Match Report
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Newcastle Falcons - 0
Newcastle Falcons found their scoring touch in a nine-try rout of Russian champions Enisei-STM at Kingston Park on Sunday.
Marcus Watson crossed for four, Mark Wilson helped himself to a hat trick and man of the match Zach Kibirige dotted down twice in a performance which breathed fresh life into the Falcons’ season.
Wilson bagged his hat trick inside half an hour, by which stage his side had already posted a four try bonus point after a blistering start.
Kibirige’s turbo-chargers delivered the fit-again winger a typically dramatic try when he chased down Tom Catterick’s grubber to the right corner, smashing into the advertising hoardings as he somehow grounded the bouncing ball just inside the dead-ball line.
Wilson grabbed the first of his haul on 15 minutes when a sin bin for Lock Viacheslav Krasniyik left the Russian pack short-handed, Newcastle taking full advantage as they marched a maul over the line.
Catterick converted, Watson adding a third when the twinkle-toed winger rounded off an 80 metre counter-attack.
The former London Irish man was the man on the spot to collect Tom Penny’s pass on the 22 after he and Chris Harris had broken from the restart, Enisei struggling to deal with the pace, power and variety of Newcastle’s attack.
The four try bonus point was secured on 25 minutes when scrum ball handed Wilson a walkover from the base, the Siberians hitting back from the restart when Russian international Full Back Yury Kushnarev put left Wing Denis Simplikevich away in the corner.
That jolt only served to awaken the Falcons, Wilson rounding off his hat trick on the half-hour when he collected an inside pop from Kiwi Flanker Dan Temm for a 29-7 half-time margin.
Watson’s second try resumed Newcastle’s dominance seven minutes after the interval, the winger turning on the turbos to outrun the Enisei defence with a burst down the centre from inside his own half.
The pace of the scoring relented as both sides turned to their bench, Kibirige ending the hiatus when he delivered a true finisher’s try.
The former Yarm School pupil burst through two tacklers and round the last, rewarding his side’s pressure as they camped themselves inside the Russian half.
His side by this stage had an insatiable thirst for the try line, Watson’s hat-trick arriving on 74 minutes when the Londoner sped into the left corner from a long, floated pass.
Not done yet, he had the means, motive and opportunity to add a fourth of his own in the final two minutes, taking his team past the half-century as they ended on a high.
**Newcastle Falcons**
A Tait (C Willis, 63), Z Kibirige, T Penny, C Harris (A Powell, 63), M Watson, T Catterick, M Young (R Tipuna, 57); R Vickers (A Rogers, 55), G McGuigan (S Lawson, 55), J Welsh (T Vea, 55), C Green, S Robinson (W Witty, 55), W Welch (captain, R Mayhew, 68), D Temm, M Wilson.
Falcons scorers – Tries: Z Kibirige 2, M Wilson 3, M Watson 4. Conversions: T Catterick 5.
**Enisei-STM**
Y Kushnarev, R Malneek, D Kacharava, D Gerasimov, D Simplikevich, R Gaisin (I Kurashov, 63), J Baranovs (captain, A Shcherban, 65); A Bezverkhov (L Cleminson, 40), S Selski (N Gasanov, 57), I Zykov, U Saulite, V Krasniyik, V Orlov (P Butenko, 57), A Temnov, A Rudoi.
Sin-bin: V Krasniyik
Enisei scorers – Tries: D Simplikevich. Conversions: Y Kushnarev.
**Referee:** A Brace (Ireland). **Attendance:** 4,806.
