Wilkinson makes successful return to rugby

Worcester 9 Newcastle 30

England superstar Jonny Wilkinson made a successful return to the Zurich Premiership as he steered Newcastle safely through their hazardous opener against new boys Worcester.

Wilkinson, on his first league appearance since suffering a career-threatening neck and shoulder injury last December, kicked 15 points and gave England’s acting head coach Andy Robinson an early job boost.

Wilkinson is essential to Robinson’s autumn Test plans – England face Canada, South Africa and Australia on successive November weekends – and he came through a bruising encounter unscathed.

The England fly-half has not played Test rugby since the World Cup final, but his fitness and appetite could not be questioned on a stamina-sapping afternoon at Sixways.

He slotted three penalties, and converted all three Newcastle tries from flanker Mike McCarthy, centre Mark Mayerhofler and lock Stuart Grimes. Two early missed penalties had no bearing on the final outcome.

Newcastle were made to work hard for their victory, and trailed 6-0 inside 13 minutes, yet there was never any real prospect of them slipping up.

Worcester gave it everything, and will be tough for most Premiership teams - especially on their own ground – but a lack of composure and direction at crucial times frustrated them.

In the end, they had to settle for three penalties, two by fly-half James Brown and one from his second-half replacement Tommy Hayes.

For Rob Andrew’s Falcons, it was a job well done, even if they will need a considerable improvement for next Saturday’s encounter against Bath.

Worcester, who were challenging for Midlands Division One honours 10 years ago, had worked long and hard to reach the Premiership’s promised land, and their arrival among English rugby’s elite was greeted by a capacity 8,200 crowd.

Summer signings Thomas Lombard, Pat Sanderson and Ben Gollings all made their league debuts for Worcester, but skipper Ben Hinshelwood was a late withdrawal through injury and Samoan Dale Rasmussen replaced him in midfield.

Falcons’ new arrivals McCarthy, Colin Charvis and lock Luke Gross also started, but inevitably though, pre-match attention revolved exclusively around Wilkinson.

He began his familiar metronomic practising routine 75 minutes before kick-off, and proceeded to rifle kick after kick between the posts.

The Falcons were immediately thrust into defensive mode, with Lombard almost crashing over in the corner after just two minutes, but Brown opened Worcester’s account just 60 seconds later when Newcastle gifted him a penalty chance.

Newcastle were riddled by all the early nerves – emphasised when full-back Joe Shaw got nowhere near a steepling kick just inside his 22 – and they also suffered an injury scare, with Charvis requiring treatment for a back twinge.

It took Newcastle 10 minutes to get out of their own half, such was Worcester’s control, but Wilkinson came up trumps when they did, booting his first Premiership points in 2004 and cutting the deficit after Brown had kicked a second penalty.

Wilkinson’s second penalty attempt – a 50-metre strike – rebounded off the crossbar, yet Newcastle only had to wait another three minutes before moving ahead.

Slick passing among the backs created space out wide, and McCarthy cut back inside on a telling angle for the game’s opening try that Wilkinson easily converted.

The rapid change of fortunes was emphasised when Brown sent a 25-metre penalty chance off target, and Worcester’s rich early promise showed signs of evaporating.

Lock Craig Gillies thought he had put Worcester back in front when he sprinted 20 metres to the line, but referee Roy Maybank spotted an earlier technical infringement, enabling Wilkinson to clear possession.

Wilkinson ended a lively half with two further penalties in three damaging minutes from Worcester’s perspective, and after leading by six points, they trooped off at half-time 16-6 adrift.

Newcastle knew that an early second-half score would finish Worcester off, but the third quarter proved scoreless, and it was the home side who prospered when Hayes kicked a short-range penalty.

But hopes of a revival were snuffed out from the restart. Newcastle stormed back upfield, recycled possession quickly and New Zealander Mayerhofler strode through a huge gap.

Wilkinson’s conversion put them safe, 14 points clear, before he improved Grimes’ try and ended both the scoring and the contest.