Newcastle slip to Pau defeat in Challenge Cup

Newcastle Falcons have gone out in the pool stage of this competition in the previous two seasons

European Rugby Challenge Cup

Pau (11) 32

Tries: Grandidier-Nkanang, Maximin, Delhommel, Roudil Cons: Desperes 3 Pens: Desperes 2

Newcastle Falcons (7) 19

Tries: Fletcher 2, Lockwood Cons: Wilkinson, Connon

Newcastle Falcons were beaten by Pau in a topsy-turvy encounter in their Challenge Cup opener.

Three times the Falcons went ahead with tries, only for their French opponents to fight back every time.

Hooker Alex Fletcher scored two tries and Freddie Lockwood one, as they looked to get their European campaign off to a successful start.

But the Top 14 side crossed through Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, Jimi Maximin and Youri Delhommel.

And as the clock ticked into the 80th minute and Newcastle were attacking, Eliott Roudil broke away to score a bonus-point try for the hosts.

Newcastle had travelled to south west France in good heart after five wins in their previous six games, with consultant director of rugby Steve Diamond hopeful of a good run in this competition.

Heavy rain before kick-off made for difficult, wet conditions, but hooker Fletcher was there to finish off a five-metre line-out move for the game's first try to get Newcastle up and running inside 15 minutes.

However, the Falcons' advantage lasted barely three minutes as wing Grandidier-Nkanang, one of only four survivors from Pau's Top 14 win over Lyon last weekend, dived in at the corner.

The visitors had to dig in for the rest of the half to stay in touch, but a carbon-copy move early in the second half saw Fletcher grab his second score from another five-metre lineout.

Newcastle lost winger Ben Stevenson to a yellow card and, with a man less, they could not hold out as Maximin bulldozed over.

But they produced a flowing move through the hands to take advantage of space out wide as flanker Lockwood went in at the corner, with replacement fly-half Brett Connon converting to make it 19-18 in their favour.

However, a fine offload from second row Thomas Jolmes allowed replacement Delhommel to race clear and restore Pau's lead before Roudil's interception completed the scoring and denied the English club a losing bonus point.

Without the cushion of a point from their travels, Newcastle will want to make certain of victory at Kingston Park next Sunday against Welsh outfit Dragons to maintain serious interest in the Challenge Cup.

Newcastle Falcons consultant director of rugby Steve Diamond told BBC Radio Newcastle:

"I'm a little bit disappointed but we were in the scrap right until the last seconds.

"We were trying to score a try to win the game and they intercepted to take it away from us. Those things happen.

"But it was a good performance from the lads in a lot of areas. We should have got a bonus point, we haven't, so we move on.

"We were in the fight right the way through. The scoreline makes it look a little one-sided, but anyone who was here knows it wasn't."

Pau: Mondinat, Grandidier-Nkanang, Klemenczak, Roudil, Arfeuil, Desperes, Souverbie; Seneca, Jooste, Zabala-Arrieta, Jolmes, Maximin, Tlili, Hewat, Hamonou.

Replacements: Delhommel, Bibi-Biziwu, Papidze, Auradou, Tagitagivalu, Daubagna, Decron, Luc.

Newcastle: Redshaw; Radwan, Hearle, Hutchison, Stevenson; Wilkinson, Pepper; McCallum, Fletcher, Palframan, de Chaves, McDonald, Lockwood, Gordon, Chick.

Replacements: Byrne, Rewcastle, Hancock, Baker, Leatherbarrow, O'Sullivan, Connon, Spencer.

Sin-bin: Stevenson (52)

Referee: Franco Rosella (Italy)