Cut-loose Newcastle will provide stern test

IN all the analysis Edinburgh will have undertaken ahead of the visit of Newcastle Falcons tomorrow night, there won’t have been too much time spent on the fact they sit bottom of the English Premiership. Of far more relevance is that Newcastle currently sit top of Pool 5 in the Heineken Champions Cup, two points ahead of Edinburgh, having won both of their opening two games against Toulon and Montpellier. Their backline, featuring Fiji’s all-time record try scorer Vereniki Goneva and Scotland centre Chris Harris, can wreak havoc if they manage to click into top gear. Edinburgh’s Henry Pyrgos is wary of the Falcons’ flyers and the dangers they pose — and has challenged his team-mates to produce their ‘A’ Game. ‘I’ve never played in the Premiership, but speaking to the boys who do, it’s a really attritional league, so maybe for Newcastle going into Europe there’s a little bit less pressure,’ said the scrum-half. ‘They’ve obviously cut loose and played really well. We’ve watched those games and they’ve created a lot of line-breaks. ‘They’ve got some dangerous runners, so we’re aware of that and we know we can’t give those dangerous ball carriers time and space because they’ll cause us lots of problems if we do. ‘They’re a team that want to play the full 80 minutes. They’ve had big wins coming right at the end of games. We know they’re going to play right to the death. ‘So we’re expecting Newcastle to bring their best game. They’ve beaten Toulon away, which not many teams do, and Montpellier at home, so we’re going to have to play really well to win.’ For all that the Falcons have been impressive in Europe, so, too, have Edinburgh. A narrow defeat in Montpellier in their opening match was followed by a thumping bonus-point win over Toulon in their last outing. That has given Richard Cockerill’s men the genuine belief they can now progress from the group. ‘Getting wins like that (Toulon) gives you belief as a squad that you can play at this level,’ Pyrgos added. ‘Every game in the league and Europe is a big game for us, but double-headers in Europe are an exciting time. ‘It shows you where you’re going to end up in the group. It’s a big opportunity that can put you in or take you out of contention.’