'Stick him in Leicester’s team now, I guarantee they’d be in the top four' - Andy Goode
Don’t patronise Newcastle by talking about the plucky Falcons making the play-offs. They’ve got both grit and stardust, have built sensibly to this point and it could be the start of something special in the North East.
They’ve improved year on year and I thought they were in with a good shout of qualifying for the Champions Cup this season but to make it into the top four is a hell of an achievement and beyond even what they expected of themselves.
I remember speaking to Dean [Richards] at the start of the season and he said their target was to finish in the top six but they’ve grown as the campaign has gone on and have seen that they have nothing to fear and gradually started to believe that the play-offs were a realistic proposition.
The bulk of this side were at Kingston Park last season with Toby Flood adding a bit of experience and nous around the camp, Josh Matavesi being a solid addition in midfield and Gary Graham being plucked from Jersey and having an outstanding first season.
So, the recruitment has been fantastic with a limited budget but the coaching under Dave Walder, who has moved up to become head coach this season, has really taken players that aren’t all household names on to the next level.
People are talking a lot about their attack but they’ve actually scored fewer tries than anyone else in the top 10 and it’s their defence and how tough they’ve been to break down that’s been the most impressive aspect of their game for me. Only Exeter and Saracens have conceded fewer tries in the whole of the Premiership.
John Wells has been around a long time and deserves a lot of credit for the work he’s done as defence coach this season and perhaps him focusing on that underneath Walder has made a difference as well.
Micky Ward and Scott MacLeod have played key roles too and that coaching group has developed together. The make-up of it hasn’t changed this season but Walder’s voice now has more weight to it. He’s the guy that oversees all of the coaching now and implements the game plan from Deano and that’s worked so well for them.
They reached the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup and Anglo Welsh Cup as well, so that shows that there’s depth in the squad now and the whole club is building nicely behind the scenes.
It’s about belief as well. They now know how to win games and are confident that their game plan will deliver results, so when the going gets tough they trust each other and trust that they’ll get the win if they stick to what they do well.
We survived when I was there in 2016 but finished 11th, then they ended up in eighth last season but to finish third or fourth this season is a remarkable achievement.
There’s been a lot of consistency in the squad and in selection in the past couple of years and they’ve gradually become a lot more comfortable with their systems and what they’re trying to do but the X-factor of Vereniki Goneva has really made the difference this campaign.
Their resolve, determination, spirit and forward power has been really impressive all year but you need star quality to make it into the play-offs as well and he has provided that in abundance with his 13 tries and everything else that he offers on top of that.
He scored another two tries on Friday night and has really come back to bite the Tigers after they let him go a couple of years ago. He’s 34 now but I think they undervalued him massively and they’ll certainly be regretting that decision now.
If you stick him in Leicester’s team now, I guarantee they’d be in the top four. The form that he’s in at the moment, he would walk into any Premiership team.
Leicester have missed out on the play-offs for the first time in 14 years and for the Falcons to win at Welford Road for the first time for two decades and eliminate them will have made it even sweeter for Deano after he left there under a bit of a cloud in 2004.
It’s the end of an era for the Tigers but it’s all about the Falcons this year and it could be the start of a great new dawn for them.
They’ve got absolutely nothing to fear in the semi-finals. They’ve won 10 of their last 12 Premiership games and have won seven of their away fixtures in the league, so nobody’s going to want to play them. Home advantage is massive in the play-offs and Exeter and Saracens will be big favourites but Newcastle won’t mind that one bit.
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments