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Mike Brown set for Newcastle debut, Saracens call in Mako Vunipola
Ex-England full-back Mike Brown will make his first Premiership appearance for Newcastle this Saturday when the Falcons visit a Saracens team that includes Mako Vunipola for his first match since his Lions tour was followed by his recent omission from the England squad.
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Saracens boss Mark McCall has issued a warning to England not to write off the Vunipola brothers, Mako and Billy, as well as Jamie George as he believes all three long-serving Test players still have much to offer at international level and all three are included to start in a Premiership match that is the club’s first home game in the tournament since a draw with Bath twelve months ago.
There are four changes to the starting Saracens XV from the side that narrowly lost at Leicester last weekend. Aside from Vunipola at loosehead, Callum Hunter-Hill comes into the second row, Sean Maitland is on the wing while Dom Morris is included in the midfield.
Brown, meanwhile, will be gunning to make a good first impression for Newcastle after a pre-season rib injury ruled him out of the start of a campaign that began with a visit to Kingston Park by his old club Harlequins.
The veteran full-back is part of a starting XV showing five changes from last weekend’s dramatic home win over Wasps. Brett Connon comes in at fly-half, Trevor Davison is at tighthead, Sean Robinson at lock and Gary Graham is added to the back row mix.
With the countdown on towards the next England squad announcement on October 18, all eyes are on the three axed Saracens players… #EnglandRugby #Sarries #PremRugby #SARvNEW
https://t.co/WGgCvnj0at— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 7, 2021
Former Saracens winger Nathan Earle also starts against his former club having made a successful Newcastle debut last weekend. Falcons boss Dean Richards said: “Our morale is good after two wins against Bath and Wasps, although it is a shame it wasn’t three in a row with the Harlequins game on the first weekend of the season. We felt we could have gotten a little bit more out of that one, but we are going to Saracens on Saturday with plenty of confidence and belief that we can get the job done.
“Mike is someone who really wants to win and he promotes and demands excellence around him. Even without playing, he has been a part of what we have done this season just by his influence around the place, and that experience will prove its worth even more now that he is available to come in and play for us.”
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SARACENS: 15. Max Malins; 14. Alex Lewington, 13. Dom Morris, 12. Alex Lozowski, 11. Sean Maitland; 10. Owen Farrell (capt), 9. Aled Davies; 1. Mako Vunipola, 2. Jamie George, 3. Marco Riccioni, 4. Callum Hunter-Hill, 5. Tim Swinson, 6. Nick Isiekwe, 7. Ben Earl, 8. Billy Vunipola. Reps: 16. Tom Woolstencroft, 17. Eroni Mawi, 18. Alec Clarey, 19. Sean Reffell, 20. Andy Christie, 21. Ivan van Zyl, 22. Alex Goode, 23. Nick Tompkins.
NEWCASTLE: 15. Mike Brown; 14. Adam Radwan, 13. Ben Stevenson, 12. Pete Lucock, 11. Nathan Earle; 10. Brett Connon, 9. Louis Schreuder; 1. Adam Brocklebank, 2. George McGuigan, 3. Trevor Davison, 4. Marco Fuser, 5. Sean Robinson, 6. Gary Graham, 7. Will Welch (capt), 8. Callum Chick. Reps: 16. Jamie Blamire, 17. Kyle Cooper, 18. Logovi’i Mulipola, 19. Will Montgomery, 20. Josh Basham, 21. Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti, 22. Will Haydon-Wood, 23. George Wacokecoke.
'Dean was just honest with me. With some Premiership DoRs it’s hard to have honest chats'
Once earmarked for England @natenate174 is starting a new chapter at @FalconsRugby He talks @Harlequins, Gustard, rebuilding after injury & more, with @heagneyl ???https://t.co/xObd1MDhT7
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 19, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Except 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.
33 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.
2 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
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 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
33 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.
33 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. 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.
33 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.
33 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.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to comments