Newcastle Falcons - 2019 to 2020 Championship - Closed

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Manager: Dean Richards
Head Coach: Dave Walder
Forwards Coach: Micky Ward
Defence Coach: Nick Easter
Attack Coach: Dave Walder
Lineout Coach: Scott Macleod
Skills Coach: Mark Laycock

Current Squad:
Forwards
Props:
LH - Sam Lockwood, Adam Brocklebank, Trevor Davison,
Conrad Cade (Senior Academy), Phil Brantingham (Senior Academy)
TH - Rodney Ah You, Logo Mulipola, Mark Tampin, Mike Daniels,
Oscar Caudle  TH(Senior Academy & Tynedale)

Hookers: Kyle Cooper, George McGuigan, Jamie Blamire, Charlie Maddison

Second Rows: Sean Robinson, Darren Barry, Toby Salmon, Greg Peterson,
Will Montgomery (Senior Academy), Freddie Lockwood (Senior Academy), Bailey Ransom (Senior Academy)

Back Row:
6&7's: Mark Wilson, Will Welch, Gary Graham, Jon Hardie,
Guy Graham (Senior Academy), Rob Farrar (Senior Academy), Josh Basham (Senior Academy), Harry Hill (Senior Academy),
8: Philip van der Walt, Nemani Negusa, Calum Chick,
Tom Marshall (Senior Academy), Charlie Richards (Senior Academy & Tynedale)

Backs
SH's: Micky Young, Sam Stuart
Callum Pascoe (Senior Academy & Tynedale), Cameron Nordi Kelemeti (Senior Academy), James Elliott (Senior Academy)

Fh's: Joel Hodgson, Toby Flood, Brett Connon, Tim Swiel, Joel Matavesi
Will Haydon Wood (Senior Academy & Tynedale)

Centres: Matias Orlandi, Gareth Owen, Ben Stevenson, George Wacokecoke,
Charlie Wilson (Senior Academy - At Durham UNi)), Chidera Obonna (Senior Academy)

Wing: Sinoti Sinoti , Adam Radwan, Cooper Vuna
Morgan Passman (Senior Academy),

FB's: Alex Tait, Tom Arscott,

Players unconfirmed:
Seb De Chaves - Only has a one year deal
Jon Welsh - Injuries mean he hasnt played for nearly 2 years.
Connor Collett - has he signed permanently for Doncaster

Yeah...its more unproven really. But who knows.

We have pace, power, some skill...just need to put the right combo's together and it may come off.

For example...

10 Connon
12 Flood
13 Vuna

Or

10 Flood
12 Wakecoke
13 Stevenson

So we have signed Matias Orlandi...well thats an interesting one.

Well there's the 13 we needed. Good signing, I'd take a bit more of that kind of level.

yes but my concern is still the tactics Sgt. Theres no point having a trailblazing 13...IF we continue with the static, predictable side to side rubbish we've seen.

Noone runs from deep with good angles etc...everything is just flat....and we just shuffle the ball from one side of the pitch to the other.

Yea it's turgid stuff at times. something needs to change.

But why is it?

Ive seen school boys and junior teams play rugby where they offer support, run dummy lines, run at angles from deep?

So why cant a top flight premiership rugby team do basics like that.

Its screams problems in training to me...

I just blame Deano GF lol...he gets the brunt from me these days.

I see Tigers struggling with us next season looking at their best XV, but you have to say, a few quality additions on our side and we'll be above them quite easily. I can maybe see the same with Worcester, Irish and Wasps, so the next few signings will be key.

What is good is it's very much a buyers market currently and we have bags of space under the cap (if we have the cash is a different matter).

Yeah i blame Dean now myself. I think hes dated.

Someone like Pat Lam would have this team playing a different brand of rugby. Using the likes of Sinoti and Radwan etc.

Yeah...i know we have signed Lucock the Doncaster center and Homer the Jersey scrum half. Two players i rate highly from the champonship.

So we shall see who else comes in.

A quality loosehead, lock and scumhalf would make us competitive imo. Maybe a 15 too.

Totally agree on LH.

Lock..im unsure of. I dont know what our current stables are like? Peterson and Robinson actually impressed me...but Peterson is unproven at prem level. He's a huge lump though. And Salmon from exeter was supposed to be a very good abraisve lock..yet i think he was injured most of the time.

15...yes we probably need one of those.

GeordieFalcon wrote:Someone like Pat Lam would have this team playing a different brand of rugby. Using the likes of Sinoti and Radwan etc.

High level coaches are expensive though, Pat Lam is supposed to be the most expensive DOR/head coach in the league.

Looking at the Falcons squad it's tight five reinforcements that you need. The Prem is such an attritional league and if you can't match the opposition up front then you'll lose games you should win. Just ask Bristol about when they came to Welford Road.

You have loads of cap and no current 'foreign' players I believe. Do you think you'll go in for another Puma given it's open season on the Jaguares squad?

Sgt, Tigers better not be down the bottom next season. The club have rolled the dice and finally hired a winning coaching staff Borthwick from England, Waters the Boks S&C coach and Rob Taylor a multiple title winner with Sydney as attack coach (he was head coach at Sydney). Add to that Mike Ford taking over as defence coach. To be honest a functioning lineout and rolling maul would be worth at least 20 points a season if nothing else changes such is the amount of bungled lineouts within 10m of the opposition line. As I said if the tight five don't perform then you drop points.

Agree Sam, front 5 is our most worrying area along with scrum half. Our front 5 has been issue for a long time though.

You'll be struggling, no question for me. Your coaching set-up looks like it's improved a lot but may take time to get ideas across. Your squad is the worst I've seen it.....

Good that Murphy is moving away from the rugby side of things. The further away from coaching the better I think.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

GeordieFalcon wrote:Someone like Pat Lam would have this team playing a different brand of rugby. Using the likes of Sinoti and Radwan etc.

High level coaches are expensive though, Pat Lam is supposed to be the most expensive DOR/head coach in the league.

Looking at the Falcons squad it's tight five reinforcements that you need. The Prem is such an attritional league and if you can't match the opposition up front then you'll lose games you should win. Just ask Bristol about when they came to Welford Road.

.

i get that Sam, but my point is...we dont even look like we work on this in training. Coaches at that level should be doing it.

Tight 5 is the issue. Locks are an unknown quantity, but Peterson and Robinson showed up very wel as a combo last seaosn. I'd give them the chance to see if they can do it in the prem. De Chaves probably isnt coming back. So maybe we'll get one more quality lock in.

Its looseheads that are really the problem. None of ours are good enough. It shows that Trevor Davison played 17 times last season..the lad we got from local side Blaydon.

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Agree Sam, front 5 is our most worrying area along with scrum half. Our front 5 has been issue for a long time though.

You'll be struggling, no question for me. Your coaching set-up looks like it's improved a lot but may take time to get ideas across. Your squad is the worst I've seen it.....

Good that Murphy is moving away from the rugby side of things. The further away from coaching the better I think.

Yes, I don't think Murphy is a natural coach. He's clearly got some vision though. The development pathway he brought in to help the development players push into the first team looks like it's going to make a real difference. Combined with the new head of recruitment we are bringing in the right people.

Our squad is a little thin in places but actually I think it's the best pack we've had in some time. If Montoya joins at hooker as rumoured next summer then the pack will take another jump forward, we are expecting at least two more forwards to join before the 20/21 season. Backline is a little youthful but we're rumoured to be getting in some more players here, at least two centres. Problem has been we've been playing less than the sum of our parts, new coaches should help that.

Looking at your list of props you look to have one recognised at Prem level. That's not a great place to be. I'm surprised you weren't going round hoovering up the best talent in the Championship because there's a few good props down there. Quins and Sarries have jumped in and recruited from Jersey and Ealing. I was surprised Heffernan re-signed with Notts as well. 

Paterson is a big lump but was a flop at Tigers. The quality of lock in the Prem is very high as well, it's an area Tigers had to address last summer because we hadn't been keeping up.

Not sure what scrum halfs are available at the moment but South Africa produces plenty so you could well have been shopping there. A bulk shipment from SA wouldn't be a bad thing for your recruitment.

The championship props dont always pan out though Sam.

Lockwood came with a big reputation from Jersey...but has failed to impress me at all. I think Mike Daniels could do a job for us...and then Tampin who we signed from Ealing is unproven aswell.

I just hope we keep Ah You fit...as hes an absolute beast when fully match fit.

We have one of the best young LH's in the country at age grade - Phil Brantingham but hes along way off being a starting LH in the prem.

Paterson seems to be like marmite. Glasgow fans all spoke very highly of his stint up there...yet Tigers fans say the total opposite.
Im going to hold judgement until ive seen him and Robinson in the prem. They were very good in the champ so its fair for them to have a crack at the prem.

Peterson was fine for Glasgow and probably should have played more. Ultimately though, he was a decent squad lock to help during internationals as fifth choice so not sure if he has kicked on at Newcastle to be a third/fourth choice lock.

If he is the starting lock, Newcastle are probably in trouble. Ringfencing and a B&I league have to be on the agenda with CVC on board right? What is the story with the Saudi's going into the football club? Would they be interested in going into the rugby side?

Well we'll just have to wait and see. They looked a good combo in the championship. Robinson is a proven strong performer in the prem...can Peterson do it. Who knows.

Hopefully Orlando is the start of a few good signings coming in.

Aw well confirmation that we have signed quite a few players already...but just not announced.

We kmow about Orlandi and Lucock both centres...and the link to Will Homer the scrum half.  

Wonder who the others could be...

Dom waldouck off to Gloucester as defence coach...

Apparently Nick Easter is to be unveiled as our new Defence coach...

Easter? Quite surprised with that as he always seemed like a soft Southerner, one of those types that had never ventured North of MK.

Have the club slipped a few signings under our nose?

Yet to be confirmed but apparently its him.

Yeah apparently we have a few senior players signed Sgt, but wont be announced just yet.

Easter now confirmed as our new defence coach.

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Easter? Quite surprised with that as he always seemed like a soft Southerner, one of those types that had never ventured North of MK.

Have the club slipped a few signings under our nose?

Actually had a stint at Orrell iirc. That's where he got plucked from by Quins

I'd been wondering where Renaldo Bothma was heading after being released by Quins. Perhaps following Easter but back row options are hardly your issue at the moment. He'd be a similar style of player to rotate with Phil van der Walt though.

He's a really talented player, his international retirement came as a shock just before the RWC. He's one of several Namibia forwards to have impressed in lower tier internationals in recent years. Tijuee Uanivi, Janco Venter (Sarries bound) and their hookers Toorsten van Jaarsveld and Louis van der Westhuizen are all player who have impressed.

We have Negusa still here KC whos a big fijian Number 8. Him and De Walt can swap...although from the games they've played...De Walt is another level to Negusa.

Rumours are that we have signed quite a few from that Southern African area....

If Ringfencing is coming in...which the Championshps announcement seems to suggest...then the areas i thin we need to look at are:

Loosehead
Lock
Full back

We have talented kids or goods players in most of the others.