Newcastle Falcons Season 2014/2015 - Closed, use new one.

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UPDATED FOR 2015 / 2016

Manager: Dean Richards
Head Coach: John Wells
Forwards Coach: John Wells
Defence Coach: Graham Steadman
Attack Coach: Dave Walder

Current Squad (A= Academy):
Forwards
Props: Taione Vea, Jon Welsh, Scott Wilson, Ben Harris, Rob Vickers , Eric Fry,

Hookers: Scott Lawson, George McGuigan, Rob Hawkins,
David Nelson (A)

Second Rows: Dom Barrow, Callum Green, Kane Thompson, Josh Furno,
Glen Youngs (A), Will Witty (A), Sean Robinson (A), Harry Snowdon (A),

Back Row: Ally Hogg, Will Welch, Richard Mayhew, Nili Latu, Mark Wilson, Uili Kolo'ofai, Dan Temm,
Brian Tuilagi (A), Joe Craggs (A), Calum Chick (A)

Backs
SH's: Sonatane Tukulua, Ruki Tipuna, Micky Young,
Dan Taylor (A),  Ruaridh Dawson (A)

Fh's: Tom Catterick, Mike Delaney,
Craig Willis (A), Brett Connon (A)

Centres: Juan Pablo Socino, Adam Powell, Gonzalo Tiesi, Andy Tuilagi, Chris Harris ,
Adam Redman centre (A), Tom Penny (A)

Wing: Sinoti Sinoti, Alex Tuilagi, Giovanbattista Venditti, Marcus Watson, Zac Kibirige,
Dan Marshall (A)

FB's: Alex Tait, Simon Hammersley

Contracts yet to be agreed:
Oliver Tomaschyk
Scott MacLeod
Warren Fury
Jamie Helleur
Noah Cato
Rory Clegg - Going to Australia

Whos your first choice LH and is Lawson or Hawkins first choice hooker?

Vickers is first choice LH, he came on in the 2nd.

Lawson, Hawkins, McGuigan are the hookers.

Brookes, Tomas, Wilson are our TH's.

If you guys get a good platform you could be getting top half of aviva and go a long way in the challenge cup

Scrum does ok in AP Dragon, Brookes and Tomas are good TH's.

We're a FH & LH away from a mid table AP side I think.

Yeah our TH's are ok.

Brookes is class.
Scott Wilson Is a work in progress but very young. He will be quality
Tomaschyk is hot and cold. When he's hot he can be outstanding....but he has to be in the mood.

LH is a massive problem though. We need to invest.

Lot for Falcons fans to positive about after last night. Green looks the enforcer he was meant to be. Hamnersley a great prospect at 15 (though potentially less prospect and more play him now). The Clegg/Socino combo works which is more than can be said for any 10/12 combo you tried last season. Wilson coming on nicely as well. I'd like to see him develop at 6 and give Newcastle and England a real brute of an option from the flank.

Agree with all those points Sam.
Pretty much following the flow falcon fans have seen all season.

Calum Green (alongside Barrow) must be one of the first names on the teamsheet. He just gets on with no fuss. Deans type of player.

Hammersley has been outstanding. But he does have competition from the reliable and more powerful option of Alex Tait. Nice position to be in though.
Id go for Hammersley as the running option who is only going to get better.

Socino is a cannonball...short but so stocky. He's a back up 10 if needed but he's a quality 12. Its interesting that Clegg seems to be coming back to form. By all accounts the entire set of players did not warm to Russell and his tactics at all...and Walders appointment has had a wonderful response.

Wilson has been top class since the day he arrived from Cumbria. He's not huge but he's a rock in the back row. Mr Consistency aswell...he just keeps churning out top performance after top performance. We're lucky to have him. How he's not a Saxon I will never know and have said for years!

I'd love to see more of Catterick at 10 over the next few months.

Clegg played ok but he's not good enough, similar with Godman and with both contracts up at the end of the season we should look to move on. That's the first time I've seen Cattrick at 10 and I was hugely impressed with his distribution, it was swift and accurate. We also know he has gas and a decent step, he could be a really interesting option.

We've talked about Catterick for years now Sgt. Then they seemed to dabble with him in the back three. Maybe now we'll really see what he can bring at ten finally. He's a talented lad.

Newcastle Falcons A v Worcester Cavaliers 15th Dec – KO 19:30

15 Brett Connon 14 Tom Penny 13 Danny Barnes 12 Aniteli Tuilagi 11 Lee Smith 10 Phil Godman 9 Andy Davies 1 Jake Elwood 2 Rob Hawkins 3 Mark Irving 4 Scott Macleod 5 Josh Hedley 6 Sebastian Ferreira 7 Dan Temm 8 Ben Morris

Replacement 16 David Nelson 17 Sam White 18 Andrew Adams 19 Harry Snowdon 20 Brian Tuilagi 21 Dan Taylor 22 James Christie 23 Peter Weightman

A few names im not familiar with.

Sabastian Ferreira?????

Would appear he was Western Provence U19s captain

Never heard of him or seen him listed as being with us?

He's listed as a lock forward...

You can't normally go wrong with a SA lock/flanker

Well that's true. He's just a young lad. Didn't hear anything.

Nice to see big Harry Snowdon from my very own Percy Park getting a bench spot. He's 6'8 19 stone second row. And only young.

Well we took a humping....59 - 11!!! That's a big kicking.

Had an Italian TH on trial for the 'A's tonight. Possibly not the best game to judge him but could be a welcome addition, prefer a LH though!

Took them to cleaners at the scrum , Andy Tuilagi is poor at 12. Every backs move stops with him. Andy Saull everywhere and Clegg great field position kicking

Great result.

Well Sgt / Driver etc,

Reading the signing wishlists on the Unoffy...what positions need strengthened.

Any actually realistic players worldwide you would fancy bringing in?

Berrick Barnes , We need a top class operator at 10 and Semore has to spend the cash to bring one in and soon.

See big Kane has been cited by the RFU for striking a Saracens player

Is there a list floating round of out of contract players?

I haven't seen one Sgt...Driver I definitely think a 10 is required....im just not sure Barnes is the right one.

Much as everyone likes flair...I think a more Andy Goode, Myler style 10 may benefit us more. The controller who can orchestrate but is utterly reliable and can kick with high accuracy.

I'm pretty sure Godman & Clegg are out of contract. Losing those two and bringing in a top class option with Catterick & Socino as deputy would work.

I'd personally love to see Colin Slade brought in. He's an outstanding fly half on the outside of the AB squad, very much in the Evans mould.

Newcastle Falcons team vs Northampton Saints

1. Eric Fry,
2. Scott Lawson,
3. Kieran Brookes,
4. Calum Green,
5. Josh Furno,
6. Richard Mayhew,
7. Will Welch (c),
8. Mark Wilson.

9. Mike Blair
10. Tom Catterick
11. Danny Barnes
12. Anitelea Tuilagi
13. Adam Powell
14. Chris Harris
15. Alex Tait

Replacements: 16. George McGuigan, 17. Rob Vickers, 18. Alex Rogers, 19. Scott MacLeod, 20. Andy Saull, 21. Ruki Tipuna, 22. Rory Clegg, 23. Tom Penny.

Seems not the strongest side....how much is Dean having an eye on next weeks game v London Welsh?

Still cant work out why Saull isn't starting

The commentator has just said Barrow is a couple of months from being fit from an ankle injury.

I didn't know he was injured.

I know he picked up a knock but no idea it was bad.

Decent showing from scratch team, Furno having a good game. Ref is being pretty tough on us

Aye, I didn't realise it was so bad for Barrow. It's a bloody shame, but you're right Furno has plucked us out of a hole a couple of times! Ref is being hard of the breakdown, slightly hard on us though. Mind you, away from home I half expect that!

How has the linesman missed the hands on the ground there???

That was a disgrace

Tuilagi hasn't covered himself in glory defensively.

Joke, we're getting the hard end of the decisions here.

Another awful call, ref has had a mare. Saints deserve the lead but tough when it's 16v15

Fantastic play from Harris

Just stepped out of the room to refresh my drink and missed that try!!!

It was a cracker Cumbrian.

Harris stepping and handing off Burrell, boy is a real talent.

Aye, managed to rewind my Sky.

Can't help but think we've thrown at least one, possibly two points away here.

Now Falcons would you except some red Leicester cheese for Harris and Sinoti

Try bonus point! Get in!

If you can sneak a penalty to get the LBP that would be pretty impressive. But to get a TBP is pretty decent against Saints at home

OMG Falcons get a TBP!!!!!!!!!

 NOW get a LBP.

Saints deserve the win but they've had the rub of the green, I'm gutted we're not closer

Well Richards is certainly heading in the right direction.

 I quite like his rotation policy ATM you are not really going to worry about being relegated some quite good to mix up the game time.

 Just a couple of key positions need filling. Esp if Brookes leaves.

Aye, can't argue with the winners. Feel that we really could/should have had the LBP too.

We're a joy to watch this season though and shouldn't finish in the bottom 2 which would be nice for a change.

We've got a decent squad with some real talent coming through. Another pair of props would improve us no end. The more I see of Catterick the less I think we need a new 10.

Cumbrian wrote:Aye, can't argue with the winners.  Feel that we really could/should have had the LBP too.

I think it would have been a fair result if you earned the LBP in addition to the 4 try BP. Great attacking play, especially in the 2nd half. Things really are looking up.

It wasn't so long ago that Newcastle fans seemed frustrated with Dean Richards; thought his selection policy was baffling; and wondered whether he was really the right man for the club.

Now, it looks like supporters are happy with the way things are and Richards is talking about being ahead of schedule.

What has changed? Did Dean Richards start doing things differently, or do supporters now understand what he is up to? Or have the players finally cottoned on to what he wants from them, and it is now coming together on the pitch?

Walder was appointed backs/attack coach

Two pretty awesome games in a row.. Both narrow defeats but Falcons are playing some rugby

There going to sign a short term option at 10 and keep bringing Catterick on there with a lot of effort going into bringing some academy talent through. There is big hopes for Ryan Forman from Billingham