Former USA captain Todd Clever made his debut for the Newcastle Falcons as they took on the Leicester Tigers Friday evening.

Clever had a good game for his new pro club, testing Leicester with his running in the open field. But Newcastle as a whole had trouble putting all the pieces together, and fell behind 22-0 at halftime. But Clever helped spark a comeback, scoring a try and helping Newcastle to a comeback that fell just two points short. The Falcons got a bonus point for a close loss, and a bonus point for four tries, but lost 30-28.

Newcastle made it to the tryline at the end of the game but the referee said no try.

Starting at No. 8, Clever was an instant hit with the fans.