Falcons will fly with a ‘ruthless’ approach
DEAN Richards wants a “ruthless” approach from his Newcastle team when they tackle Heineken Champions Cup opponents Edinburgh today.
Victory for the Falcons at Kingston Park could take them top of Pool Five in the race for a quarter-final place.
Newcastle rugby director Richards has made 11 changes from the side beaten by Edinburgh last weekend, with the likes of Vereniki Goneva, Toby Flood and Mark Wilson all returning to action.
And considering Newcastle have already beaten French heavyweights Toulon and Montpellier in Europe this season, it would be no surprise to see them turn the tables on Richard Cockerill’s men.
“We knew last week was going to be hard because we had so many boys carrying bumps and bruises which meant we couldn’t field them,” Richards, pictured right, told the club’s official website.
“But Sunday is slightly different because they’ve been given that recovery time they needed and it is a slightly different team.
“That is not taking anything away from the boys who played last week, because I thought a lot of them played well.
“The loss of power in the scrum was obviously a factor, but we are not in the business of making excuses. We’ve just got to turn it up a bit this week and get a positive outcome.
“It’s all about getting that win and being really ruthless in terms of how we execute our game-plan.
“The Champions Cup is exciting. It’s different, you are playing sides from different leagues with different outlooks and experiencing something new.
“The boys love it, and to go over into a rugby-mad atmosphere like Toulon in round one was something that really got them pumped up.
“To then win at home against a Montpellier side who have been right near the top of the French game for a number of years, that was pretty special, and the team are lapping it up.” The Falcons’ Premiership rivals Leicester must beat Welford Road visitors and Pool
NEWCASTLE FALCONS V EDINBURGH
Four leaders Racing 92 today to keep alive quarter-final hopes.
The Tigers are eight points behind Racing and second-placed Ulster, and they face a French side that beat them 36-26 in Paris last weekend.
“I was disappointed that we couldn’t get more out of the game last week, but we take our positives and look at the areas where we fell down a bit and try to be better again this week,” Leicester interim head coach Geordan Murphy said. “Most people in world rugby look at the Racing squad with real envy.
“They deserved their win last week and executed their opportunities when they came.
“Now we are back at Welford Road and we have to look to take another step forward.”