Tait hails impact players

Newcastle head coach Alan Tait was full of praise for his impact players following his side's 17-3 home win over Exeter on Sunday.

Strong bench took us to victory says Falcons boss

Newcastle head coach Alan Tait was full of praise for his impact players following his side's 17-3 victory over Exeter at Kingston Park on Sunday. The Falcons fought back from a 3-0 first half deficit to secure an away tie against Harlequins in the LV= Cup semi-finals. "We did the hard work in the first half," said Tait. "We knew what the pitch would be like given all the rain and the day it was and the lads who came on in the second half swung the game around for us. "Having a strong bench made all the difference and when the conditions got even worse in the second half it proved what a difference our impact players made. "I was delighted with the first half until the last 30 seconds when we gave away a silly penalty. We did struggle a bit when they went on the pick and drive, but we hung in there and finished well. "I'm a big believer is match fitness and this will have done us no harm at all with a big Premiership game to come at London Irish and then the Chiefs back here at Kingston Park. "I think we're still a couple of matches off peak match fitness because of the lay-off, but that's the first time in three matches we have matched the Chiefs physically and that's given them something to think about for when they come back here in the league."