We lost our way admits Clark

MAX Clark refused to blame the bad weather for Bath being comprehensively swept aside.

Falcons put out a much more experienced side than Bath but centre Clark insisted they were their own worst enemy.

He admitted: “It was a very disappointing performance and result. We lacked direction and lost our way a bit. You need to start well and positively when it is went and windy but we just could not get any continuity or momentum.

“Newcastle handled the conditions better and we struggled to put them under any consistent pressure.”

Bath boss Stuart Hooper said: “Our set-piece let us down: Scrum in the first half and lineout in the second. In conditions like that you’ve got to rely on those things. Lineout-wise we had lots of people out of position, lots of people who came into the team for the first time and we didn’t get the outcomes we wanted.

“Some of the players we gave an opportunity to really put their hands up but, ultimately, we needed a better platform to get into the game.”

CLOSE-UP

SIMON HAMMERSLEY

Newcastle full-back

V

TOM HOMER

Bath full-back

Hammersley won this contest by a distance thanks to Falcons flapping all over their Bath rivals from start to finish. He was a constant threat in attack and was a difficult target to stop in tricky conditions. He rounded off a fine Falcons attack for the second try while Homer tried hard to inspire Bath but it was an uphill task having to defend for the majority of the game.