Graham’s Wel up for clash with Leicester
GARY Graham insists fear will not be a factor tomorrow night as Newcastle Falcons work to end their 20-year wait for a win at Welford Road.
Newcastle’s last away victory over Leicester Tigers saw Graham’s father George coming off the bench in a 25-19 triumph during the Falcons’ march to the 1997-98 Premiership title - in what turned out to be Dean Richards’ last game as a Leicester player.
That Tuesday-night skirmish might now be just a distant memory but, with Newcastle sat fourth in the Aviva Premiership table and the Tigers breathing down their necks in fifth, the Kingston Park club have every reason to travel down to the East Midlands with confidence.
Graham, the 25-year-old who arrived last summer from Jersey and has shone during his 14 first-team appearances, said: “I have never played at Welford Road before so it holds no fear in that sense but I know it will be a big atmosphere.
“We have two of the top-five teams in the league to play in our remaining two games - there is a huge amount to play for and it is exciting for the lads.
“Leicester are a top-quality side, there is no doubt about that, but we have a game plan in place and a lot of talent in the squad.
“They maybe struggled a bit in the early part of the season but they have found their rhythm now and even taking into account a home defeat to Northampton in their last game they are still one of the form sides in the league.
“Good sides turn it on at the business end of the season, that is where we want to be and we have put ourselves in a position to kick on towards the semi-finals.
“We are not hiding away from the fact Friday will be a tough ask but we have shown over the course of the season we can compete with the best and Leicester know that.
“If we stick to our game plan and do our basics really well then we cannot ask for any more.”
Enjoying a breakthrough season which saw him called up for England’s Six Nations squad before injuring his neck in the lead-up to their opener against Italy, Graham reflected: “It has been a bit of a roller-coaster, to be honest.
“The last 13 or 14 weeks has been a nightmare with being out injured prior to returning against Sale a fortnight ago - but from where I was at the start of the season to where I am now I cannot really complain. “I have almost done what I wanted to do for my first year at a Premiership club.
“There is a bit more left to finish off the campaign and then it is a case of flying into preseason and really looking to build again.”
On his England experience, the former Carlisle and Gala flanker added: “It was an amazing environment to be in and I had never expected to experience that, if I am totally honest.
“Everyone was very welcoming, it is all geared towards winning and the only downside is I was injured before the first game.
“That set me back a bit but I am still trying to use little bits I learned during the training camps and just looking to make any little improvements I can.”
Even in Graham’s absence the Falcons continued their early-season form, reaching the semi-finals of the Anglo-Welsh Cup and European Challenge Cup, the latter of which delivered a defeat at Gloucester last Friday.
The Cumbrian said: “We never really turned up, to be honest, and it was a bad day at the office.
“From one to 23 we all did not put in the performance we had trained for.
“That is rugby, though, and you put it to rest during the week.
“We know we are a better side than we showed at Gloucester last Friday and it is on to bigger and better things.”