Newcastle Falcons pulled off a momentous victory at Kingston Park, climbing off the bottom of the Premiership table with a thrilling win over Saracens—their first triumph against the visitors since 2009.
The Falcons leapfrogged Exeter Chiefs with their second victory in three league matches. Tries from Alex Hearle and Adam Radwan, along with seven points from Brett Connon’s boot, secured their fourth consecutive home win. Despite early and late tries from Saracens’ Tobias Elliott and Tom Willis, the visitors couldn’t avoid their third defeat in four Premiership outings. A losing bonus point kept them in fourth.
But the game’s talking point came in its dying moments when Hugh Tizard, who received his first England call-upe arlier this month, received a red card for a reckless cleanout on Sammy Arnold. Tizard’s low, dangerous hit from the side drew widespread condemnation.
One fan wrote: “Pretty horrific cleanout from Hugh Tizard to end the game… Straight at the knee.”
Another added: “WTF? They know how severe those injuries can be.”
A third said: “Wincing. Only recently did they start cracking down on that.”
Another pointed out: “That is horrific. He definitely targeted the knee. Good job that guy lifted his leg at the right time.”
Calls for harsher penalties were echoed across social media:
“Bans for offences like that should start from the day the other player returns to full training,” said one user.
“Six-month ban… no place for that in the game,” wrote another.
One fan called for criminal charges, stating: “That’s clearly assault, an attempt to purposely break a leg.”
Others demanded stricter sanctions: “Until they start handing out meaningful bans, coupled with player and team fines for this sort of nasty sneaky shit, cheap shot merchants will keep doing it. Give him three months and a ten-grand fine. It would stop pretty quickly.”
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EDITORS PICKS:
- Leicester issue worrying update on England forward Ollie Chessum
- Andy Farrell confirms he will step down as Ireland head coach this weekend
- World Rugby confirms FOUR ‘fan-focused’ law changes for 2025 Six Nations
- Gloucester name their asking price for number 8 Zach Mercer
- BBC ‘priced out’ of Six Nations, will likely go behind paywall next year
Sir Clive Woodward’s Lions team to face Australia
15 – Blair Kinghorn (Scotland)
14 – Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (England)
13 – Garry Ringrose (Ireland)
12 – Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland)
11 – Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland)
10 – Finn Russell (Scotland)
9 – Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
1 – Andrew Porter (Ireland)
2 – Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
3 – Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
4 – Maro Itoje (England)
5 – Joe McCarthy (Ireland)
6 – Jack Willis (England)
7 – Josh van der Flier (Ireland)
8 – Caelan Doris (Ireland, captain)
Replacements: Dewi Lake (Wales), Ellis Genge (England), Zander Fagerson (Scotland), Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Jac Morgan (Wales), Tomos Williams (Wales), Marcus Smith (England), James Lowe (Ireland).
Can you name the entire British & Irish Lions squad from their tour of New Zealand in 2005?
The British & Irish Lions’ tour of New Zealand in 2005 remains one of the most talked-about campaigns in rugby history.
Despite facing a formidable All Blacks side, the squad was packed with legendary talent representing England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
From unforgettable tries to moments of controversy, this tour had it all—and it’s time to see just how much you remember!
Can you recall every player who pulled on the famous red jersey during that iconic tour? Dive into this quiz to test your Lions knowledge and relive a piece of rugby history!
