Sale Sharks programme - 2021

Northern eventually decided to go it alone, buoyed by
their success in the Northumberland Senior Cup the
previous season, which fuelled a belief that they could
regain their status as one of the premier club sides in
the north. There were other factors in play such as a
complex tax situation, as Northern’s McCracken Park
was owned by a ground company and not the club itself.
Northern may have come to rue their decision.
Whilst Gosforth received a real boost from the move to
Kingston Park, culminating in promotion to the top
division in 1993, Northern failed to advance further in
the league structure despite ‘investing’ – to the extent
that you could invest in an amateur game – in two South
Africans who played in the heavy defeat on Boxing Day
1991.
One of them, fly-half Hennie le Roux, went on to win 27
caps for the Springboks and played in the 1995 Rugby
World Cup final victory over the All Blacks. The club
ended up having to sell one of their four pitches to fund
the rebuilding of their clubhouse, and later sold further
land in the north west corner of the site to alleviate
ongoing financial difficulties.
Whilst the Boxing Day derbies involved a short walk
across the road, the closest the Falcons have come to a
derby fixture in the professional era since the decline of
Leeds and West Hartlepool has been the regular
Premiership fixture with Sale - just short of 150 miles
away.
Two of the rare occasions on which the Falcons have
played on Boxing Day have involved matches with Sale.
DECEMBER 26, 2006 – NEWCASTLE
FALCONS 40-25 SALE SHARKS
IIn a high-scoring game in front of a festive crowd of
8,574 it was goal-kicking that proved the essential
difference between the two teams, the visitors missing
with eight shots at goal whilst Toby Flood kicked eight
from eight for the Falcons, who secured a bonus point
victory with a try in the last play of the game.
The Falcons went ahead after just two minutes when
Anthony Elliott went over in the left corner following a
maul on the other side of the pitch. Sale came back
strongly when Lee Thomas’ successful penalty attempt
was followed by a try from wing Chris Mayor.
Sale’s lead was short-lived as Tom May went over
on 21 minutes following a sharp midfield move, in
which Flood and Matthew Tait were prominent. Tait
himself was the next to score with a spectacular
try, made initially by Flood’s chip, chase and offload
to Tait, who stood up Jason Robinson and touched
down under the posts.
As Sale struggled to hit the proverbial barn door off the
tee, they did manage to close the deficit to 18-21 at the
break with tries from hooker Sebastien Bruno and
a second for Mayor.
The Falcons continued to build scoreboard
pressure after the interval as Flood kicked his first two
penalties of the match, and he added a third to extend
the lead to 12 points following a yellow card for Bruno.
Sale then scored their own bonus-point try when
Chris Bell scored in the corner. Scrum-half
Richard Wigglesworth, the Sharks’ third kicker of the
afternoon, added the conversion from the touchline.
Flood’s fourth penalty restored an eight-point lead
for the Falcons, and with the last play of the game
they secured turnover ball in their own 22 for Flood to
feed Burke, whose scoring pass enabled winger John
Rudd to run in from his own half.
The teams that day were as follows:
Newcastle: A.Elliott; T.May; A.Tait (rep.M.Burke 67);
M.Mayerhofler (rep.L.Crichton 50); J.Rudd; T.Flood;
J.Grindal (rep.L.Dickson 67); J.McDonnell
(rep.J.Golding 67); M.Thompson (rep.A.Long 68);
M.Ward; M.Sorenson; J.Oakes (rep.A.Buist 72);
G.Parling; B.Woods (rep.B.Wilson 78); R.Winter.
Sale: J.Robinson; B.Foden; M.Taylor; C.Bell; C.Mayor;
L.Thomas (rep.D.Larrechea 17); R.Wigglesworth
(rep.A.Vilk); L.Faure (rep.B.Evans 55); S.Bruno
(rep.A.Titterill 78); S.Turner; D.Schofield; C.Day
(rep.S.Cox); C.Jones (rep.S.Chabal 22); M.Lund;
J.Fernandez Lobbe.
S Sale’s Sebastien Chabal attacks attacks with Joe with McDonnell Joe McDonnell and Anthony and Anthony Elliott in attendance
www.newcastlefalcons.co.uk
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