Newcastle Falcons supremo, Alan Tait was proud of his side's performance despite the 23-12 defeat at the hands of Harlequins in the Aviva Premiership on Saturday writes Stewart McCullough.

A late try from the Londoners prevented the Falcons from leaving the capital with a bonus point. And Tait was full of praise for his young outfit, saying “We were outstanding in one of our best performances of the season.

“Just little things that were done by young players let us down, but they will learn fast because you get no mercy at this level.”

The dismissal of Jon Golding who was sent to the bin for indiscipline at the scrum, proved to be the turning point according to Tait.

He said: “We have an England Saxon sin-binned and are hit with seven points. It turned the game. But I am proud of his performance.

“I was surprised by the penalty try because I felt we’d been as steady as a rock all match.”

Tait is expected to ring the changes for this Thursday’s Amlin Challenge Cup clash with Bourgoin at Kingston Park.
Keep checking the Falcons website for team news and interviews ahead of the European opener.