Premiership: Newcastle Falcons 14-42 London Irish - Exiles boost slim top four hopes

Ollie Hassell-Collins' try sealed a bonus point for London Irish in the first half

London Irish ended a run of three straight Premiership defeats with a six-try victory over Newcastle.

The visitors took advantage of Sean Robinson's yellow card to earn a try-scoring bonus point in the first half.

The Exiles saw Albert Tuisue and Agustin Creevy drive over while the Falcons were down to 14 men.

Curtis Rona and Matt Cornish's second-half tries sealed victory for Irish as Newcastle were unable to add any points after the break.

The game ended on a sour note, with Newcastle forward Gary Graham and Exiles' replacement prop Facundo Gigena sent off after a fight.

Dean Richards' side continue their miserable run at home, having not won in the Premiership at Kingston Park since October.

There was no sign of the Irish side that had conceded more than 40 points in their last three Premiership matches, as their defence largely stood firm against the Falcons.

Gary Graham and Facundo Gigena's altercation at the end of the match saw them both red carded

They also showed the attacking threat that made them firm play-off contenders before their recent poor run of form.

It took 16 minutes for the first try to be scored, with Kyle Rowe going over unchallenged in the corner. When the Falcons responded through Robinson two minutes later, a high-scoring, tense affair seemed possible.

But the decisive moment saw Newcastle second row Robinson sin-binned for not entering through the gate.

The hosts could not deal with the Exiles' forward power, and Tuisue and Creevy's scores saw the visitors push clear of the struggling Falcons, whose forwards failed to get on the right side of referee Karl Dickson.

Ollie Hassell-Collins exposed Newcastle's defensive frailties to score the bonus-point try, before Ben Stevenson gave the home crowd a glimmer of hope at the end of the first half.

After a quiet start to the second half, Rona and Cornish scored to ensure victory for an untroubled Irish, who kept their remote hopes of a play-off place alive.

It moves Declan Kidney's side to within four points of fourth-placed Exeter, but having played a game more.

Newcastle remain third from bottom, having won just one of their last 12 Premiership matches.

Newcastle director of rugby Dean Richards told BBC Radio Newcastle:

"They scored twice during the period of the first yellow card, and we came back into the game and had a shout at half-time.

"It's amazing how much a yellow card costs you these days, it costs us those two scores. At the second half we had 10 minutes of good pressure, but couldn't make it count.

"To be fair to them, they have a huge amount of quality with people like Paddy Jackson, who was outstanding on the day.

"The boys stuck at it though, and even though it became fragmented, they took their chances and we didn't."

London Irish assistant coach Declan Danaher:

"I look at that first half and to score four tries is brilliant.

"I think what was brilliant in the second half was obviously not conceding but also the impact that our substitutes had on the game.

"Ciaran Parker has come on today and that was fantastic for him. You then had Matt Cornish coming on and scoring a try in the corner above his head, he's been giving the wingers some tips."

Newcastle: Penny; Carreras, Wacokecoke, Wright, Stevenson; Hodgson, Nordli-Kelemeti; Brocklebank, McGuigan, Davison, Van der Walt, Robinson, Basham, Welch (capt), Chick.

Replacements: Blamire, Cooper, Tampin, Lockwood, Graham, Schreuder, Haydon-Wood, Radwan.

London Irish: Parton; Rowe, Rona, Van Rensburg, Hassell-Collins; Jackson, Phipps; Goodrick-Clarke, Creevy, Hoskins, Simmons, Coleman, Rogerson (capt), Pearson, Tuisue.

Replacements: Cornish, Gigena, Van der Merwe, Mafi, O'Brien, White, Joseph, Arundell.

Referee: Karl Dickson

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