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Guinness Premiership 06/07
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<blockquote data-quote="Bullitt" data-source="post: 81879"><p><div align="center"><img src="http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1880.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Gloucester Rugby 24 - 19 Bath Rugby<img src="http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1777.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>Guinness Premiership | Sat, 02 Sep 06 15:00</p><p></p><p><strong>Gloucester edge derby battle</strong></p><p></p><p><img src="http://home.skysports.com/images/playerpics06_07/RugbyUnion/live/gloucestervbath.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Guinness Premiership, Kingsholm, Saturday September 2, 15.00</p><p></p><p>Gloucester got their Premiership campaign off to a winning start with a 24-19 victory over Bath at Kingsholm.</p><p></p><p>Despite suffering the late loss of Mike Tindall to a calf injury before kick-off, coach Dean Ryan's men battled hard for victory, scoring tries through Jack Adams and Olly Morgan.</p><p></p><p>The Cherry-and-Whites featured four debutants in their starting line-up, including Iain Balshaw who had previously experienced the West Country derby atmosphere in the blue of Bath.</p><p></p><p>Unfortunately, injuries once again blighted the England man's afternoon, and Balshaw headed off after 40 minutes with an ankle blow.</p><p></p><p>It was the rather less high-profile inclusion of Willie Walker who made the key impact, the stand-off kicking 14 points to guide his team to victory.</p><p></p><p>Two Danny Grewcock tries could not rescue the match for Bath, who were playing their first competitive match under the guidance of new head coach Steve Meehan.</p><p></p><p>A late Olly Barkley penalty grabbed Meehan a losing bonus point, which was no more than they deserved after a hard-fought opening performance.</p><p></p><p>Two sin-bins in quick succession cost the former European champions dear close to the interval, with Michael Stephenson following captain Steve Borthwick into the bin.</p><p></p><p>Penalties dominated the first forty minutes as Gloucester took a 12-6 lead into the break, but the first try arrived immediately when the teams returned.</p><p></p><p>Adams was the man to go over, but he owed an awful lot to the endeavour of flanker Andy Hazell.</p><p></p><p>Grewcock then reduced the arrears from close range, but Bath were then undone by the kind of quality that could make Gloucester a real force this season.</p><p></p><p>The Cherry-and-Whites had the visiting defence chasing shadows as they moved the ball swiftly from one flank to the other, with Morgan going over to clinch the match.</p><p></p><p>Grewcock made a 20-yard dash late on to give Bath a flicker of hope, but it was Gloucester who triumphed in the rain. </div></p><p></p><p><div align="center"><img src="http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1810.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> <strong>Worcester Warriors 11 - 41 Bristol Rugby</strong><img src="http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1886.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>Guinness Premiership | Sat, 02 Sep 06 15:00</p><p></p><p><strong>Bristol off to a flyer</strong></p><p></p><p><img src="http://home.skysports.com/images/playerpics06_07/RugbyUnion/live/worcestervbristol.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Guinness Premiership, Sixways, Saturday September 2, 15.00</p><p>Bristol got their Guinness Premiership season off to a flying start with a 41-11 victory at Worcester.</p><p></p><p>The visitors outscored their hosts five tries to one, with Lee Robinson bagging two of those, while Jason Strange added four penalties and two conversions.</p><p></p><p>Both sides are expected to struggle this season but Bristol got the upper hand on The Warriors for the first time in seven years.</p><p></p><p>The game was marred when Worcester's Samoan centre Dale Rasmussen had to be carried off on a stretcher near the end after clashing heads with Bristol's Josh Taumalolo.</p><p></p><p>Bristol took the lead early with two strange penalties, although Shane Drahm answered for Worcester with a penalty of his own.</p><p></p><p>Former Wales lock Gareth Llewellyn grabbed the first try of the game as Bristol made their dominance count, and Strange added the extras for a 13-3 lead.</p><p></p><p>Drahm kicked another penalty but Robinson bagged his first try when galloping on to Shaun Perry's chip over the Worcester defence.</p><p></p><p>Second row Phil Murphy scored Worcester's only try of the match two minutes before the interval, but Drahm missed the conversion to see the hosts still behind 18-11.</p><p></p><p>Strange missed two penalties in the second half as Warriors prop Chris Horsman was sin-binned for taking Llewellyn out at the lineout.</p><p></p><p>Bristol were also down to 14 men minutes later when Salter was carded for persistent infringement.</p><p></p><p>Strange added two penalties before Robinson added his second try after a fine back line movement from the visitors.</p><p></p><p>Bristol bagged the bonus point as Chris Morgan celebrated his league debut to run in from 30 metres after intercepting a long pass.</p><p></p><p>Perry then added the gloss on the scoreline by collecting Bristol's fifth try as the visitors hit the ground running this season. </div></p><p></p><p><div align="center"><img src="http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1879.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> <strong>London Irish 20 - 19 Harlequins</strong><img src="http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1748.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>Guinness Premiership | Sat, 02 Sep 06 14:00</p><p></p><p><strong>Flutey calls the tune for Exiles</strong></p><p></p><p><img src="http://home.skysports.com/images/playerpics06_07/RugbyUnion/London%20Irish/Flutey_Riki.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Guinness Premiership, Twickenham, Saturday, September 2</p><p></p><p>Newly-promoted Harlequins were undone by a last-gasp penalty from London Irish fly-half Riki Flutey as the Exiles ran out 20-19 winners at Twickenham.</p><p></p><p>The Quins looked to have snatched victory when Wales prop Ceri Jones went over with just seven minutes to play following a line-out drive.</p><p></p><p>Replays on the temporary big screen, however, showed that lock Simon Miall had dropped the ball and justice was served by Flutey in the last minute of the game.</p><p></p><p>Harlequins were ahead for much of the game, thanks to the boot of Adrian Jarvis who was called in as a late replacement for former New Zealand fly-half Andrew Mehrtens.</p><p></p><p>The number 10 landed a couple of penalties to give his side a 6-0 lead within the first 10 minutes but, with the wind in their faces, Brian Smith's side looked the more dangerous side.</p><p></p><p>And they almost grabbed a try when Flutey found a gap in the Quins defences but Mike Catt's pass just failed to find Delon Armitage on the touchline.</p><p></p><p>Harlequins have added to their ranks in the off-season and new centre pairing Hal Luscombe and Stuart Abbott combined well to almost send in Mike Brown but Armitage was round to cover well.</p><p></p><p>England international Abbott's next input was not so impressive as he was banished to the sin-bin after a late tackle on Paul Hodgson and Flutey reduced the arrears.</p><p></p><p>The first try came through Topsy Ojo after Brown dropped the ball on his own line and Armitage was first to the ball to set up Ojo who found a gap to cross the line in the corner and the teams went into the break at 9-8 to the Quins after Jarvis added a third penalty after number eight Juan Leguizamon was sent to the sin-bin for punching.</p><p></p><p>The lead became 12-8 with a fourth three-pointer from Jarvis after the interval.</p><p></p><p>But Smith's men reacted well and, after raising the tempo, went clear after two penalties from Flutey before the fly-half knocked over a drop goal following good work by the pack.</p><p></p><p>Jones then touched down to set up a dramatic climax and Flutey kept his nerve well after missing with his first effort but the second opportunity was sent straight through the posts.</div></p><p></p><p><div align="center"><img src="http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1752.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> <strong>Northampton Saints 25 - 23 Newcastle Falcons</strong><img src="http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1787.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>Guinness Premiership | Sun, 03 Sep 06 13:45</p><p></p><p><strong>Wilko miss hands Saints victory</strong></p><p></p><p><img src="http://home.skysports.com/images/playerpics06_07/RugbyUnion/Northampton/quinlan_try.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Guinness Premiership, Franklin's Gardens, Sunday September 3, 13.45</p><p></p><p>Northampton Saints edged a see-saw battle against Newcastle Falcons, triumphing 25-23 thanks to a late Ben Cohen try.</p><p></p><p>The Falcons fought back to lead for a long period in the second half after a desperate opening forty minutes, but Cohen crucially squeezed in at the corner with seven minutes remaining to claim the points for Saints.</p><p></p><p>A packed Franklin's Gardens crowd greeted the sides as they emerged from the changing rooms, for a match that featured two of the most iconic fly-halves in world rugby: Carlos Spencer and Jonny Wilkinson.</p><p>Two players markedly contrasting in style, the match was billed as a battle of Spencer's vision and intelligence against Wilkinson's metronomic accuracy and courage.</p><p></p><p>In the end it was a missed Wilkinson penalty that handed Saints victory, although the Falcons' main cause for concern will be their work at the breakdown and line-out.</p><p></p><p>Newcastle, under the guidance of new boss John Fletcher, went into the match missing several key names including Mathew Tait and influential lock Geoff Parling.</p><p></p><p>The latter proved to be a big loss as Saints controlled the ball, allowing Spencer to conduct the Northampton backline.</p><p></p><p>Bruce Reihana troubled the scorers first with a comfortable penalty, before the hosts turned the screw on the 15-minute mark.</p><p></p><p>Refusing another three points in favour of a five-yard scrum, Saints applied the squeeze on the Newcastle pack before releasing David Quinlan to coast over underneath the posts.</p><p></p><p>Moments later the visitors showed their better side, Toby Flood skating past a flat Northampton rearguard, only to then rush his pass to the unsuspecting Jamie Noon.</p><p></p><p>Flood was enduring a testing opening half, and the talented England youngster forced another ambitious pass on 25 minutes, leaving Wilkinson to retreat 40 yards to mop up on his own line with Sean Lamont in hasty pursuit.</p><p></p><p>Newcastle's number 10 then demonstrated his importance at the other end of the pitch, reducing the deficit to 13-6 before the break.</p><p></p><p>Saints lost Jon Clarke to a suspected ankle injury in the closing moments of the half, Robbie Kydd slotting in at outside centre.</p><p></p><p>Most of Newcastle's half-time discussion would have surrounded the need to secure more ball from the set-piece, yet their ability to gain turnover possession was never in question and they scored a breathtaking try seven minutes after the restart.</p><p></p><p>Jamie Noon led the charge inside the Saints half, before back-row pair Brent Wilson and Ben Woods showed some subtle hands to feed Anthony Elliott in at the corner.</p><p></p><p>Wilkinson missed the conversion to level, but within two minutes he converted an even sweeter move to nudge Newcastle ahead.</p><p></p><p>Matt Burke, relatively quiet in the first 40 minutes, shimmied inside to release Flood who meandered up to the cusp of the whitewash, before popping the ball up for Wilkinson to score.</p><p></p><p>Suddenly the contest had moved up two gears and the hosts came roaring back, attacking Newcastle's Achilles heel once again as the forwards surged towards the line.</p><p></p><p>Paul Tupai was briefly frustrated as he was held up in the in-goal area, but from the re-set Mark Robinson was forced over for the 7th Premiership try of his career.</p><p></p><p>More than an hour gone and with the scores level at 18 apiece it was time for Wilkinson and Woods to come to the fore once again, the latter in the perfect position out wide after the former had made a telling burst through the three-quarters.</p><p></p><p>Coach Fletcher punched the air in delight, but his joy lasted five minutes as Saints struck back again, Darren Fox emulating Woods' efforts at loose forward to help Ben Cohen in at the corner.</p><p></p><p>Reihana's conversion made it 25-23 to Northampton, and Wilkinson's wayward late penalty ensured things stayed that way as the hosts triumphed.</div></p><p></p><p><div align="center"><img src="http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1765.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> <strong>Leicester Tigers 35 - 23 Sale Sharks</strong><img src="http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1884.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>Guinness Premiership | Sun, 03 Sep 06 16:00</p><p></p><p><strong>Relentless Tigers rock champions</strong></p><p></p><p><img src="http://home.skysports.com/images/playerpics06_07/RugbyUnion/Leicester/murphy_geordan_150.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Guinness Premiership, Welford Road, Sunday September 3, 16.00, live on Sky Sports 1</p><p></p><p>Last season's beaten Premiership finalists Leicester scored a major psychological blow on the opening weekend of the campaign, beating defending champions Sale 35-23 at Welford Road.</p><p>In a keenly contested fixture that belied any suggestions of match rustiness, the Tigers' superior team performance proved too much for the individual qualities in the Sale side.</p><p></p><p>Led by the refreshed Martin Corry, the hosts ran in tries through Geordan Murphy, Louis Deacon and the skipper himself, before a penalty try clinched the game and the bonus point for hosts.</p><p></p><p>Leicester's Harry Ellis was ruled out with a hamstring tweak ahead of kick-off, but individual duals still littered the lush Welford Road pitch as England's top two went head-to-head.</p><p></p><p>England internationals Tom Varndell and Andy Goode stood opposite counterparts Mark Cueto and Charlie Hodgson, while Sebastien Chabal had Corry in his line of destruction.</p><p></p><p>In last season's end-of-season showpiece, Hodgson was the major difference as he orchestrated the Sale attack, but this time he was upstaged by the endeavour of his international skipper Corry.</p><p></p><p>Fired up by the memory of the 45-20 thumping they received at Twickenham back in May, the Tigers came roaring out of the blocks, swamping every ruck in pursuit of an early score.</p><p></p><p>Goode failed to oblige with a highly-kickable penalty, and three minutes later Hodgson punished him with unerring accuracy.</p><p></p><p>The momentum remained with Leicester though, and they deservedly went 7-3 ahead on 10 minutes as Murphy burst past Jason White to capitalise on more good work from his pack.</p><p></p><p>Pat Howard's men continued to attack with vigour as Scott Bemand led a lightening counter attack from the hosts' own 22, but the half-back's pass was a fraction wide of Varndell who looked odds-on to build on his 14-try tally of last season.</p><p></p><p>The scent of revenge was clear in the voices of the Welford Road faithful, and their men were responding, with Louis Deacon extending the lead to 12-3 on 18 minutes. More relentless phase-building saw Varndell move stealthily into midfield, and he was on hand to execute the overlap from which Deacon capitalised.</p><p></p><p>Sale had no answers from Leicester's 20-minute burst, but the intensity of the hosts inevitably had to peter out, allowing Hodgson to haul his side in front on the half-hour mark.</p><p></p><p>The classy England stand-off found the tightest of holes to attack in the Leicester defence, and he showed good acceleration to scythe through under the posts.</p><p></p><p>Two further penalties extended the score to 16-12 in the champions' favour, and they took that lead into the break thanks to some fine last-ditch defensive work from Jason Robinson.</p><p></p><p>Sale suffered two key injury problems ahead of the second period, with Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe replaced by brother Juan Martin, while Chabal departed for Chris Day.</p><p></p><p>The loss of forward power had an instant impact, with the Tigers reclaiming the lead inside two minutes of the restart thanks to a super rolling maul that saw captain Corry emerge with the ball.</p><p></p><p>However, this match was perched on a knife-edge, and typically Sale found an instant response, although the perpetrator could not have been predicted.</p><p></p><p>French hooker Sebastien Bruno, finding himself out wide on the left flank, threw a super side-step to burst over from 15 yards for 23-19.</p><p></p><p>Two Goode penalties then kept the pendulum swinging as Leicester edged ahead, before coach Pat Howard introduced the muscle of Henry Tuilagi and Seru Rabeni.</p><p></p><p>A further three-pointer took the score to 28-23 in the Tigers' favour, and soon they had a numerical advantage as Chris Jones saw yellow for a cynical shoulder charge.</p><p></p><p>Tuilagi and Rabeni's impact was significant in the closing stages and the latter almost created the match-clinching score so desperately coveted by the home support, but the ball was held up over the line.</p><p></p><p>In the end, it made little difference as the Tigers' pack continued to go for the jugular, and the raised arm of referee Tony Spreadbury confirmed the try that handed Leicester all five points.</div></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Bullitt, post: 81879"] <div align="center">[img]http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1880.gif[/img] Gloucester Rugby 24 - 19 Bath Rugby[img]http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1777.gif[/img] Guinness Premiership | Sat, 02 Sep 06 15:00 [b]Gloucester edge derby battle[/b] [img]http://home.skysports.com/images/playerpics06_07/RugbyUnion/live/gloucestervbath.jpg[/img] Guinness Premiership, Kingsholm, Saturday September 2, 15.00 Gloucester got their Premiership campaign off to a winning start with a 24-19 victory over Bath at Kingsholm. Despite suffering the late loss of Mike Tindall to a calf injury before kick-off, coach Dean Ryan's men battled hard for victory, scoring tries through Jack Adams and Olly Morgan. The Cherry-and-Whites featured four debutants in their starting line-up, including Iain Balshaw who had previously experienced the West Country derby atmosphere in the blue of Bath. Unfortunately, injuries once again blighted the England man's afternoon, and Balshaw headed off after 40 minutes with an ankle blow. It was the rather less high-profile inclusion of Willie Walker who made the key impact, the stand-off kicking 14 points to guide his team to victory. Two Danny Grewcock tries could not rescue the match for Bath, who were playing their first competitive match under the guidance of new head coach Steve Meehan. A late Olly Barkley penalty grabbed Meehan a losing bonus point, which was no more than they deserved after a hard-fought opening performance. Two sin-bins in quick succession cost the former European champions dear close to the interval, with Michael Stephenson following captain Steve Borthwick into the bin. Penalties dominated the first forty minutes as Gloucester took a 12-6 lead into the break, but the first try arrived immediately when the teams returned. Adams was the man to go over, but he owed an awful lot to the endeavour of flanker Andy Hazell. Grewcock then reduced the arrears from close range, but Bath were then undone by the kind of quality that could make Gloucester a real force this season. The Cherry-and-Whites had the visiting defence chasing shadows as they moved the ball swiftly from one flank to the other, with Morgan going over to clinch the match. Grewcock made a 20-yard dash late on to give Bath a flicker of hope, but it was Gloucester who triumphed in the rain. </div> <div align="center">[img]http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1810.gif[/img] [b]Worcester Warriors 11 - 41 Bristol Rugby[/b][img]http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1886.gif[/img] Guinness Premiership | Sat, 02 Sep 06 15:00 [b]Bristol off to a flyer[/b] [img]http://home.skysports.com/images/playerpics06_07/RugbyUnion/live/worcestervbristol.jpg[/img] Guinness Premiership, Sixways, Saturday September 2, 15.00 Bristol got their Guinness Premiership season off to a flying start with a 41-11 victory at Worcester. The visitors outscored their hosts five tries to one, with Lee Robinson bagging two of those, while Jason Strange added four penalties and two conversions. Both sides are expected to struggle this season but Bristol got the upper hand on The Warriors for the first time in seven years. The game was marred when Worcester's Samoan centre Dale Rasmussen had to be carried off on a stretcher near the end after clashing heads with Bristol's Josh Taumalolo. Bristol took the lead early with two strange penalties, although Shane Drahm answered for Worcester with a penalty of his own. Former Wales lock Gareth Llewellyn grabbed the first try of the game as Bristol made their dominance count, and Strange added the extras for a 13-3 lead. Drahm kicked another penalty but Robinson bagged his first try when galloping on to Shaun Perry's chip over the Worcester defence. Second row Phil Murphy scored Worcester's only try of the match two minutes before the interval, but Drahm missed the conversion to see the hosts still behind 18-11. Strange missed two penalties in the second half as Warriors prop Chris Horsman was sin-binned for taking Llewellyn out at the lineout. Bristol were also down to 14 men minutes later when Salter was carded for persistent infringement. Strange added two penalties before Robinson added his second try after a fine back line movement from the visitors. Bristol bagged the bonus point as Chris Morgan celebrated his league debut to run in from 30 metres after intercepting a long pass. Perry then added the gloss on the scoreline by collecting Bristol's fifth try as the visitors hit the ground running this season. </div> <div align="center">[img]http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1879.gif[/img] [b]London Irish 20 - 19 Harlequins[/b][img]http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1748.gif[/img] Guinness Premiership | Sat, 02 Sep 06 14:00 [b]Flutey calls the tune for Exiles[/b] [img]http://home.skysports.com/images/playerpics06_07/RugbyUnion/London%20Irish/Flutey_Riki.jpg[/img] Guinness Premiership, Twickenham, Saturday, September 2 Newly-promoted Harlequins were undone by a last-gasp penalty from London Irish fly-half Riki Flutey as the Exiles ran out 20-19 winners at Twickenham. The Quins looked to have snatched victory when Wales prop Ceri Jones went over with just seven minutes to play following a line-out drive. Replays on the temporary big screen, however, showed that lock Simon Miall had dropped the ball and justice was served by Flutey in the last minute of the game. Harlequins were ahead for much of the game, thanks to the boot of Adrian Jarvis who was called in as a late replacement for former New Zealand fly-half Andrew Mehrtens. The number 10 landed a couple of penalties to give his side a 6-0 lead within the first 10 minutes but, with the wind in their faces, Brian Smith's side looked the more dangerous side. And they almost grabbed a try when Flutey found a gap in the Quins defences but Mike Catt's pass just failed to find Delon Armitage on the touchline. Harlequins have added to their ranks in the off-season and new centre pairing Hal Luscombe and Stuart Abbott combined well to almost send in Mike Brown but Armitage was round to cover well. England international Abbott's next input was not so impressive as he was banished to the sin-bin after a late tackle on Paul Hodgson and Flutey reduced the arrears. The first try came through Topsy Ojo after Brown dropped the ball on his own line and Armitage was first to the ball to set up Ojo who found a gap to cross the line in the corner and the teams went into the break at 9-8 to the Quins after Jarvis added a third penalty after number eight Juan Leguizamon was sent to the sin-bin for punching. The lead became 12-8 with a fourth three-pointer from Jarvis after the interval. But Smith's men reacted well and, after raising the tempo, went clear after two penalties from Flutey before the fly-half knocked over a drop goal following good work by the pack. Jones then touched down to set up a dramatic climax and Flutey kept his nerve well after missing with his first effort but the second opportunity was sent straight through the posts.</div> <div align="center">[img]http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1752.gif[/img] [b]Northampton Saints 25 - 23 Newcastle Falcons[/b][img]http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1787.gif[/img] Guinness Premiership | Sun, 03 Sep 06 13:45 [b]Wilko miss hands Saints victory[/b] [img]http://home.skysports.com/images/playerpics06_07/RugbyUnion/Northampton/quinlan_try.jpg[/img] Guinness Premiership, Franklin's Gardens, Sunday September 3, 13.45 Northampton Saints edged a see-saw battle against Newcastle Falcons, triumphing 25-23 thanks to a late Ben Cohen try. The Falcons fought back to lead for a long period in the second half after a desperate opening forty minutes, but Cohen crucially squeezed in at the corner with seven minutes remaining to claim the points for Saints. A packed Franklin's Gardens crowd greeted the sides as they emerged from the changing rooms, for a match that featured two of the most iconic fly-halves in world rugby: Carlos Spencer and Jonny Wilkinson. Two players markedly contrasting in style, the match was billed as a battle of Spencer's vision and intelligence against Wilkinson's metronomic accuracy and courage. In the end it was a missed Wilkinson penalty that handed Saints victory, although the Falcons' main cause for concern will be their work at the breakdown and line-out. Newcastle, under the guidance of new boss John Fletcher, went into the match missing several key names including Mathew Tait and influential lock Geoff Parling. The latter proved to be a big loss as Saints controlled the ball, allowing Spencer to conduct the Northampton backline. Bruce Reihana troubled the scorers first with a comfortable penalty, before the hosts turned the screw on the 15-minute mark. Refusing another three points in favour of a five-yard scrum, Saints applied the squeeze on the Newcastle pack before releasing David Quinlan to coast over underneath the posts. Moments later the visitors showed their better side, Toby Flood skating past a flat Northampton rearguard, only to then rush his pass to the unsuspecting Jamie Noon. Flood was enduring a testing opening half, and the talented England youngster forced another ambitious pass on 25 minutes, leaving Wilkinson to retreat 40 yards to mop up on his own line with Sean Lamont in hasty pursuit. Newcastle's number 10 then demonstrated his importance at the other end of the pitch, reducing the deficit to 13-6 before the break. Saints lost Jon Clarke to a suspected ankle injury in the closing moments of the half, Robbie Kydd slotting in at outside centre. Most of Newcastle's half-time discussion would have surrounded the need to secure more ball from the set-piece, yet their ability to gain turnover possession was never in question and they scored a breathtaking try seven minutes after the restart. Jamie Noon led the charge inside the Saints half, before back-row pair Brent Wilson and Ben Woods showed some subtle hands to feed Anthony Elliott in at the corner. Wilkinson missed the conversion to level, but within two minutes he converted an even sweeter move to nudge Newcastle ahead. Matt Burke, relatively quiet in the first 40 minutes, shimmied inside to release Flood who meandered up to the cusp of the whitewash, before popping the ball up for Wilkinson to score. Suddenly the contest had moved up two gears and the hosts came roaring back, attacking Newcastle's Achilles heel once again as the forwards surged towards the line. Paul Tupai was briefly frustrated as he was held up in the in-goal area, but from the re-set Mark Robinson was forced over for the 7th Premiership try of his career. More than an hour gone and with the scores level at 18 apiece it was time for Wilkinson and Woods to come to the fore once again, the latter in the perfect position out wide after the former had made a telling burst through the three-quarters. Coach Fletcher punched the air in delight, but his joy lasted five minutes as Saints struck back again, Darren Fox emulating Woods' efforts at loose forward to help Ben Cohen in at the corner. Reihana's conversion made it 25-23 to Northampton, and Wilkinson's wayward late penalty ensured things stayed that way as the hosts triumphed.</div> <div align="center">[img]http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1765.gif[/img] [b]Leicester Tigers 35 - 23 Sale Sharks[/b][img]http://images.skysports.com/images/badges/24x24/1884.gif[/img] Guinness Premiership | Sun, 03 Sep 06 16:00 [b]Relentless Tigers rock champions[/b] [img]http://home.skysports.com/images/playerpics06_07/RugbyUnion/Leicester/murphy_geordan_150.jpg[/img] Guinness Premiership, Welford Road, Sunday September 3, 16.00, live on Sky Sports 1 Last season's beaten Premiership finalists Leicester scored a major psychological blow on the opening weekend of the campaign, beating defending champions Sale 35-23 at Welford Road. In a keenly contested fixture that belied any suggestions of match rustiness, the Tigers' superior team performance proved too much for the individual qualities in the Sale side. Led by the refreshed Martin Corry, the hosts ran in tries through Geordan Murphy, Louis Deacon and the skipper himself, before a penalty try clinched the game and the bonus point for hosts. Leicester's Harry Ellis was ruled out with a hamstring tweak ahead of kick-off, but individual duals still littered the lush Welford Road pitch as England's top two went head-to-head. England internationals Tom Varndell and Andy Goode stood opposite counterparts Mark Cueto and Charlie Hodgson, while Sebastien Chabal had Corry in his line of destruction. In last season's end-of-season showpiece, Hodgson was the major difference as he orchestrated the Sale attack, but this time he was upstaged by the endeavour of his international skipper Corry. Fired up by the memory of the 45-20 thumping they received at Twickenham back in May, the Tigers came roaring out of the blocks, swamping every ruck in pursuit of an early score. Goode failed to oblige with a highly-kickable penalty, and three minutes later Hodgson punished him with unerring accuracy. The momentum remained with Leicester though, and they deservedly went 7-3 ahead on 10 minutes as Murphy burst past Jason White to capitalise on more good work from his pack. Pat Howard's men continued to attack with vigour as Scott Bemand led a lightening counter attack from the hosts' own 22, but the half-back's pass was a fraction wide of Varndell who looked odds-on to build on his 14-try tally of last season. The scent of revenge was clear in the voices of the Welford Road faithful, and their men were responding, with Louis Deacon extending the lead to 12-3 on 18 minutes. More relentless phase-building saw Varndell move stealthily into midfield, and he was on hand to execute the overlap from which Deacon capitalised. Sale had no answers from Leicester's 20-minute burst, but the intensity of the hosts inevitably had to peter out, allowing Hodgson to haul his side in front on the half-hour mark. The classy England stand-off found the tightest of holes to attack in the Leicester defence, and he showed good acceleration to scythe through under the posts. Two further penalties extended the score to 16-12 in the champions' favour, and they took that lead into the break thanks to some fine last-ditch defensive work from Jason Robinson. Sale suffered two key injury problems ahead of the second period, with Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe replaced by brother Juan Martin, while Chabal departed for Chris Day. The loss of forward power had an instant impact, with the Tigers reclaiming the lead inside two minutes of the restart thanks to a super rolling maul that saw captain Corry emerge with the ball. However, this match was perched on a knife-edge, and typically Sale found an instant response, although the perpetrator could not have been predicted. French hooker Sebastien Bruno, finding himself out wide on the left flank, threw a super side-step to burst over from 15 yards for 23-19. Two Goode penalties then kept the pendulum swinging as Leicester edged ahead, before coach Pat Howard introduced the muscle of Henry Tuilagi and Seru Rabeni. A further three-pointer took the score to 28-23 in the Tigers' favour, and soon they had a numerical advantage as Chris Jones saw yellow for a cynical shoulder charge. Tuilagi and Rabeni's impact was significant in the closing stages and the latter almost created the match-clinching score so desperately coveted by the home support, but the ball was held up over the line. In the end, it made little difference as the Tigers' pack continued to go for the jugular, and the raised arm of referee Tony Spreadbury confirmed the try that handed Leicester all five points.</div> [/QUOTE]
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