Falcons’ resolve holds out in thriller at Bath
DIRECTOR PRAISES UNITY AFTER VICTORY
NEWCASTLE are sitting proudly in the top two of the Aviva Premiership after a dramatic 33-32 bonus-point win at Bath – but that is of no interest at all to director of rugby Dean Richards.
The Falcons have been more accustomed to fighting relegation battles during their time in the top flight – finishing 11th in three of their four campaigns since being promoted in 2013 – but they have got off to a flying start this season, with three wins out of four.
The latest victory was an impressive triumph at Bath, racing into a 19-0 firsthalf lead before then showing great resolve to recover from 32-19 down as they bounced back from last Sunday’s defeat to Saracens in Philadelphia.
And it was the performance, squad unity and fighting spirit among his players that pleased Richards, rather than Newcastle’s lofty position in the earlyseason standings.
“I never, ever look at where we are at this moment in time,” he said. “I’ll look at it at the end of the season when there are 22 games in the bag and see where we are then.
“Provided the boys try their hardest and they play to their capabilities, what will be will be.
“I’m confident we’ve got a really good coaching team. We have a structure and a style of play which is slightly different from most and we enjoy it. And we also enjoy each other’s company, which is key.”
Richards also insisted their expedition to the United States was a useful exercise, despite the defeat, saying: “We felt we didn’t get the rub of the green and that we had a point to prove. Certainly, the first 25 minutes today showed that. We went off the rails a bit in the last 10 minutes of the first half and allowed them to get back into the game.
“Then we threw the subs on with 20 to go and they produced the goods. It’s not a squad of just 15 players now. It’s a squad of 35-40 good players who can just turn it on for us when we need it.
“We knew, coming back from PhilaNewcastle Falcons players celebrate at the final whistle after their victory at Bath delphia, how tight a group they are. They do everything together. Whatever happens they’ll fight for each other, which is ultimately what happened.”
In contrast, Bath director of rugby Todd Blackadder was far from happy with his players after seeing them throw away a 13-point lead before slumping to a second defeat of the campaign.
A first-half horror show when they conceded 19 points without reply, clearly also angered the normally affable exAll Blacks skipper.
“It’s just not good enough,” he said. “Missed tackles, no physicality, one-off running and getting turned over. We were compounding error after error. We’re better than that. I know we are.
“By the end of the first half we pulled ourselves back into the game and put a lot of pressure on Newcastle. We just had to do the simple things really well and get our game plan back in order – and what a difference!
“At 32-19 it was really simple. We had the game in the bag but we continued to play and make simple errors, letting them back into the game. It’s so disappointing because that is not what we set out to do.”
Blackadder also revealed that Bath’s injury problems had worsened, with a hamstring injury to Matt Banahan.