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Wales' openside Reffell now 'one of the best sevens in the world'
By PA
Leicester’s head coach Dan McKellar praised his side’s accuracy in overcoming extremely difficult conditions to record a bonus-point 47-3 Gallagher Premiership win over bottom club Newcastle.
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It was Falcons eighth consecutive defeat and they remain winless having just picked up four league points to remain eight points behind ninth-placed Gloucester.
Wales flanker Tommy Reffell was Tigers’ hero with a hat-trick of tries.
Matt Scott, Jasper Wiese, Ollie Hassell-Collins and Mike Brown were also on the try-scoring sheet, with Handre Pollard kicking four conversions and Jamie Shillcock two.
A penalty from Brett Connon was Newcastle’s sole response.
McKellar said: “It was tough conditions for the boys out there and indeed for the supporters.
“It was a good day at the office but the boys certainly had to dig in hard to defend their line.
“In the conditions, we didn’t really want the ball but Newcastle have scored a lot of points in their games so keeping them out today was impressive as our defence is a real weapon for us.
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“Another plus was that we were able to empty our bench quite early and so able to give the likes of Tom Whiteley and Jamie Shillcock valuable game time.
“It was a slow start to the season with results not going our way but slowly but surely we are building momentum.”
Reffell won the man of the match award to draw praise from McKellar.
He added: “Since he has come back from the World Cup, he has been outstanding and is challenging himself to be one of the best number sevens in the world.
“If he continues to progress, there is no doubt that he is likely to achieve that.”
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It was another miserable day at the office for Newcastle, who despite a spirited performance lacked the attacking flair to trouble their opponents in conditions that clearly didn’t suit them.
They did have periods of sustained pressure but never looked like capitalising and were given a lesson by Tigers in how to take chances.
Newcastle’s head coach Alex Codling said: “They had a very strong side with 14 internationals out there and they do the basics very well.
“I can’t fault our efforts but it was a tough watch and the final score was hard to take.
“When we lose momentum, we can’t seem to get it back but the conditions really suited them today.
“They are so strong around the area of ruck and maul so we lost the arm-wrestle and it was clearly a one-sided game.”
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The writer here ignores the fact that, following on from not taking the penalty kick, the All Blacks did manage to score a try a few minutes later. Not directly from the penalty awarded, but it is speculation to say that had they opted to take the koi they would have won. Even if they kicked it, which was no guarantee, they would still be trailing and would have had to start again at half-way.
Go to commentsI would be surprised if Sales Opoku Fordjour and Northampton’s Tommy Freeman are not in the team, Anthony Watson is also one that could go on the wing. One thing I must say is that the front 3 will get destroyed against a team like South Africa.
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