'There were no positives to take' - Steve Diamond reflects on Newcastle's defeat to Bristol

Newcastle Falcons consultant director of rugby Steve Diamond expressed disappointment over their defeat to Bristol Bears in the recently concluded Gallagher Premiership encounter on Sunday.

Bristol came up with a 13-try riot with Benhard Janse Van Rensburg and Virimi Vakatawa scoring a double while Siva Naulago, James Dun, Max Malins, Magnus Bradbury, James Williams, Ellis Genge, Harry Randall, Kieran Marmion and Jake Heenan all touched down as Pat Lam's side scored a mammoth 85 points.

In response, Newcastle managed tries only from Adam Radwan and Brett Connon as they succumbed to a 14-85 defeat. This was also Newcastle's 15th defeat in as many games as they are languishing at the bottom of the table.

“It’s uncharted waters for me, and for most of the players in the changing room," he told the club's official website.

“We’ve come across a very good Bristol side, so first things first, we have to give them plenty of credit for playing really well. I think they’d have beaten most teams by 25 or 30 points playing like that, but clearly we’re lacking in confidence and produced an unacceptable performance.

“We were three tries down and had hardly touched the ball after 10 or 15 minutes, and it spiralled from there. It was basically game over at that point, and of course it’s incredibly disappointing for us and our supporters.

“This has to be a line in the sand for us, and there were no positives to take.

“The only thing I can say for it is that it has helped me make up my mind on a few of the players, and we’ll be a better side moving forward into next season.”