Kingsley Hyland continues his series of rugby reminiscences, looking at a key encounter against this Friday’s opponents, Saracens.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 19, 1998 – NEWCASTLE 30-25 SARACENS

The start of the re-branded Gallagher PREM season and the drawing to a close of the Womens’ Rugby World Cup has finally sparked press interest in the club game. Not since the Premiership-winning season 28 years ago have Newcastle attracted such attention from the national broadsheets.

In terms of lifting the spirits, the acquisition of the club by Red Bull has had a similar impact to that experienced when Sir John Hall stole a march on the rest of the English club game and acquired a controlling interest in Newcastle Gosforth back in 1995.

There are some similarities to that period in that Red Bull’s intervention comes at a time when Newcastle have spent three seasons propping up the rest of the top division, whilst Sir John found Newcastle Gosforth at the bottom of the English rugby’s second tier. It took less than three years then to lift the club from the nether regions of the second division to their Premiership triumph in May 1998.

The defining match of that Premiership season was against this week’s opponents, Saracens.

Having secured promotion in 1997 the pervading view was that Newcastle would be highly competitive, but would need time to adjust to the top league. In the event, they set off like an express train and proved unstoppable in winning their first 12 league games, not tasting defeat until they went down 17-30 at Richmond on March 14.

Their challengers finally scented blood, and five days later their closest rivals Saracens came to town on a breezy Wednesday night for a match which piqued the interest of the national rugby press, drawing comparisons with international rugby.

Saracens had lost twice, but went into the fixture two points clear at the top of the table, having played two games more. The match had sparked considerable interest on Tyneside, and a club record home crowd in excess of 5,000 had been expected. This was in the days before the redevelopment of Kingston Park, so the only spectator seating was to be found in the 400-seater East Stand and two small temporary stands on the west side. In the event, 6,868 were crammed in, delaying the kick-off and providing an electric atmosphere as the teams took the field to the strains of The Verve and a fusillade of fireworks which launched from behind the North Terrace.

Inga Tuigamala and Tony Underwood were missing injured from the Newcastle line-up so Martin Shaw was brought in on the wing, and a certain Jonathan Wilkinson made his first league start in the centre three days after making a cameo appearance off the bench for England against Ireland.

Saracens started much the stronger, denying the home side possession for most of the opening five minutes, with Irish prop Paul Wallace prominent. They only had a Michael Lynagh penalty to show for their dominance, and this was enough to spark Newcastle into life. With ten minutes on the clock Alan Tait fed full-back Stuart Legg, who stepped inside his marker for a try which Rob Andrew converted (7-3).

The frenetic early pace continued and after Danny Grewcock secured line-out ball, Tony Diprose was driven over in the left corner. Lynagh added the extras (7-10) but the home side’s response was almost immediate. With skipper Dean Ryan prominent and enjoying a monumental tussle with Saracens’ player coach Francois Pineaar, Gary Armstrong and Andrew were able to work the ball out to Tait in space. Tait in turn found Nick Popplewell, who crossed for the try, again converted by Andrew.

With just 17 minutes gone Newcastle led 14-10. The pace dropped slightly, but the lead was extended by three points after 37 minutes with an Andrew penalty after Diprose had strayed offside.

Saracens enjoyed the better of the third quarter. Lynagh and Andrew exchanged penalties but the under-pressure home side continued to fall foul of the whistle, and Lynagh kicked further penalties on 52, 57 and 63 minutes to give Saracens a two-point lead (20-22) with 17 minutes remaining.

Newcastle again roused themselves and secured a penalty when the visitors illegally stopped a break involving Wilkinson, Legg, Jim Naylor and Pat Lam. Peter Walton, on as a half-time replacement for Richard Arnold, took a quick tap and crashed over, with Andrew converting (27-22).

With eight minutes remaining Lynagh reduced the arrears to two points (27-25) with his sixth successful penalty, but this was cancelled out by Andrew’s third penalty just two minutes later.

Saracens spent the remainder of the game camped in the 22, but the home defence held firm for a crucial victory which took Newcastle to the top of the table on points difference with two games in hand.

Newcastle: P14, W13, L1, For 435, Ag 254, Pts 26

Saracens: P16, W13, L3, For 433 , Ag 296, Pts 26

Bath: P13, W10, L3, For 382, Ag 247, Pts 20

Director of Rugby Andrew described the game as “a wonderful advert for rugby. It’s the quickest, most enjoyable club game I’ve been involved with. It was of international quality” while in the Daily Telegraph, Mick Cleary described it as “the night the club game came of age.”

As for the Premiership, perennial champions Bath were still in the mix with games in hand and matches to come against both Newcastle and Saracens, both of which they would lose.

Newcastle’s form tailed off a little. They went down 10-12 to Saracens in the return fixture three weeks later in Watford – a victory particularly sweet for Lynagh, whose late dropped goal was the difference between the two sides. This after Andrew’s drop goal had booted Lynagh’s Australia out of the 1995 Rugby World Cup in the quarter final.

lost again four days later to Wasps (17-18) at Loftus Road. Saracens would not lose again, but crucially dropped a point when held to a 10-10 draw at Leicester three days after Newcastle’s defeat to Wasps. That meant that Newcastle would enter their last match of the season at Harlequins knowing that a draw would be enough to secure the league title.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Teams

Newcastle: S.Legg; J.Naylor; J.Wilkinson; A.Tait; M.Shaw (rep. T.Stimpson 32); R.Andrew; G.Armstrong; N.Popplewell; R.Nesdale (rep. N.Frankland 17); P. Van Zandvliet; G.Archer; G.Weir; P.Lam; R.Arnold (rep. P.Walton 40); D.Ryan (capt).

Saracens: M.Singer; R.Constable; P.Sella; S.Ravenscroft; B.Daniel (rep. G.Johnson 67); M.Lynnagh; K.Bracken; R.Grau; G.Chuter; P.Wallace; P.Johns (rep. B.Sturnham 64); D.Grewcock; A.Bennett; F.Pienaar; T.Diprose (capt).

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