Falcons eyeing up a European cup place
NEWCASTLE KEEN TO MOVE ON FROM LEICESTER DEFEAT
SONATANE Takulua returns as one of five changes to Newcastle Falcons’ team for tonight’s Aviva Premiership visit of Worcester Warriors to Kingston Park Stadium (kick-off 8.00).
The Tonga scrum-half is the only addition to the Falcons’ back division for their final home game of the regular season, Scottish pair Scott Lawson and Jon Welsh returning to the frontrow in a re-jigged forward pack.
Sean Robinson comes in at second row with Callum Chick added to the back row, director of rugby Dean Richards keen for the Falcons to throw their hat in the ring for a European Champions Cup place with just two rounds of regular-season action remaining.
Richards said: “It is potentially our last home game of the season depending what happens in terms of qualifying for the Champions Cup play-offs so let’s give it a huge effort and see what happens. “Champions Cup rugby is still on the cards for us. Assuming we turn up on Friday and then again at Bristol eight days later it is a possibility and we have to give ourselves that chance. “it comes, then happy days, but we know it is complicated with results elsewhere. “To finish sixth and qualify automatically we need Northampton to draw with Harlequins with neither side getting bonus points - we know it is a mathematical long shot. “Seventh place and a play-off semifinal is a more realistic option so we are just concentrating on winning our next two games and seeing where that leaves us. “Everyone is excited about that challenge and following our last game at Leicester there has been a bit of niggle in the changing room. “I like that and I feel like the lads are in a good place for this one.” Keen to bounce back from the 30-3 loss at Welford Road, the Falcons’ boss added: “We sat down with the players, talked it through and they were disappointed more than anything with the performance.
“As a coaching team you look at yourself, the players have looked at themselves also, and throughout as a whole group we were disappointed with what happened on the day. The way the result unfolded sent us back to the drawing board a little bit ,like our defeat down at Bath earlier in the season, because we went with high hopes and it did not happen for us.
“We bounced back from that at the time and we can do so again.
“There are a lot of complex factors involved but at the end of the day Leicester are a good side.
“You cannot take that away but at the same time we felt we should have competed better than we did.
“We have looked at ourselves more than anything and we are determined to come back with a big performance against Worcester. “What we talk about all the time is accuracy, getting things right and doing it repeatedly. That has been the focus during the week because we have full confidence in what we are going out there to achieve. “Having the accuracy to execute it is the key and if we have that we will be fine.” Worcester travel north under the tutelage of former Falcons’ boss Gary Gold, the South African who had a fivemonth spell at Kingston Park in 2012. Tickets for tonight’s game are available by calling 0871 226 6060.
Champions Cup rugby is definitely still on the cards for us Dean Richards Falcons Director of Rugby