Newcastle Red Bulls ended a 399-day wait for a Gallagher Premiership victory on Friday night, holding off a determined Gloucester Rugby comeback to win 25-19 at Kingston Park.
Former Cherry and Whites hooker George McGuigan opened the scoring for Newcastle, powering over from a lineout maul in the early stages. The match heated up with both teams reduced to 14 players after second-rowers Jamie Hodgson and Arthur Clark received yellow cards for a first-half altercation. Amid this, Tom Christie added a second try for the Red Bulls, while Ollie Thorley responded for Gloucester.
Brett Connon kept Newcastle ahead with a penalty, setting the score at 15-5 at halftime. The second half saw Simon Benitez Cruz break through the Gloucester defence to score under the posts, with Connon converting. However, Gloucester’s night took a turn for the worse when Thorley was shown a 20-minute red card for a kick-off head collision. Connon added another penalty to extend Newcastle’s lead to 25-5.
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Despite being a player down, Gloucester mounted a late rally with tries from Mikey Austin and Ciaran Knight, both converted by Ross Byrne, closing the gap to 25-19. However, Newcastle’s resilient defense held firm in the closing stages to secure the win.
Gloucester arrived short-handed due to injuries, notably missing their senior hookers and the absence of captain and reigning Gallagher Premiership Player of the Year Tomos Williams. They signed Hartpury’s Will Crane ahead of the game, but the challenges proved significant.
Christian Wade impressed on his Premiership debut for Newcastle with dynamic running, adding an extra layer to the Red Bulls' attacking threat.
The Red Bulls team showed grit and cohesion, using powerful maul drives and tactical kicking to maintain control. This victory provides a much-needed boost as Newcastle look to climb the Premiership table after a long winless stretch.
Match Officials: Referee Christophe Ridley, Assistant Referees Richard Gordon and Wayne Falla, TMO Peter Allan.