Ospreys thrash Newcastle in Challenge Cup opening round
Friday 14 October 2016 22:35, UK
Newcastle suffered an ignominious start to their European Challenge Cup Pool 2 campaign as they fell to a 45-0 rout against the Ospreys.
The Guinness PRO12 side scored at will after a slow start, eventually running in seven tries in a bonus point victory with Keelan Giles crossing twice.
Ospreys dominated possession throughout but took 20 minutes to get on the scoreboard with Dan Biggar opening the floodgates with their first try, which he also converted.
Rhys Webb and Ashley Beck also scored tries before half-time, with the Ospreys leading 19-0.
Hopes of a Falcons comeback in the second half proved way off the mark, although it took until the 54th minute for the Welsh side to secure their bonus point when Scott Baldwin crossed for their fourth try.
Justin Tipuric added a fifth a minute later and Giles wrapped things up with his two scores on 61 and 71. Biggar converted five of the seven tries to end with 15 points.
A good day for Wales continued with Cardiff Blues running out 33-20 winners to spoil Bristol's return to European competition at Ashton Gate.
Bristol started well and took an early 10-3 lead in the Pool 4 encounter when hooker Max Crumpton scored a 15th minute try.
But the Blues replied with tries from Reynold Lee-Lo and Josh Turnbull to turn things around and claim a 21-13 half-time lead.
Alex Cuthbert scored a third Cardiff try and they secured a bonus point with seven minutes remaining when Wales fly-half Tom James touched down out wide.
Bristol scored a late consolation through replacement Joe Joyce but the game was over as a contest by then.
A third Welsh win came courtesy of the Newport-Gwent Dragons, who also managed a bonus point victory in beating Brive 37-16 at Rodney Parade in Pool 3.
But it was a far harder night than the final scoreline suggests, with the French side leading 16-13 going into the final 16 minutes thanks to a try, a conversion and three penalties from fly-half Thomas Laranjeira.
The Dragons had scored the first try of the night through Rynard Landman in the 11th minute but they had to wait 49 minutes for their second when flanker Lewis Evans barged his way over the line to give them the lead.
Brok Harris added a third on 68 minutes and there were further five-pointers from Hallam Amos and Adam Warren in the last 10 minutes as the Dragons gave the scoreline a somewhat misleading lop-sided look.
The other game in Pool 2 saw Lyon claim a victory on the road, scoring four tries in a 39-13 win at Top 14 rivals Grenoble.
Grenoble led through the first quarter of the game, but failed to score again after Gilles Bosch kicked his second penalty to level the scores at 13-13 in the 29th minute.
Cameron Mapusua scored Lyon's only first-half try but they had taken the lead thanks to five penalties from Jacques-Louis Potgieter before running in three more scores in the final 15 minutes through Thibaut Regard, Henry Clunies-Ross and Deon Fourie.
