Andrew laments Walder loss

Rob Andrew was left thinking about what might have been after Newcastle's defeat to Wasps.

Newcastle Falcons boss Rob Andrew was left ruing the loss of Dave Walder after his side's 21-6 defeat to Wasps.

The Falcons went into the Causeway Stadium clash hoping to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches, but Wasps were too much for their opponents in all areas of the pitch.

Andrew believes that his men could have faired much better if his forwards had been supported by the tactical kicking of Walder, although he admitted that the champions were the better side.

"Wasps were just sharper than us in the loose today, which is one their great strengths both offensively and defensively as a side," said the former fly half.

"We couldn't quite handle it, and we missed Dave Walder in a tactical sense after he failed a Cogsport test this morning following the bang he took when he scored his try against Worcester last weekend.

"Toby Flood has done really well this season and is a very talented young player, but the type of game Dave plays may have put us in parts of the field where we could apply more pressure, but we didn't exert enough of that pressure on them.

"We have gone to the best teams in the league and generally played well - losing by one at Sale and drawing at Leicester - and in a way this is one of our poorest away performances against one of the top sides in the league."

The Falcons now break away from domestic matters for an away trip to the Borders, before looking for a return to Premiership form at home to Saracens.