Season Recap: April 2015
Following the launch of Season Ticket Membership packages for 2015/16 the Falcons announced that match day crowds were up by 27.6% whilst Season Ticket sales were up by over 11% so far.
In more good news, Tom Penny announced that he had signed a two year contract extension with the Falcons’ Senior Academy while Scott MacLeod received a call up to the Barbarians for their game against Heriots RFC.
The club’s European campaign ended away to Exeter in a 48-13 quarter final during which, as Dean Richards said: “Anything that could have gone wrong for the Falcons did go wrong.”
However the return of Premiership rugby the following week was a happier occasion, with their team putting in a big performance at home to Bath. Although the Falcons found themselves on the end of a 19-29 defeat, there was much to be positive about, not least a score from Sinoti Sinoti that would later find itself shortlisted for Premiership try of the season.
Newcastle Thunder kicked off their Kingstone Press League One season at Kingston Park with a resounding victory over Barrow Raiders, a result that set out their stall for what promises to be an exciting new era at Kingston Park.
April saw the Falcons announce that they would face the Georgian international side this August in a Rugby World Cup warm-up fixture live at Kingston Park, before competing in a new round robin competition with Sale Sharks and Leicester Tigers the following month ahead of the 2015/16 Aviva Premiership season.
Off the field Mark Wilson helped launch the Aviva Community Fund to support local causes while the Falcons played Easter bunny at Newcastle’s RVI, handing out eggs and other chocolates to young patients at the hospital.
The Falcons’ final game of the month finished in an agonising 42-40 defeat away to Gloucester after what Dean Richards called a “gutting” try in the dying minutes of the game.
It was a strong performance though with many positives, not least the Aviva Premiership debut of Academy Lock Will Witty, who went on to make a second appearance the following week against Sale Sharks.
Continuing a big season for the Falcons Academy, Callum Chick ran out for England Under 19s against France, while Joe Craggs and Johnny McPhillips represented England Under 18s at the FIRA European Championships.
Meanwhile Michael Newstead, Tristan Grant, Alex Hayton, Isaac Brace and Ikenna Obonna represent England North Under 16s at the Wellington International Festival.
Elsewhere Doddie Weir joined a host of Falcons and Southern hemisphere legends to commit their name to the Falcons Legends game taking place at Kingston Park this October.
