 David Hill kicked three penalties to keep Bristol in touch |
Bristol (9) 22
Try: Penalty
Pens: Hill (3), Strange (2)
Cons: Strange
Newcastle (11) 21
Try: Tait, Noon
Pens: Flood (3)
Cons: Flood
A last-gasp penalty try for a collapsed scrum ensured Bristol kept the pressure on Leicester and added to Newcastle's problems at the foot of the table.
Newcastle's England duo Toby Flood and Mathew Tait shone, with Tait finishing off a 50-metre attacking move for the game's opening try.
Three first-half injuries hampered Bristol and a converted Jamie Noon try after the break put Newcastle 21-9 up.
But Jason Strange's kicking kept them in touch before the dramatic finale.
Bristol head coach Richard Hill on the penalty try: "It was possibly an early call by the referee. If I was the Newcastle coach, I'd be disappointed.
"When we went from 11-9 down to 21-9 down, I was beginning to doubt whether we could turn things around.
"Once again we had to rely on strength of character to pull us through. How we won that game, I'm not certain."
Newcastle director of rugby John Fletcher: "I thought we were mugged. It was an outrageous decision and I think the referee has been conned.
"When the scrum collapsed on the first occasion he said both teams took it down, and then, when it happened a second time, he gave a penalty try.
"I am devastated. We got ourselves in a position to win. We have a young squad and they need to learn a bit quicker."
Bristol: Taumalolo, Robinson, Lima, Higgitt, Lemi, Hill, Perry, Hilton, Regan, Crompton, Winters, Hohneck, Salter (capt), El Abd, To'oala.
Replacements: Linklater, Clarke, Llewellyn, Pennycook, O'Riordan, Strange, Morgan.
Newcastle: Burke (capt), May, Tait, Noon, Rudd, Flood, Dickson; McDonnell, Long, Ward, Sorenson, Oakes, Parling, Woods, Winter.
Replacements: Wilson, Thompson, Buist, Wilson, Mayerhofler, Grindal, Crichton.
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