Dean fears goodbye kiss
NEWCASTLE director of rugby Dean Richards has told his side their season is on the line as they host Sale at Kingston Park tonight.
The Falcons are bidding to get their challenge for a play-off spot back on track after last Saturday’s 27-13 setback at Worcester knocked them off course.
Currently fifth, and two points behind fourth-placed Wasps, Newcastle have the toughest run-in of the clubs contending for the top four, with games against Leicester and Wasps to come.
And Richards says their play-off goose will be cooked if they do not get a result against a Sharks team who are just three points off knockout qualification themselves. “It is a must-win game in terms of keeping our top-four hopes alive, and if we don’t win then we can almost kiss the semifinals goodbye,” he said.
“That’s not a mathematical certainty, but you have to be realistic about the fact it will be extremely difficult to make the top four if we don’t win this one.”
Richards has rung the changes and has flanker Gary Graham back after he injured his neck during England training in February. Michael Young also returns from a knee injury to start at scrum-half and Joel Hodgson replaces Toby Flood at fly-half.
Denny Solomona and Mike Haley are both serving bans, so Sale shift Byron McGuigan to full-back, with Marland Yarde and Paolo Odogwu on the wings. Cameron Redpath, 18, son of former Scotland scrumhalf Bryan but an England U20 fly-half, is on the bench and set for his Premiership debut.