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Alex Codling: 'I have never been 0-6, so I'm new to this'
New Newcastle boss Alex Codling has insisted that he made the right decision to quit French rugby and take over the bottom team in the Gallagher Premiership despite having to deal with a six-game run of defeats for the first time in his career.
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Codling was in Paris on Monday to join his former fellow Oyonnax coaches to collect the staff of the season award for helping the club win promotion from Pro D2 to the high-profile Top14 where they have won three of their opening seven games to sit above big spending clubs like Montpellier and Lyon.
While his former club are preparing to take on Montpellier next Saturday, Codling’s Newcastle will face Exeter Chiefs at home on Sunday and the head coach was brutally honest about the team’s winless start to their Premiership campaign.
“I have never been 0-6, so I’m new to this and I am trying to drive things forward and we had really good energy from guys who came in to face Sale,” he said. “Looking from the outside, you probably think it is all doom and gloom but it is the complete opposite.
“There is no regret. I made the decision to leave Oyonnax and I loved working with the staff and players there. Seeing them on Monday brought back incredible memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Back on ? turf with an action-packed ? schedule both on and off the pitch.
Get the lowdown of everything '?????? ??' at Falcons v @ExeterChiefs ? this Sunday.
???#TrueNorth // #NEWvEXE
— Newcastle Falcons (@FalconsRugby) November 20, 2023
“Of course it is tough (at Newcastle) but life is about challenges and it will take time. We have the least experienced squad in the Premiership.
“If you arrived from the moon you would probably think we are a flop with nothing going for us, but we have had chances in those matches and we have been very competitive except for the Saracens match.”
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Codling will name more youngsters in his lineup following their encouraging performance at league leaders Sale where they only trailed 26-22 with five minutes remaining before eventually going down 40-22.
For example, Ben Redshaw, their 18-year-old full-back, will get another outing against a Chiefs side that is also giving youth its chance following the departure of big-name players such as brothers Sam and Joe Simmonds and Jack Nowell, who are now all playing in France.
“It is great for the club to be able to bring on young players,” reckoned Codling. “I genuinely feel we are close (to a win). Exeter bringing in young players is a blueprint for us going forward. We have to be unbelievably physical against Exeter and they have really good line speed in defence and have to be smart.”
Argentina winger Mateo Carreras is still a couple of weeks away from being ready to play after damaging his hamstring. Codling explained: “He is an A-grade race horse and I have to make sure he comes back in the best possible shape.”
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Sunday’s home game with Exeter will see Wor Flags, who supply the massive banners seen at St James’s Park for Newcastle United’s football matches, delivering one for the Falcons fans to unfurl at Kingston Park.
“We have always looked to be inventive and want to entertain on and off the pitch,” enthused Codling. “I’m excited to see it on Sunday.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks for a much more balanced piece Ned and not that BS that Bin Smuth just posted a short while ago. read this article and then Bin Smuth’s and tell me there isn’t a huge difference🙄
1 Go to commentsWere the Baby Boks part of this game or did the Baby Blacks play themselves?🤔 That man Bin Smuth once again does a little write-up on the game and it is like 95% about the Baby Blacks🤣 Glad he ends off with the Baby Blacks were actually in cruise control for most of the game and weren’t actually playing for the win WTF🤣🤣 Maybe he was expecting the Baby Blacks to run rampant….
1 Go to commentsOne does not expect anything more from Ben Smith who epitomises the worst of New Zealand media arrogance and an inability to balance what he has to say about any team that beats the All Blacks. His reference to context is pathetically thin. He does not comment that Frizell deserved a red card given his blatant manipulation of his body to ensure that he could drop his body weight onto Mbonambi’s lower leg. No mention of the ball lost forward before the All Black’s try (lost in-field of the 5 metre line and gathered beyond). The All Black commitment and effort was superb and there was little in it. Given the Springbok passage to the final and the loss of their hooker in the first three minutes, their resolve and capacity to win their fourth final out of eight attempts (not three out of ten) deserves the praise that has been forthcoming from media around the world, worth reading and listening to. Ben should join his “pundit” friends on TV - he would fit in well. This sort of article reduces any credibility Rugby Pass has ever had. Why persist with this sort of nonsense? The man does his country and a rugby blog a disservice.
185 Go to commentsEtzebeth went on to say: “I would never dream of saying that systems stay in place following a change in captain. To say that would be deeply, deeply, disrespectful of Siya. A while back an Irish person told me they would be fine without Sexton, so I’m just responding to that.”
3 Go to commentsClose games are what we want to see…. What a match it was…. I am sure that everyone was drained by the end of it. The reality of it all there has to be a winner and a loser. The fact that we still talking about it is almost 6 months to the day Rugby is the winner.. Asante sana… Here is to 2027 and what it will bring out.
185 Go to commentsIt’s going to be a good game. COYQ
1 Go to comments“Shock”, the guy was casually saying he was just slightly surprised. Nowadays if you say anything it gets taken completely out of context. Calm down everyone.
156 Go to commentsAll I can say after reading this bitter, sour, sad piece is… Thank you very much! This will be read in the change room just before kick off on 31 August…
185 Go to commentsLook, we know contradicting opinions and wacky comments bring readers and clicks, so well done to RP for allowing always-wrong-Ben to say something here. However RP needs to put a disclaimer next to his comments for their own credibility. NZ was and is incapable of acknowledging their opp beating them. They refused so with Ire and with Arg in 2022 and also the Boks in 2023 x 2. Nothing Ben says here holds water, NZ attacked backwards, except when Kolisi and Kolbe was off And cyncialy took out Bongi, we played without lineouts for 75mins. Kolisi and Kurt-Lee almost scored twice. Thats 3 vs 2 for Boks, but the Boks opportunities was legal. Boks should have been 16-3 up by half time. Tacticaly the Boks attacked better defended better scrummed better (without a hooker) kicked better and crossed the whitewash more times. Boks beat Fr Eng Nz to win in 23, comeon give some credit at least. Even Federer Verstappen NY Mets, Mamoa, was able to see a great human sport achievement by the Boks and their DNA Boks #RWC27 !🏉
185 Go to commentsForget the 85kg bit, that can become something else. However I do like the one off test on ANZAC day idea. SR plays Fri/ Sat, test players travel Sunday and the squads have the full week together before playing Saturday. Rest of SR has a week off. Either involve women's teams in same location or in the other country and rotate annually. Herbert is right in that change is needed.
3 Go to commentsI’ve read loads of nonsense before but this article takes the cake. Or perhaps someone changed the date for April Fool's Day.
3 Go to commentsReally Rugbypass? Ben Smith I think you forgot what the Springboks did to the All Blacks at Twickenham 8 weeks earlier? Springboks 35 All Blacks 7. There is alot of ifs and buts in your article. The All Blacks threw the sink at the Springboks and unfortunately they were not good enough regardless if they played with 14 men or not. It was the Springboks who forced the All Blacks to make mistakes! Sorry but not Sorry the Springboks is the best ever Rugby World Cup Nation in the world. 4 Cups baby!
185 Go to commentsYou just backed the Boks with that fantastic review! Well done! Have some cake!
185 Go to commentsBen Smith please write up something better than this. The Springboks would have won the world cup if you were 15 men on the field. They would have found a way, they always find a way to beat the All Blacks.
185 Go to commentsWow, there is a lot of “could have” and “ should have” in this waist of time dribble. I love the desperation in this story to search for a glimpse at a silver lining. Here are the facts, NZ was a badly coached and undisciplined shadow of their former glory. They never took the lead in a game they were never going to win.
185 Go to commentsGOTTA MAKE ‘THE GEORGE’ HAPPEN!!!! That’s a great idea! A trans Tasman midget battle on ANZAC Day. I don’t think the ABs Wallabies game should be a one off winner takes all though, just the first match with the other two later in the year with the RC. Reason being, no one will ever shut up about how aussies couldn’t win it when it was a 3 match series.
3 Go to comments@Ben smith. Thats knock out rugby. So honeslty who cares?
185 Go to commentsIt will interesting to know which Irish players said that…
2 Go to commentsNaaaww boys will be boys! Now run along ya wee scamp! Don’t let us catch you at again😏
1 Go to commentsGreat to have Ethan Blackadder back in the Crusaders in the last few weeks. One of the best all round loose forwards around. He played so well last week against the Rebels. Fantastic attitude Ethan has and his comments are spot on.
2 Go to comments