England back row Wilson becomes Newcastle captain
England back row Mark Wilson will captain Newcastle Falcons in the upcoming 2020/21 Gallagher Premiership season after the World Cup finalist returned from his loan spell at Sale Sharks. The 30-year-old has scored 41 tries in his 224 appearances for the Falcons since coming through the club’s academy and he now takes over the captaincy from last season’s co-captains George McGuigan and Michael Young.
Wilson said: “I’m massively honoured to take on the role. I’ve been with the Falcons since I was 14, so to get the chance to captain the club is a privilege. Although I’ll have the C next to my name it’s important to realise we have some unbelievable leaders within the team who have a lot of experience and have played more than 100 or 200 games for us. It’s definitely not a case of one man being captain and taking on the whole thing without any help.
“Will Welch captained the side for years and I’m excited to work alongside him again, plus guys like Micky Young and George McGuigan, who led the team so well last season. It’s really interesting speaking to all of them to get their feedback on how they found things, and we have got a fantastic senior leadership group with guys like Toby Flood also involved.”
Speaking about the change, Newcastle boss Dean Richards explained: “George and Micky did an absolutely outstanding job last season in leading us to promotion after an unbeaten campaign. They both remain extremely important parts of our leadership group and can be proud of how they handled the role.
“Along with our other senior players, they will be a great help to Mark as he takes on the captaincy for the new season and we are in the privileged position of having a wealth of leadership experience. I know how much this means to Mark and what a great job he will do.
Mark Wilson will captain Newcastle Falcons during the 2020-21 season. The Rugby World Cup finalist has scored 41 tries in his 224 appearances for the Falcons, and takes over the role from last season’s co-captains George McGuigan and Michael Young. https://t.co/eDIFAd4fWs pic.twitter.com/vrZTCM9MrD
— Newcastle Falcons (@FalconsRugby) September 22, 2020
“He has captained the team many times on an interim basis. He is a natural leader and someone who commands instant respect through his own actions. He has made the step up into international rugby on the back of sheer hard work over a consistent period of time, and it’s great to have him back.”
Back with the Falcons after a loan spell with Sale Sharks, Wilson, who has 19 England caps, said: “It was a great learning curve, although it obviously didn’t pan out how I would have wanted in terms of the amount I was able to play for them.
“I would have loved to have had the opportunity to put my best foot forward for them on more occasions, but that was outside of my control. It was still a great experience, I learned a few things from some top players there and worked in a different environment. Coming back to Newcastle, I can hopefully use that knowledge and look to help take the club forward.”
The early end to the Championship last season and the late start to the 2020/21 Premiership has meant an extended off-season for Newcastle, who will have waited eight months between games when they eventually kick off the Gallagher Premiership on the weekend of November 20-22.
“There’s a really good feeling around the place,” said Wilson, whose side will play pre-season friendlies against Ealing Trailfinders on November 7 and 13. “Everyone has turned up with a really good attitude for pre-season, the boys seem to have trained hard during the lockdown and they arrived back in unbelievable nick.
“I’ve also been really impressed with the quality of the young lads we’ve got coming through, and I’m just loving being back. People might debate whether it’s a good or bad thing that we’re not playing at the minute when the other Gallagher Premiership clubs are getting in a load of games, but I agree with what our new defence coach Nick Easter said in an interview I read with him recently.
“He was basically saying this is a great period for us to just learn loads from what’s going on around the league, like the new breakdown interpretations, and also get a good gauge of the opposition we’re going to face. We have got an extended period of time to put in a really good pre-season, and to create a style of play which enables us to compete strongly against every team.”
BREAKING https://t.co/oOzeeFiXWt
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 20, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
The value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
41 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
41 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
41 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
51 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
41 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
41 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
41 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
41 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to comments