Newcastle Falcons have secured their place in the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup by beating Bucharest Wolves 52-10 this evening.
In the knowledge that a bonus-point victory would be needed, the visitors pressed from the off in search of an early breakthrough and they were duly rewarded when Rob Vickers crossed over following some patient build-up play.
Having conceded a penalty at the breakdown, Daniel Statulescu was able to reduce Newcastle's lead by three points when he successfuly split the sticks, although three tries in a little over 10 minutes soon after gave the Aviva Premiership side complete control.
Juan Pablo Socino was first to find the chalk when he was played in by Mark Wilson, who had himself broken through, and then it was over to Alex Tait, who celebrated signing a new two-year deal at the club this week by adding a simple try following a quick penalty from Ruki Tipuna.
Newcastle continued to dominate the possession stakes and were in the clear when a penalty try added to their advantage, but there was to be a glimmer of hope provided by Catlin Dascalu, who pulled back a fine consolation try before the half was out.
Bucharest, who have now lost all six of their pool fixtures this season, were condemned to a heavy defeat when two more tries followed early in the second period.
Vickers added his second following a messy lineout in the Wolves 22, with Tait himself completing a brace at the end of a sweeping move across the pitch.
Socino was the next player to join the growing list of scorers when he was played in by replacement Rory Clegg to add five more points to the scoring.
Newcastle crossed over for an eighth time through Andy Davies late on to complete the rout, ensuring a second-place finish in the Pool Three standings.
Daniel Lewis
