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DoR Richards confirms he is negotiating a different Newcastle role

By Kim Ekin
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Long-serving Newcastle boss Dean Richards has confirmed he is negotiating an alternative role at Newcastle following reports that he is expected to step down as director of rugby at the end of the season after a decade in the job at the Falcons. 

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Weekend media coverage suggested a change was on the horizon when the 2021/22 Gallagher Premiership season comes to an end in June and the 58-year-old ex-Leicester, Grenoble and Harlequins boss has now admitted he in is talks with Newcastle chairman Semore Kurdi.

“At the moment I’m talking to Semore about it,” said Newcastle boss Richards during his weekly media briefing on Tuesday, a session reported on by The Telegraph. “I have been doing it [the director of rugby position] for 25 years or so and it’s been a long haul, to be honest. At the same time, I’m still keen as mustard and still enjoy the sport and the match days more than anything.

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“The role of director of rugby varies from one club to another. I have always done the contract negotiations, so I have never taken any baggage like that on the field. That is one of the reasons I don’t go onto the field is that I do all that side of things. I do employ a number of very good coaches to deliver a format and they deliver it well. I trust them to do that. That is the way I have always worked.

“I have noticed over the last couple of years that there is far more work being put into clubs’ recruitment and they are going out and reaching areas that have been untouched before. Other clubs are looking at things in a slightly different way, bringing in the odd hidden gem from here and there. People are adopting a different route to recruitment,” continued Richards, who is reportedly set for a part-time constancy role with Newcastle.

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“The last two years have been a real shake up for everybody. We got to fourth on the smallest budget and every year we have the smallest budget in the Premiership. Everything is above par for us. That’s not the way we look at it, we want to get as high up the ladder as we possibly can.

“I’m happy with the way the academy is functioning, it’s churning out some unbelievable players. I’m delighted with the way the club is from a rugby perspective, and we are in a good place.”

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Bull Shark 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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