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Newcastle welcome back familiar face after club starts 2020/21 Premiership training this week
Tom Penny has spoken of his delight at returning home, the 25-year-old centre signing a two-year deal with Newcastle Falcons ahead of their 2020/21 Gallagher Premiership return.
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The Northumbrian – a product of the Falcons academy who had scored five tries in his 39 appearances for the club – has gone back to Kingston Park after a Premiership and Champions Cup stint last season with Harlequins.
“It’s really good to be back,” said Penny. “It hasn’t been that long in reality so everything is still familiar, but I have started back with the rest of the squad and it’s a great feeling.”
Director of rugby Dean Richards added: “Tom is a real talent who has enjoyed some high-level rugby during his brief time away. He knows our systems inside out and is a local lad who plays the game with pace and aggression, so it was a no-brainer when we had the chance to bring him back into the fold.”
Penny believes Newcastle will be Premiership-ready when they return to the top flight on the weekend of November 20, the squad this week starting their official pre-season training programme.
?? SIGNING!
Tom Penny has spoken of his delight at returning home – the 25-year-old centre signing a two-year deal with Newcastle Falcons after spending the back end of last season with Harlequins https://t.co/JFRhzdhNAz pic.twitter.com/mhpkE3GKUE
— Newcastle Falcons (@FalconsRugby) August 25, 2020
“We’re in the good position of having a few months to get in a proper pre-season before the Premiership starts and we’re now getting stuck into that,” he said. “We had day one on Monday, which was just training in small groups after having our Covid tests.
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“It will be like that for a couple of weeks while we get all the results through and all that, but we have started the gym and the field work which is really the foundation for what will follow as the season gets closer.”
Having played a part in Falcons’ Championship promotion campaign before his winter switch to London, Penny added: “I was obviously keeping an eye on Newcastle’s results while I was away – firstly because I’m a Falcons fan, and then obviously with just wanting my mates and the club to do well.
“It was great to see them ploughing on and claiming that unbeaten record when the season was brought to a close in March, and there is no doubt in my mind they were always a Premiership club.
“The Championship is a tough league and the boys really had to graft all the way through, but they proved more than up to that challenge and fully deserved their promotion when it was confirmed.”
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Regarding his experience at Harlequins, Penny said: “I’ve always thought that rugby is a good way to travel, see the world and take in different experiences, so in that sense being at Harlequins for a few months was a positive thing.
“You learn from all the coaches and players you work with, and I’m sure I will have picked up little bits from the likes of Sean Long, Nick Evans and all the guys I played with down there.
“That’s not to say it was massively different to Newcastle, because professional rugby is broadly the same wherever you are, but if I’ve brought back a couple of bits and bobs to use with the Falcons this coming season then all the better.”
'If you had said to me in that moment I would play until I was 35 I would have called you an idiot'
In 2005 @marklambert3 was told he'd never play rugby again. 250 @Harlequins caps later, he talks to @heagneyl ??? https://t.co/Ik7Ml8YK7f
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 26, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
No Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
3 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe 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
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 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.
11 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.
54 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
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 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
54 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.
54 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.
18 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.
18 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.
54 Go to comments