Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

'The Championship won't be walk in the park' - New Falcons signing warns Flood and co

By Online Editors
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

New Newcastle tighthead Mark Tampin has delivered a reality check as the newly-relegated Falcons start planning for life in the English Championship.

ADVERTISEMENT

Tampin’s signing was announced on Tuesday and the Ealing Trailfinders prop didn’t hang about in warning Dean Richards’ side they are in for some testing times in the second tier.

“It won’t be walk in the park – I can tell everyone that right from the off,” said Tampin after he put pen to paper on a two-year deal.

“The Championship is a tough league, especially when you’re one of the better teams. It means there’s a target on your back, guys are raising their game against you because most of them are trying to get Premiership contracts and they know that having a big game against Newcastle is a good way for them to achieve that.

“A lot of Championship teams are similar until they come up against one of the top two teams, and they raise their game massively for those occasions. It’s something the Falcons need to be aware of because we’re probably going to get it all season, and it definitely won’t be easy.

“Each year the Championship is getting better and better, it will have improved noticeably from when Newcastle were last down there and the guys need to be ready for that.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Ealing definitely won’t make it an easy ride, I can say that from first-hand experience, and there are some other good sides out there for sure.”

Born in London, the 27-year-old began his professional rugby career in Yorkshire, coming through Leeds Carnegie’s academy and going on to make his name as a regular for Rotherham Titans.

Moving to Jersey Reds for the 2016-17 season where he played alongside current Falcons players Gary Graham and Sam Lockwood, Tampin has spent the last two seasons at Ealing, who this season won the Championship Cup as well as finishing second in the Championship title race.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I’ve been trying to get to a club like this for a while now and I just want to make it count,” said Tampin, who will arrive in July for the start of pre-season.

“Newcastle Falcons are a big club, everyone knows the name and they have a well-established reputation. People know the Falcons had a massive year last year, and even though a bit of luck has been against them this time round they’ve still got everything in place to bounce back.

“I know quite a few of the lads already because of my time at Rotherham when a number of the Falcons boys came down on loan. I also know Sam Lockwood and Gary Graham pretty well from our time at Jersey, and Newcastle’s forwards coach Micky Ward used to come down to Rotherham and coach the front-row when I was there.

“I suppose that means I’ve got the inside track and I have a decent idea of what to expect, but it’s a great move and I can’t wait to get up there.”

Falcons director of rugby Richards welcomed Tampin’s arrival, saying: “Mark has been on our radar for some time now, and we look forward to working with him.

“He’s a very street-wise prop who has forged an outstanding reputation through his hard work in the Championship, and he’s a great addition to a very competitive front-row pool for next season.” 

WATCH: Part six of The Academy, the RugbyPass documentary on Leicester Tigers

Video Spacer
ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

B
Bull Shark 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING England No8 Sarah Beckett banned after leg-breaking croc roll tackle England No8 Sarah Beckett banned after leg-breaking croc roll tackle
Search