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Gallagher PremiershipNewcastleWorcester

Former England 10 the difference as Falcons win relegation dogfight

Toby Flood goes over in the first half

Ex-England fly-half Toby Flood scored 12 points to inspire Newcastle Falcons to their first home win since November as the Premiership’s bottom side beat fellow strugglers Worcester Warriors 17-6 at Kingston Park.

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The Falcons started the day nine points adrift of Worcester in the table but first-half tries from Zach Kibirige and Flood helped close the gap to five points as they boosted their survival hopes.

Flood, who won 60 caps for England between 2006 and 2014, converted both of those scores and also slotted over a 14th-minute penalty.

Worcester’s only points came from the boot of Duncan Weir and they were unable to produce a comeback after the interval, with no points scored in the second half.

Continue reading below…

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Newcastle had been beaten in each of their previous four home games in all competitions since beating Bath in November, yet they went ahead early on, Kibirige picking up a loose ball and bursting through a gap in the middle of Worcester’s defence to dot down.

Weir scored two penalties either side of a three-pointer from Flood, who then went over from close range before extending his side’s lead to 11 points with a successful conversion.

Kibirige was denied a second score by the TMO having lost the ball in the act of scoring after collecting his own kick, yet Newcastle would see out the win.

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Comments on RugbyPass

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Hellhound 17 minutes ago
'We struggled': Ex-All Black first five backs Springboks to end Eden Park streak

Blah blah blah. The Boks is 4 deep in every position and no top players in any position. Age won't be a problem. Neither will the Boks be a weak run over. Arrogance and over estimation of current AB's players is what is going to make the AB's go down 2-0 again. Clearly not having watched the Boks closely since the WC in 2023, you have missed the amount of players that's been used. The depth that has been build. It was all over the news and still is. Just by taking out 5 players alone, the Boks age grade drops by at least 2-3 years. By the next WC, they will already be more experienced than most players in other teams, including the AB's. This AB's team is good, but definitely not great and can barely beat a C team French. There is many good players in NZ, but very little depth. Despite SA losing so much talent to other countries, the wheels keep churning out absolute stars, and the sad thing is that many will be lost to the Boks due to other great stars already filling those positions, with other young great stars backing them up. The Boks have so many players in every position,they can employ any strategy they wish and still beat all comers. Can the AB's or other teams do that? No team is undefeatable, not even the Boks. However, unless the Boks lose deliberately or another team bring nothing but their A game and a near flawless game plan, they will lose. As usual these 2 Tests between them will be absolutely great and very very close. When it comes to the Boks vs AB's, ranking doesn't matter. Experience doesn't matter. Nothing matters except the game. Neither ever wants to lose against each other. Every game is like a WC final. But to write of the double WC champs as old? Players who have beaten the AB's 4 games in a row? Players who have won the last WC by 1 point each in the knockouts? Players who knows how to bend but not break in the toughest and tightest games? That knows how to win? Take off the blinders, judge not by emotion, but by logic and common sense. Stats. Facts. Performance. Skill. Everyone wants their team to win and that is a great thing. You and everyone wants to talk about the Georgians and Italy as no contest and the Boks going into the RC as “under cooked”. The Boks never moved out of 2nd gear, experimenting, changing of complete game plans, almost complete team changes, without losing a step. Absolutely destroying these weak teams. Something this AB's side couldn't do to a weak C French team. Last year the Boks used 55 players, and so far used 49 ( would be more if not for injuries ) this year, with the RC still to come, and the EOYT. Last year the Boks only lost 2 tests by 1 point each with these same so called “OLD” players. What's going to be the excuse when the AB's lose against these “OLD” players? The ref again? Or Rassie's innovative experiments? Do not be glib or blind. Show respect where it's due and respect the opposition and what they have achieved. Don't like the current narrative where more and more pundits calls this Bok team to be the best ever team? Better than the AB's of 2011-2015? To me, this is a different time, different players. I don't like to compare teams unless they are the same era. Then that team was the best. Currently it is the Boks. Should the Boks make it a triple WC crown, they would arguably be seen as the best ever team. That argument of the best team ever will carry on until the end of the 2027 WC. Currently this AB team have great potential with tweaks here and there, and with Mouanga back in the frame, it's a big step up. No win is guaranteed. Overhyping players and games does no good for the players on the field, just adding extra pressure that will lead to individual mistakes on the field that will cost a team a game.

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Hammer Head 1 hour ago
'We struggled': Ex-All Black first five backs Springboks to end Eden Park streak

All things being equal - the ABs have home ground advantage. So they are favourites to win both tests.


Small margins - 1-3 points difference per test in favour of the ABs.

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TokoRFC 1 hour ago
New Zealand just needs to look at the NPC to change eligibility laws

And lazy jounos like Mr. Bidwell jump on that and bag it without investigating the value it really creates or how it could be improved. It isn’t perfect and could be tweaked, but rugby in NZ would be a lot poorer without it.

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IkeaBoy 1 hour ago
British & Irish Lions player ratings vs Wallabies | 3rd Test 2025 Lions series

None of us are! Sure as long as she makes the effort but don’t get too excited!


Our famous, maiden knockout win. We’ll get a bank holiday for it back home in Ireland. All the school kids will want to play rugby and become heroes. They’ll probably make a movie about it.


Then we’ll get 30 PTS dumped on us in the Quarters.


Business as usual, pal!

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YeowNotEven 1 hour ago
Ex-All Black named in Wallabies squad for Rugby Championship

Give Tane a run yeow Joe.

If he’s just going to hold tackle bags then send him over to Habour to get some time in the NPC.

They just lost Pellegrini to international duties with Tonga.

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TokoRFC 1 hour ago
Andy Farrell left with tough Ireland decisions to make after mixed Lions Tour

Can they replicate that in Ireland though?


Depth has often been their Achilles heal for a long time. They produce would class players no doubt about it, but the drop off from the test 23 to squad players can be pretty steep when injuries inevitably occur (see props). If you take away incoming foreign players that could become eligible after 3 years which is now extended to 5. The job for Andy Farrell and his men to maintain their success becomes tricky.


Even with their golden generation of players they were strong in cohesion and continuity rather than player resources. Injuries can really effect a team like Ireland, we might see more choppy seas than smooth sailing in the emerald isles going forward.

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J Marc 1 hour ago
How group of spoiled Racing 92 players drove Stuart Lancaster 'insane'

No news from Mac Kenzie. But, in France, sports agents are often used to make a noise for a better salary. I suppose it's the same thing abroad…

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JW 1 hour ago
New Zealand just needs to look at the NPC to change eligibility laws

Yes mind boggling to think that NZR could have the opinion it wasn’t fit for purpose.

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DP 1 hour ago
Andy Farrell left with tough Ireland decisions to make after mixed Lions Tour

They’ll copy SA and France, it’s the only way for sustained success.

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JW 1 hour ago
New Zealand just needs to look at the NPC to change eligibility laws

Yep back in the day as a youngster (before you could get really stuck in yourself playing) you were waiting for NPC to start, buy you’d also go down to the club and see the likes of Joeli or Jonah running around with the boys. Small towns 5-10-15k would have hundreds and thousands down at the local club games sometimes, when teams lined up with lots of provincial players. It used to be a great boon to clubs and fans, then SR came along.


So now that immersion takes place only for the club player than can make it into his province, with general a handful or SR players also being involved at least. Not quite as accessible to everyone, but plays out on the screens at least. It was a big reason given for guys quitting the game when that interaction was removed from club rugby.

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TokoRFC 1 hour ago
Richie Mo'unga signs new deal with New Zealand Rugby

Oh no doubt its good, I would have liked him back earlier ideally

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Over the sideline 1 hour ago
Richie Mo'unga signs new deal with New Zealand Rugby

Yeah the SA tour size will be crazy.

Im reading LF is available for the EOYYs if required. Not the Bledisloe tho.

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JW 1 hour ago
New Zealand just needs to look at the NPC to change eligibility laws

I don’t think theres any such rational thinking in his article CP.


Take it at face value, he similar choses to go into the face of popularity, or with it. Like the flip of a coin.

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O
Over the sideline 1 hour ago
Richie Mo'unga signs new deal with New Zealand Rugby

They certainly finish way earlier than LF did in France but I’m happy with the policy. If Mounga was keen to play test rugby he could have been playing last year and this year. I have no issue with players doing that at all but it’s a choice they make knowing the system they play in.

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BeegMike 1 hour ago
Richie Mo'unga signs new deal with New Zealand Rugby

Fair point😂... think Razor might be placing too much hope on a single player that could get injured.

36 Go to comments
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JW 1 hour ago
New Zealand just needs to look at the NPC to change eligibility laws

Hmm, I didn’t find it surprising (but I did see it as amusing lol) where in Nick Bishops recent article asking for overseas selection, upon the news that RA can select from anywhere and excited fan asks who he thinks would be worth looking at, and the answer was only Josh Kemeny and James Ramm, oh and Paisami?


Not exactly names that are going to have any relevance to such an euphoric occasion lol

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J
JW 1 hour ago
Richie Mo'unga signs new deal with New Zealand Rugby

What other 10s

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J
JW 2 hours ago
Richie Mo'unga signs new deal with New Zealand Rugby

Someone reported that NZR said he’s not available this year at all.


The tour of SA is going to have a huge squad 60+, I’m guessing that’s going to be in October now..

36 Go to comments
J
JW 2 hours ago
Richie Mo'unga signs new deal with New Zealand Rugby

He’ll already be too old at WC time, don’t want him any longer.

36 Go to comments
B
BeegMike 2 hours ago
Richie Mo'unga signs new deal with New Zealand Rugby

Good way to breed discontent in the team, particularly the other 10’s.

36 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Generation gap: Can we meaningfully compare players separated by half a century? Generation gap: Can we meaningfully compare players separated by half a century?