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Newcastle Falcons Director of Rugby Dean Richards has admitted there is a lot riding on their crunch Kingston Park European Rugby Challenge Cup clash with Newport Gwent Dragons. - 14/01/2015 12:27
Newcastle Falcons Director of Rugby Dean Richards has admitted there is a lot riding on their crunch Kingston Park European Rugby Challenge Cup clash with Newport Gwent Dragons.
The Pool Three front-runners clash in what could be the game to decide who finishes top and progresses to the quarter-finals. The Dragons have the upper-hand with 16 points from their four matches so far, but the Falcons dealt a psychological blow in round two with an away win at Rodney Parade.
And Richards is set to stick with the youthful side that claimed the 26-30 triumph.
He said: “I can’t change the squad for Europe so it will be the same group of players, and it will be what it will be. I am excited by that because it gives the youngsters that window to show what they can do, and I think it is great. There is a lot riding on the next two games, for sure.
“Whatever happens against the Dragons it is not settled entirely until the week after in Romania, and the Dragons have a tough game that weekend against Stade Francais.”
Dragons lock Rynard Landman said: “We don't train hard for five days to go in with the mindset of getting a losing bonus point”
“We've won in Paris and we've beaten the Blues on the road, that gives us the belief that we can go away and get a win in Newcastle. We are really positive because we felt that we dominated the game at Rodney Parade (when beaten 30-26) we just have to leave everything on the pitch.”
Newcastle have won their last three home games in the tournament whilst the Dragons have won their last three away from home.
Match Facts
- The Falcons have won all five Pool Stage encounters with Welsh opposition in the Challenge Cup, however their four point victory over the Dragons in Round 2 was the tightest scoreline in those five games. The four meetings with Welsh sides before that had yielded an average winning margin of 41 points.
- Newcastle’s Sean Robinson (55) and Chris Harris (50) are the only players in the Challenge Cup this season to have registered a half century of successful tackles.
- Hallam Amos has made more clean breaks (9) than any other player in the competition this season and is one of just two players to have gained over 300 metres (314m).
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Newport Gwent Dragons sealed their place in the European Rugby Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a 40-29 victory at Newcastle Falcons.
The Rodney Parade region are out-of-reach at the top of pool three after they clinched victory in a 10 try-thriller at Kingston Park. Five first-half scores kept the Falcons at arm’s length, though four second-half tries from the Falcons gave them a fighting chance of qualifying as best runners-up.
Tom Catterick fired the hosts in-front after three minutes after they sent an early statement of intent, winning a penalty with a powerful scrum. But Lyn Jones’ men roared back to take the lead five minutes later with a try from dual-contracted prospect Morgan.
The Falcons overthrew a close-range lineout and Jonathan Evans set his side on the attack. Nic Cudd combined with Jack Dixon before Morgan ghosted outside Tom Penny to score.
Morgan threatened again with a short-range drive which forced Alex Mayhew to slow the ball down and John Lacey sent him to the sin-bin.
The referee was in the thick of it again from the resulting lineout. The Dragons drove for the line and he awarded a penalty try for offside at the maul. It was more of the same three minutes later when Coombs was shunted over from a close-range lineout.
Tom Prydie hit his third conversion to take the Dragons points tally to 21 whilst the Falcons back-row man Mayhew was in the sin-bin. Amos bagged the bonus-point moments later, but Morgan was the architect as he beat Penny and Simon Hammersly before he offloaded to the Wales full-back, who tip-toed down the line to score.
Amos setup Landman with a deft offload for the fifth to take the half-time score to 35-3.
Socino and Harris crossed just after the break to give the Falcons a sniff of a famous comeback but it was that man Amos who got the decisive score.
Will Welch rumbled over for the Falcons third as they went in search of the two losing bonus-points that would keep them in the competition. Andy Saull snatched a late bonus point to keep the Falcons in the competition, ahead of their trip to Romania to face Bucharest Wolves next week.
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