'Anybody reading too much into last weekend’s result has a pretty short memory'

Newcastle Red Bulls head to North London determined not to be lulled by last weekend’s European results, with Alan Dickens making it clear that Saracens remain a benchmark opponent regardless of recent form.

The Newcastle head coach has pointed to Saracens’ home win over Toulouse in the Champions Cup as proof of their enduring quality, warning against short memories and easy narratives.

While both sides arrive off the back of European defeats, Newcastle’s focus is on standards rather than scorelines, respecting the Gallagher PREM pedigree Saracens bring at the Stone X.

Newcastle have made just a single change with Brett Connon returning at fly-half, triggering a backline reshuffle that moves Ethan Grayson to full-back and Elliott Obatoyinbo onto the wing.

The bench is bolstered by Oli Spencer’s return and a potential league debut for back-rower Reuben Parsons, while Cameron Hutchison faces his former club from among the replacements.

Fixture

Gallagher Premiership

Saracens

07:00

24 Jan 26

Newcastle

All Stats and Data

“Saracens beat Toulouse in their last home game, so I think anybody reading too much into last weekend’s result up at Glasgow has a pretty short memory,” said Dickens.

“We’re certainly very aware and respectful of the quality they’ve got, and we know it will be a proper battle. But these are the challenges you look forward to in terms of testing yourselves against the best, and I know the boys will be relishing it.”

“I thought our transition in the first half was excellent, and we scored two good tries off the back of defensive efforts to lead at half-time,”

“Ultimately that weight of defending for so long took its toll in the second half, we ended up on the wrong side of the referee and the Dragons were clinical in taking advantage. Credit to them for that, but as disappointing as it felt on the night we’ve still won three from four and gone through to the knock-out phase.”

“We’ve got a big home tie against La Rochelle to look forward to in April off the back of that, and when you consider we didn’t win a single game in the tournament last season we’ll take that as some degree of progress.”

Christian Wade continues to be an asset for Newcastle, both on and off the pitch. Wade continues to chase Chris Ashton’s all-time try-scoring record in the Gallagher PREM –

“Wadey has been absolutely brilliant since he got here, and he’s a big character around the place with the positive energy he brings to the group.”

“He has scored tries in his last two games, both good finishes in different ways, and you can just see his class. Not only the pace that everyone knows he has, but his positioning, footwork, the timing of his runs and how he reads things.”

“It’s great to have a weapon like that in our armoury with the positive influence he’s having on the other players, and I’m sure we’ll see a lot more from him in the coming weeks and months.”

Newcastle Red Bulls: 15 Ethan Grayson, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Alex Hearle, 12 Sammy Arnold, 11 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Simón Benítez Cruz; 1 Murray McCallum, 2 George McGuigan (captain), 3 Richard Palframan, 4 Oscar Usher, 5 Jamie Hodgson, 6 Tom Gordon, 7 Tom Christie, 8 Freddie Lockwood.

Replacements: 16 Ollie Fletcher, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 Luan de Bruin, 19 Finn Baker, 20 Reuben Parsons, 21 James Elliott, 22 Cameron Hutchison, 23 Oli Spencer.

Saracens: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Noah Caluori, 13 Alex Lozowski, 12 Nick Tompkins, 11 Rotimi Segun, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Charlie Bracken; 1 Rhys Carre, 2 Jamie George (captain), 3 Marco Riccioni, 4 Nick Isiekwe, 5 Hugh Tizard, 6 Theo McFarland, 7 Andy Onyeama-Christie, 8 Tom Willis.

Replacements: 16 James Hadfield, 17 Eroni Mawi, 18 Tietie Tuimauga, 19 Harry Wilson, 20 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Fergus Burke, 23 Max Malins.