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NEWCASTLE RED BULLS 19 LEICESTER TIGERS 24
Newcastle Red Bulls welcomed a sell-out crowd to Kingston Park for Saturday’s first home game of the Gallagher PREM season, claiming a hard-fought losing bonus point against Leicester Tigers.
The Red Bulls trailed 17-5 at half-time but got off to a dream start, leading inside three minutes in front of 10,210 supporters.
Summer signing Obi Ene marked his debut with an early try in the left corner when he caught a long, looping pass from Brett Connon following earlier line-breaks from Max Hicks and Hoskins Sotutu.
Tigers hit back through their power game, kicking a penalty to the left corner and profiting when hooker Samiuela Moli rumbled over from the driving maul.
Billy Searle’s conversion put them ahead by two, and the Red Bulls had to be at their defensive best to withstand further waves of Leicester attack.
Christian Wade produced a pair of try-saving tackles to halt the East Midlands outfit, but there was no denying them a second score on 22 minutes when former Newcastle wing Adam Radwan chased down a kick to the right corner.
Searle added the conversion and then a simple penalty from in front of the posts, but the Red Bulls were not lying down and were held up over the try-line after sustained pressure in the visitors’ half.
Tigers clung on to their 17-5 half-time lead as Newcastle failed to turn their purple patch of territory into points – a scrappy start to the second half seeing both sides turning to their benches in a search for fluency.
The Red Bulls were the first to find it when hooker George McGuigan made a line-break from the back of a line-out down the left, and following a couple of close-range phases he picked and barged his way over the try-line.
Connon added the extras to reduce Leicester’s lead to five points going into the closing quarter, but hopes of a home fightback suffered a blow on 66 minutes when replacement prop Will Hurd powered over from a ruck at close quarters.
Searle’s conversion put Tigers in front by 12, but Cam Jordan had other ideas when the Newcastle lock hit a straightening line to score down the right from a well-worked blindside sweep.
Zack Henry’s conversion drew the gap back down to five with as many minutes left on the clock, but the Tigers held on for the victory.
Newcastle Red Bulls: 15 Harrison Obatoyinbo, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Alex Hearle, 12 Chris Harris, 11 Obi Ene, 10 Brett Connon (Zack Henry, 69), 9 James Elliott (Simón Benítez Cruz, 45); 1 Pouri Rakete-Stones (Adam Brocklebank, 50), 2 George McGuigan (Ollie Fletcher, 61), 3 Elliot Millar Mills (James Harper, 46), 4 Oscar Usher (Franco Molina, 50), 5 Cam Jordan, 6 Max Hicks (Sam Graham, 63), 7 Tom Christie (captain), 8 Hoskins Sotutu (Ollie Leatherbarrow, 50).
Scorers - Tries: Obi Ene, George McGuigan, Cam Jordan. Conversions: Brett Connon, Zack Henry.
Leicester Tigers: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Adam Radwan (Ollie Hassell-Collins, 59), 13 Solomone Kata, 12 Orlando Bailey (Will Wand, 46), 11 Gabriel Hamer-Webb, 10 Billy Searle, 9 Jack van Poortvliet (captain, Tom Whiteley, 68); 1 Mako Vunipola (Tarek Haffar, 46), 2 Samiuela Moli (Corbin Thunder, 68), 3 Joe Heyes (Will Hurd, 50), 4 James Thompson, 5 Cameron Henderson, 6 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Tommy Reffell, 8 Olly Cracknell (Joaquin Moro, 58).
Scorers - Tries: Samiuela Moli, Adam Radwan. Conversions: Billy Searle 2. Penalties: Billy Searle.
Referee: Christophe Ridley. Attendance: 10,210.
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