Newcastle 23-23 Wasps as it happened

1. Alex Tait, Josh Furno & Juan Pablo Socino tries for Newcastle
2. Rob Miller, Elliot Daly & Guy Thompson score for Wasps
3. Wasps stay fourth in the table; Falcons are 10th

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Well, I'm off to try and work out if I can squeeze Elliot Daly into a hypothetical England XV.

He was superb tonight, making one try and scoring another within two first-half minutes.

Alex Tait had already put Newcastle in front by that point, and after the break they led again through Juan Pablo Socino's intercept try.

But the points were shared as Daly, once again, created an opening, this time for Guy Thompson.

Wherever you're watching your rugby this weekend, I hope it's half as fun as this was.

And there's more

Speaking of games this weekend, don't forget there's plenty of other Premiership action still to come.

There will be a sizzler at The Rec, when leaders Northampton take on second-placed Bath.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Gloucester will look to hand London Welsh a 25th defeat of the season, Sale host Saracens and Exeter go to Quins.

It all finishes up on Sunday, when London Irish welcome Leicester Tigers.

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Josh Bolam: #bbcrugby Sinoti Sinoti is a Kingston Park favourite.

As it stands

Chris Osborne

So what does it do to the Premiership table?

Well, two points is enough for Newcastle to climb above London Irish into 10th, with the Exiles hosting Leicester on Sunday.

And Wasps stay sat in fourth, but will slip to fifth if Exeter can win a Harlequins tomorrow.

BBC

Here's the breakdown of tonight's scorers. Even Stevens all round really,

Three tries a piece is pretty decent, right?

Newcastle fly-half Tom Catterick tells BT Sport: "We made a few silly errors. But neither team deserved to lose.

"We got a rocket after last week (losing 46-17 at Exeter) and we said the first 20 minutes were going to be important. "

Wasps fly-half Andy Goode tells BT Sport: "We were way off. We had an opportunity at the end but didn't take it.

"Credit to Newcastle, they played some good stuff. Sinoti is a good player isn't he?"

So it finished with a whimper rather than a big bang, but that was a joy to watch.

Difficult to pick a man of the match, with Sinoti Sinoti in superb form for Falcons. But Elliot Daly was almost a one-man show at times.

Full-time

Nope.

Wasps lose it at the line-out and Tom Catterick decides Newcastle will take the draw by thumping it out of play.

Wasps win a penalty from the scrum. Andy Goode goes to the touchline.

We're past 80 minutes. Late drama?

Mark Laycock

Newcastle Falcons academy manager on BBC Newcastle

"This is going to be a big last minute. One missed tackle and it's game over."

Wasps survive and have the ball back in their hand. A knock on gives them a scrum, so they have one last chance to build.

It's all Newcastle. They're banging on the door, but Wasps are keeping them on the edge of they're 22m line.

Falcons will look to make something from a scrum.

At the risk of sounding saccharine, can both these sides win please?

As it stands, one drop goal, one error, one moment of magic will nick it in the last four minutes.

Speaking of Andrea Masi, it's not looking too good for him right now.

Medics are strapping him on to a stretcher after he went down with what looked like a calf injury. That's it for him.

It's getting all sorts of scrappy in the middle of the park, but I'm not complaining.

Errors mean tries and tries mean more fun.

Amid all that Andrea Masi plants a meaty tackle on Sinoti Sinoti that has a bit of extra pepper on it.

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Ali Mason: I wouldn't wish to hyperbolise...but if Elliot Daly moved to 10 he could be one of the greatest fly halves the games ever seen #bbcrugby

This is fun to watch.

It looks like Elliot Daly might be away again, but Christian Wade's pass to him is marginally forward.

Try (Thompson, con Goode)

We'll get a chance to breathe in a moment.

Elliot Daly has been tremendous today, and he just got even more tremendous.

He charges forward and, under pressure, delivers a lovely one-handed pass to Guy Thompson, who crosses down the middle.

In case you needed me to tell you, it's game on.

Ian Smith

BBC Newcastle

"What a try by Juan Pablo Socino! He intercepted the ball deep inside his own half and, with a bit of jiggery-pokery, he got there. What ever happens now, the crowd have seen a great game of rugby and have got to go home happy."

Try (Socino, con Catterick)

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Oh Andy.

Andy Goode's pass is intercepted by Juan Pablo Socino deep in Newcastle territory.

The Argentine has a long, long way to go, and it looks like Joe Simpson will catch him, but the scrum-half goes too early and Socino finishes while being tackled by Christian Wade.

Tom Catterick has really grown into this game. He puts Newcastle at the other end of the pitch with a kick that bounces perfectly before going out of touch.

Andy Goode has many talents, and one of them is bothering referees.

He's not happy about conceding a scrum, just when Wasps were starting to find a rhythm again.

Oh deary dear. The pressure valve is popped right off as Kearnan Myall throws blind and puts it out of play.

Newcastle breathe a sigh of relief.

Dai Young would probably be kicking the cat, if he took one with him on trips to Newcastle.

Wasps are really threatening. A scrum five metres from the line sees Will Welch lose his bind and concede a penalty.

So Wasps go for the line-out and the catch and drive again.

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Wasps use it well and Christian Wade is scrapping his way to the line. He goes over, but is held up brilliantly by Newcastle defending.

Wasps get their first driving maul of the night going. And Ashley Johnson spins off t charge forward.

He's tackled, but Newcastle put hands in the ruck and Wasps kick to touch.

Penalty (Goode)

And just as soon as they edge in front, Newcastle mess up a line-out and give Andy Goode a chance to level up from the tee.

It's not a straightforward one, but the veteran number 10 pops it over.

Wasps had that coming to a certain extent.

They looked happy to see what Newcastle were going to throw at them at the start if the half.

Although they were a man down during that try, with Carlo Festuccia down injured.

Try (Furno, missed con Catterick)

Slick stuff from Newcastle.

Tom Catterick is the heartbeat of this try, finding Sinoti Sinoti with a lovely pass.

And the Samoan delays his ball to the marauding Italian Josh Furno, who flops his long locks wonderfully as he touches down.

Wasps almost poach it from the maul, but it's excellent defending as Mike Blair knocks on and hands the visitors a scrum.

James Downey, in his second Wasps start, is a little unlucky as he nails Tom Catterick, but concedes a penalty by taking the ball too late.

Falcons go to the corner and here comes a deep line-out.

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Wasps seem keen on the box kick through Joe Simpson. It hasn't looked like working yet.

Simon Hammersley wasn't even in the initial Newcastle squad tonight. But the late call-up at full-back has just made about 20m in a lovely dart forwards.

It's a shame it came to nothing.

Kick-off

This should be good. It's as tight as tight can be, as Tom Catterick gets Newcastle underway.

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But, more importantly, what do you make of that? Jonny Wilkinson has snaffled a whopping 59.5% of the vote, while the Premiership's record points scorer Charlie Hodgson takes the 'best-of-the-rest' title.

Let us know what you think of the results, and about where this finely poised match is heading, by getting in touch using #bbcrugby on Twitter.

No surprises that Jonny Wilkinson is voted your best English fly-half of the Premiership era.

I was rooting for Andy Goode to come second - I just love that hair.

And you have to feel for Toby Flood a tad, coming bottom of the pile.

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So the results are in - and former Newcastle Falcon Jonny Wilkinson has come out on top. By some margin, too:

Jonny Wilkinson - 59.5%

Charlie Hodgson - 15.6%

Andy Goode - 12.6%

Alex King - 4.9%

Other - 4.0%

Toby Flood - 3.4%

Daly an international?

There has been a bit of England buzz around Elliot Daly recently, and you can see why on today's showing.

He's not the biggest centre in the world, and won't have the powerful bursts of a Luther Burrell.

But he's skilful, incisive and as slippery as a bar of soap smothered in Vaseline.

Funny first half that. Wasps have a lead despite only causing panic for about two minutes.

Alex Tait gave Newcastle an early lead, taking a lovely looping Adam Powell pass.

And Falcons looked relatively comfortable, until the visitors decided to up the pace with two tries in two minutes.

Elliot Daly made the first for Rob Miller, and then polished off the second.

Mark Laycock

Newcastle Falcons academy manager on BBC Newcastle

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"Can Newcastle start the second half like they did the first half? If they do then we're in for a close game. If Wasps get the first score after the break then they could pull away from Falcons."

Half-time

Joe Simpson collects a kick and steps out of touch to bring the first period to a close.

That Tom Catterick penalty at the end makes it really interesting.

But blimey, we had almost all the action squished into two minutes of that half. I'm well up for this second 40 minutes.

Vote closed

That's it folks, our vote is now closed. We'll have the results with you shortly.

Penalty

A bit of respite for Falcons.

Nathan Hughes is adjudged to have tackled off his feet and Tom Catterick collects three points from the penalty.

It's all going tremendously pear-shaped for Newcastle.

Rob Hawkins overthrows a line-out deep in Wasps territory and they have to build again.

Well, that all escalated a little quickly, didn't it?

Wasps, without looking too menacing, have taken this game by the scruff of the neck and it's all down to Elliot Daly.

The centre slips through superbly and then feeds Rob Miller to score.

And then, one minute and 42 seconds later, he starts a charge down the wing, gives it to Thomas Young, gets it back and joyfully slides over.

Andy Goode puts two tricky conversions wide to blemish an otherwise perfect two minutes for the visitors.

Try (Daly, missed con Goode)

10 minutes left to vote

A final reminder that our vote, which you can find on the right-hand side of the page (desktop) or via the tab at the top (mobile and tablet), will close at 20:30 GMT.

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Try (Miller, missed con Goode)

My neck is starting to hurt looking at all this long kicking - even though I'm watching on a TV. Go figure.

Bradley Davies has a go at creating a one-man maul - and he does alright actually.

It comes out to Andy Goode, who tries a cheeky cross-field kick which Sailosi Tagicakibau can't get too.

Mark Laycock

Newcastle Falcons academy manager on BBC Newcastle

"Newcastle had done all the hard work - there were four Wasps players down injured when the whistle went."

Oh, that's a missed opportunity for the Falcons. Mike Blair slaloms through, links with Simon Hammersley and then Alex Tait down the middle.

But Wasps, creaking under the pressure, just about hold Newcastle at bay, until the visitors win a penalty a few metres shy of their own try line.

After a shaky start, Wasps are gathering a bit of momentum now.

But as I say that the ball goes back to becoming an air-borne missile and is kicked back and forth.

Penalty (Goode)

A lovely little break from Joe Simpson has Wasps moving forwards. It's recycled and while Andy Goode makes a dart for the line, Newcastle knock on.

Goode gets a go from the tee and it's straightforward.

Wasps spring the ball out of the scrum quickly, but get themselves in a mess in the corner and knock on.

Newcastle win a free-kick from the subsequent scrum and we're back to long-ball tennis.

If you love watching blokes kick a ball backwards and forwards to each other, this is a great period of play.

It comes to an end when Tom Catterick knocks on and Wasps have the scrum.

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Wasps have a couple of goes at breaking through, but Elliot Daly throws a loose pass and the pressure is eased on Newcastle.

It was finally a moment of hope for Wasps though.

A bit of rare momentum for Wasps now, Christian Wade makes some yards and the visitors go through the phases.

Penalty (Catterick)

And it's as you were from the restart.

Newcastle pin back Wasps once again and win a penalty for coming in at the side.

Tom Catterick, who missed his conversion moments ago, makes no mistake from the tee this time.

Mark Laycock

Newcastle Falcons academy manager on BBC Newcastle

"It came from another kick that Wasps didn't deal with. That composure is something that's been lacking from Newcastle recently and it was great they were able to finish it off."

Try

Newcastle get a very early reward for their fine start.

Sinoti Sinoti slips through a few tackles, before Simon Hammersley manages to use his head to keep the move going.

And Alex Tait, who was switched to the wing before kick-off, is given a lovely long pass by Adam Powell to cross.

And from tackling practice we go to kicking practice, with the ball going back and forth a few times.

Eventually Andy Goode puts it out for a Newcastle line-out.

Bright start from Newcastle, moving the ball from side to side.

It's a chance for Wasps to throw in a few tackles and they'll be happy with how they defended that opening exchange.

Sinoti Sinoti already looking for a couple of gaps.

Kick-off

And here we go. That man Andy Goode gets us under way and Newcastle take possession.

And as we wait for the two sets of players to get down to business, just a quick reminder that our vote will close at 20:30 GMT.

If you haven't worked it out already, you can find it on the right-hand side of the page (desktop) or via the tab at the top (mobile and tablet) - and you can click here to read our voting terms and conditions.

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Ed Trenholme: @BBCSport there is no debate. Sir Jonny. #bbcrugby

Paul Minto: Best English fly half jonny wilkinson even half fit better than the rest although Danny cipriani now proving his talent #bbcrugby

Sam Megson: @BBCSport #bbcrugby without a doubt its got to be Mr. J. Wilkinson #metronomic #mercurial #heartofalion #tackledlikeatrain

Team line-ups

Wasps: Miller; Wade, Daly, Downey, Tagicakibau; Goode, Simpson; Mullan (capt), Festuccia, Cooper-Woolley, Davies, Myall, Johnson, Young, Hughes.

Replacements: Shervington, Yapp, Cittadini, Gaskell, Thompson, Bliss, Lozowski, Masi.

Team line-ups

Newcastle Falcons: Hammersley; Sinoti, Powell, Socino, Tait; Catterick, Blair; Vickers, Hawkins, Brookes, Furno, Barrow, Wilson, Welch (capt), Hogg.

Replacements: McGuigan, Orlandi, Wilson, Thompson, Mayhew, Tipuna, Clegg, Tiesi.

Wasps want a Goode show

Wasps are strong favourites tonight, but Andy Goode is taking nothing for granted.

"They're playing a great brand of rugby this year, especially at home on the artificial pitch," he told BBC Coventry and Warwickshire.

"They've really improved the quality of their game and the matches up at Kingston Park.

"That's a credit to the coaching staff there. I think Dean Richards, John Wells and especially Dave Walder in attack have done a fabulous job."

Team news

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Thee's been a late change for Newcastle. Noah Cato has withdrawn, so Alex Tait shuffles across to the wing and Simon Hammersley comes in at full-back.

Falcons though have two players back who were strutting their stuff at Twickenham last weekend - England prop Kieran Brookes starts, as does Italy lock Josh Furno.

Ashley Johnson and his magnificent hair are both in the Wasps XV, following the flanker's suspension.

And James Downey gets his second start since arriving on loan from Edinburgh Warriors.

Tigers take on Irish

Sunday is a big day for Leicester eight Jordan Crane, who will mark his 200th Tigers appearance by captaining the side at London Irish.

And hooker Tom Youngs and flanker Tom Croft return from England duty.

Meanwhile, Scotland's Geoff Cross returns for London Irish, who came close to rattling champions Northampton last week.

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And speaking of Charlie Hodgson - he rounds off our fave five fly-halves.

Points win prizes, they say, and nobody has more points than Charlie.

With 2,427 of them across 229 Premiership games, he tops the all-time list. The prizes side of the equation is less weighty, with his one domestic title coming with Sale in 2006.

But his 38 caps earned through the Jonny Wilkinson era are not to be sniffed at, and he remains as reliable as ever as Owen Farrell's stand-in at Saracens.

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Tom Allen: #bbcrugby Charlie Hodgson, Top points scorer, led Sale to Premiership title and was their best player for years.

Stewart McCullough: @BBCSport @jimmygopps is up there!

Ah, yes, another name to mention - former Newcastle fly-half Jimmy Gopperth scored 670 points in 65 appearances during his time with the Falcons.

Exeter the real deal?

If Exeter have designs on making the play-offs, a win at Harlequins will definitely state their intentions.

The Chiefs destroyed Newcastle last week to end a four-game losing slump.

But Quins are boosted by the return of veteran eight Nick Easter, who has been released from the England squad for the weekend.

A win would reignite their Heineken Cup hopes.

Socino seeks wins

Newcastle have so much promise throughout their squad, but it means nothing if you're not picking up the victories.

That's something Falcons centre Juan Pablo Socino has been talking about this week.

"It's about time we start to get those wins on the backs of those performances and hopefully that will be the case this Friday," he said.

"We should have a good crowd and the bigger the better. We want to give them the performance they deserve."

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Gone from these shores, but certainly not forgotten. Toby Flood's England career always seemed to be smothered by a Jonny Wilkinson-shaped shadow, but the former Newcastle and Leicester 10 still has an impressive 60 caps to his name.

Now with Toulouse, so out of the England picture, the 29-year-old racked up three domestic titles during his Tigers career, and has a metronome boot to complement his back-line management skills.

You can find the vote on the right-hand side of the page (desktop) or via the tab at the top (mobile and tablet), and it will close at 20:30 GMT.

London Welsh to lose again?

Is the safest bet in sport at the moment on a London Welsh defeat?

Justin Burnell's side have suffered defeat in all 24 of their games this term - and you can get an insight into how that feels in this great feature.

Gloucester, meanwhile, will keep their top-six hopes alive with a win at Kingsholm.

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Stuart Andrews: Alex King, core player in Wasps' spell of glory, nailed big kicks. International standard barring injuries #bbcrugby #wasps #AlexKing

James Gallagher: @AndyGoode10 gets my vote for best English 10. He's done wonders for sales of fingerless rugby mits and corona wherever he's gone #bbcrugby

Please note, other beverage brands are available.

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A dominant fly-half from a dominant team. Wasps were unstoppable between 2002 and 2005 - winning three successive Premiership titles.

Alex King was their go-to man and delivered time after time, particularly in 2003 when he contributed 24 points in a victory over Gloucester as Wasps became the first team to become champions by winning the play-offs.

Did we mention a 2004 Heineken Cup success too? Maybe King deserves our fly-half crown?

You can find the vote on the right-hand side of the page (desktop) or via the tab at the top (mobile and tablet), and it will close at 20:30 GMT.

Sharks hope to bite Sarries

There is plenty on the line as Sale host Saracens tomorrow.

The Sharks have Danny Cipriani in the team, after his England release, and could climb into the top four with a win.

Sarries though, who themselves have Richard Wigglesworth and Mako Vunipola back from Six Nations duty, will be eyeing a leap up to second place.

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Iiiiit's Jonny.

It seemed all too obvious to put England's World Cup hero on the shortlist - and some will question whether his Premiership influence is as long-standing as his international clout.

But a player of his brilliance cannot be overlooked. He was central to Newcastle's only ever domestic title win. And, he's fourth on the Premiership's all-time points scorer's list. You can't argue with that, can you?

You can find the vote on the right-hand side of the page (desktop) or via the tab at the top (mobile and tablet), and it will close at 20:30 GMT.

Tie of the weekend

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Tonight is just the start of a red-hot weekend of Premiership action.

Tomorrow (kick-off 15:15 GMT) sees leaders Northampton go to second-placed Bath, with Saints able to open up as much as a 10-point gap with a bonus-point win.

Northampton had hoped to use George North, but Wales put the kibosh on that.

It will be an intriguing contest though, with Bath beaten by Saracens last weekend, and Saints far from convincing in their win over London Irish.

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That hair. That boot. Andy Goode is the whole reason we're stirring the pot of Premiership 10s past and present.

The man nicknamed The Bear is leaving Wasps for London Irish in the summer. Five Premiership titles and the league's second-highest points scorer of all time, he has been an unmistakable figure since his Leicester debut in 1998.

You get none of the modern-day X-factor from 17-time capped Goode, just old fashioned accurate kicking and wise game management. So is he the Premiership's best ever English fly-half?

You can find the vote on the right-hand side of the page (desktop) or via the tab at the top (mobile and tablet), and it will close at 20:30 GMT.

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Tonight, the focus is on out-of-form Newcastle and buzzing Wasps.

Dean Richards' Falcons are on a miserable run of one win in six Premiership games - and that victory came against London Welsh, the only team worse than them so far this season.

To be honest, it's a funny old time for Newcastle, who won't go down, because Welsh have been so awful, but have a small to zero chance of making the top six.

Wasps, meanwhile, are loving life at the moment. Four wins from five have them right in the play-off mix - and they haven't lost at Kingston Park since October 2011. Is there any hope for the Falcons?

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Maybe you disagree with our fave five fly-halves?

Perhaps Danny Cipriani gets you heart racing, or Gareth Steenson's career has been under appreciated?

What about England internationals Olly Barkley, Stephen Myler, Owen Farrell or Paul Grayson? Are any of them the best English 10 of the Premiership era?

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The man pictured below broke a bit of news this week.

Andy Goode is leaving Wasps for London Irish in the summer - and it got us thinking, 'who is the Premiership's best ever English 10?'

We will be profiling our shortlist of five during the build-up to tonight's game, but the vote is open, so select your favourite.

The vote, which you can find on the right-hand side of the page (desktop) or via the tab at the top (mobile and tablet), will close at 20:30 GMT and you can click here to read our voting terms and conditions.

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"Baby, Come Back", the 1994 number one hit for Pato Banton (along with UB40 brothers Robin and Ali Campbell), is a song that encapsulates this moment of the season.

With the Six Nations flashing its sultry eyes in your direction, you've understandably had your attention directed to prettier, more glamorous affairs.

But, now the Six Nations is out of town for the weekend, you're begging for the good old reliable Premiership to come running back into your outstretched arms.

Well, you're lucky we don't hold a grudge. All is forgiven. Let's never talk of it again and settle down together for a Friday night in, watching top-notch English club rugby.