Newcastle Red Bulls make telling admission in wake of horror scoreline

Newcastle Red Bulls have admitted their latest collapse was “way below” standards after slipping deeper into a difficult Gallagher PREM campaign, with head coach Stephen Jones demanding a response ahead of Saturday’s trip to champions Bath.

The bottom-placed side, who were at least competitive earlier in the season, have endured a brutal run over the past two months, including a 76-17 home defeat to fellow strugglers Harlequins last weekend. Their points difference now sits at -448, nearly three times worse than ninth-placed Quins, with recent heavy losses to Bristol and Leicester compounding the slide.

Jones said: “We’re a very honest group, and that performance was way below our standards.

“There was a huge amount of frustration and disappointment within the squad and staff, as I know there will have been among our supporter base, and the main question we have to ask ourselves is ‘why?’

“We have to have a response to it and get back to the standards we’ve set for ourselves.

Gallagher Premiership

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Northampton

15

12

2

1

62

2

Bath

15

11

4

0

58

3

Leicester

15

11

4

0

57

4

Exeter Chiefs

15

9

5

1

54

5

Bristol

15

10

5

0

49

6

Saracens

15

8

7

0

47

7

Sale

15

4

11

0

28

8

Gloucester

15

4

11

0

25

9

Harlequins

15

4

11

0

21

10

Newcastle

15

1

14

0

7

“Our first attacking set was 18 minutes into the game, and even though we scored from it we can’t be waiting 18 minutes to mount an attack.

“That’s not our game, but our continuity wasn’t there and we turned the ball over too easily.

“On both sides of the ball it wasn’t good enough and we’re not hiding from that, but what we have to make sure is we address those areas.

“On top of that we have to bring the required energy to play our game, and that’s the absolute minimum in terms of your foundation.”

Newcastle make eight changes for the trip to The Recreation Ground, with Connor Hancock handed his first Gallagher PREM start at loosehead and Murray McCallum coming in at tighthead. John Hawkins and Freddie Clarke form a new second row, while Adam Scott and former Bath player Fergus Lee-Warner come into the back row.

In the back-line, Rhys Beeckmans and Harrison Obatoyinbo are included, with Elliott Obatoyinbo ruled out after a hamstring injury sustained in the warm-up last week.

Jones said: “There has to be reaction on Saturday, because we cannot and will not accept what happened last weekend.

“What’s important is that we understand how we can move forward, and whilst we have huge respect for everything Bath have achieved, all we can focus on is ourselves and pushing forward with our own standards.

“Let’s get our own house in order and make sure we fully understand how we want to play the game.

“Not only that, but bring the energy and desire which should be a pre-requisite for every single player who wears this shirt.

“I’ve heard people say it’s a period of transition and all the rest of it, but I’m not here to make excuses.
“We’ve got three games to go, and we’re determined to put our best foot forward every single time we take the field.”

Newcastle Red Bulls: 15 Josh Hodge, 14 Harrison Obatoyinbo, 13 Rhys Beeckmans, 12 Sammy Arnold, 11 Alex Hearle, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Simón Benítez Cruz; 1 Connor Hancock, 2 George McGuigan (captain), 3 Murray McCallum, 4 Freddie Clarke, 5 John Hawkins, 6 Adam Scott, 7 Tom Christie, 8 Fergus Lee-Warner.

Replacements: 16 Ollie Fletcher, 17 Jamie Clark, 18 Adam Brocklebank, 19 Jamie Hodgson, 20 Amanaki Mafi, 21 James Elliott, 22 Ethan Grayson, 23 Christian Wade.