Richards credits effort in Friday defeat
Mounting a wave of late pressure but failing to seal the crucial score, Richards said: “It’s difficult in that situation – do you go for the pick-and-go, the scrum or the line-out?
“You’ve got some wily characters there in Ellis Genge and Dan Cole, who perhaps got the rub of the green from a scrummaging perspective.
“In the last two minutes we probably should have snuck it, but it’s that little bit of accuracy we need, and we have to take into the next three games.
“We wanted another try which would have given us a four-try bonus point and potentially either the win or the draw, so it’s disappointing from that point of view.”
Battling back from 13-0 down, the Falcons boss said: “In the first 20 minutes they were all over us in terms of controlling the territory, but from then on in we controlled everything.
“We just didn’t get over the line, we couldn’t nail it and the interception try cost us a little bit in terms of the momentum we were generating.
“But we pulled it back, and I think we should have won it.”
Assessing the survival situation with only three rounds remaining, Richards added: “I’ve said all along it will come down to the last game of the season.
“We need to win one of our next two games and then it will come down to that final round.
“The boys are disappointed, but at the same time we performed well. We dominated most of the last hour, it was just getting across that line. We scored three good tries but it’s doing it time and time again that counts, and we didn’t nail every opportunity.”
Newcastle Falcons’ next game is at home to Northampton Saints on Friday April 26. Tickets are available by [**clicking here**][1].
[1]: https://www.eticketing.co.uk/newcastle-falcons/EDP/Event/Index/1388
