Gloucester go top after Newcastle win

Tries from Iain Balshaw and Olivier Azam and a rare off-day for Jonny Wilkinson’s kicking helped Gloucester to a 20-13 win over Newcastle that keeps them top of the English Premiership.

Newcastle will be disappointed after turning over lots of possession and England flyhalf Wilkinson missed two kicks at goal, including one straightforward second half opportunity.

Wilkinson was on the mark with two penalties plus a conversion after Geoff Parling’s try while Ryan Lamb kicked the rest of Gloucester’s points with two conversions and two penalties of his own.

Final Score Newcastle 13 Gloucester 20

Scorers

Newcastle: (10) 13
Try: Parling
Con: Wilkinson
Pens: Wilkinson 2

Gloucester: (14) 20
Tries: Balshaw, Azam
Cons: Lamb 2
Pens: Lamb 2

Teams

Newcastle: Tait, May, Noon (captain), Flood, Rudd, Wilkinson, Dickson, Golding, Long, Hayman, Perry, Sorenson, Parling, Woods, Winter.
Replacements: Vickers, Wilson, Tomes, Wilson, Grindal, Visser, Phillips

Gloucester: Balshaw, Simpson-Daniel, Tindall, Allen, Vainikolo, Lamb, Cooper, Wood, Azam, Nieto, Bortolami (capt), Brown, Strokosch, Narraway, Delve.
Replacements: Titterrell, Collazo, James, Buxton, Lawson, Walker, Lloyd.