25-0 win against Birkenhead

EDF NORTH 1 TOP 6
team-difference-points

1. Westoe ................ +447 ................ 36
2. Hull ................ +409 ................ 34
3. Morley ................ +232 ................ 28
4. Sheffield Tigers ................ +165 ................ 28
5. Birkenhead ................ +26 ................ 27
6. Middlesbrough ................ +65 ................ 20

Unlucky yesterday - we were awful in the first half, but dominated the second.

We were ideally placed in the crowd for our "try" but the ref wasn't and did not see the ball grounded so he couldn't award it.

Poor refereeing all day cost us the game but our handling errors didn't help

To be fair, we did well to limit Wasps to 4 penalties, i've seen the hgihlights and the defensive line was awesome, jsut wish the same could be said of the football team's defensive line

The Lads didn't turn up in the first half. Having said that, Quins were superb - they went for the bonus point from the start - kicking for the corner rather than take an easy three points.

The Falcons came back in the second half but it was too little too late. Its a shame that May is leaving. We'll miss him

He's not the only one going, Davey Wilson's moved to Bath, Parling's going to Leicester, Dowson's off to London Irish and both Wilko and Noon could follow may to Frog country. Unless they've got some decent replacements lined up either in transfers or through the academy then i really fear for the Falcons next season especially with Leeds getting promoted and reportedly spending big big money this summer.

A bit of celebration for me though, my local rugby side Westoe got promoted to National League 3 last week coached by Russell Winter and the Falcons legend Joe Shaw

We've got a decent kiwi fly half called Willy Moala if the Falcons want him young and he hardly misses his kicks

RUGBY FIXTURES FOR 1ST DAY OF 2009-10 SEASON

GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP
Gloucester ...... v ...... Bath
Leeds Carnegie ...... v ...... NEWCASTLE FALCONS
London Wasps ...... v ...... Harlequins
Northampton Saints ...... v ...... Worcester Warriors
Sale Sharks ...... v ...... Leicester Tigers
Saracens ...... v ...... London Irish

GUINNESS CHAMPIONSHIP
Bristol ...... v ...... London Welsh
Coventry ...... v ...... Rotherham Titans
Doncaster Knights ...... v ...... Bedford Blues
Nottingham ...... v ...... (Cornish) Penzance Pirates
Moseley ...... v ...... Exeter Chiefs
Plymouth Albion ...... v ...... Birmingham & Solihull

NATIONAL DIVISION 1
BLAYDON ........ v ........ Otley
Cinderford ........ v ........ Launceston
London Scottish ........ v ........ Sedgley Park
Manchester ........ v ........ Esher
Newbury ........ v ........ TYNEDALE
Redruth ........ v ........ Cambridge
Stourbridge ........ v ........ Blackheath
Wharfedale ........ v ........ Nuneaton

NATIONAL DIVISION 2 NORTH
Broadstreet ........ v ........ Bradford & Bingley
HARROGATE ........ v ........ Rugby Lions
Hull ........ v ........ Fylde
KENDAL ........ v ........ Leicester Lions
Loughborough Students ........ v ........ Macclesfield
Preston Grasshoppers ........ v ........ Hull Ionians
Waterloo ........ v ........ Huddersfield
SOUTH SHIELDS WESTOE ........ v ........ Caldy

NATIONAL DIVISION 2 SOUTH
Barking ........ v ........ Shelford
Bridgwater & Albion ........ v ........ Barnes
Canterbury ........ v ........ Lydney
Dings Crusaders ........ v ......... Richmond
Ealing ........ v ........ Mounts Bay
Henley ........ v ........ Westcombe Park
Rosslyn Park ........ v ........ Clifton
Worthing ........ v ........ Southend

And the European competitions draws

HEINEKEN CUP
POOL 1: Munster, Perpignan, Northampton Saints, Benetton Treviso
POOL 2: Gloucester, Biarritz, Glasgow Warriors, Newport-Gwent
POOL 3: Leicester Tigers, Ospreys, Clermont Auvergne, Viadana
POOL 4: Stade Francais, Bath, Edinburgh, Ulster
POOL 5: Cardiff Blues, Toulouse, London Harlequins, Sale Sharks
POOL 6: Leinster, London Irish, Llanelli, Brive

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP
POOL 1: Bourgoin, Overmach Parma, Leeds Carnegie, Bucharest
POOL 2: Worcester Warriors, Montpellier, Connacht, Olympus Madrid
POOL 3: London Saracens, Toulon, Castres, Rovigo
POOL 4: London Wasps, Bayonne, Racing Metro, Calvisano
POOL 5: Montauban, Newcastle Falcons, Albi, Petrarca Padova