Director of rugby, John Fletcher, has chosen to stick with the same starting XV which claimed a memorable 22-19 victory at Saracens last weekend.
Match-winner Jamie Noon once again captains the side, while on the bench there is a return for fit-again trio Russell Winter, Lee Dickson and Sean Tomes after illness ruled them out of the Saracens clash.
With their Vicarage Road victory fresh in the mind, Fletcher refused to get carried away, stating: “It was a good match and an exciting finish, which is good for the game and the neutral, but if I was to give it a mark I would say something around 60 per cent, because there is a lot more to come from this group of players.
“Most aspects of our game were in pretty good order, but we felt as if we left a few tries out there in the first half and we’ll be looking to sharpen up on that this weekend. Ultimately we were delighted with the result, but especially in the second half there are a few areas which have been highlighted for improvement going in to Sunday’s game.
“The good thing about this group of players, especially our forwards, is that they are going to get better and better as time goes on, and they play together more as a team.”
Having resisted the urge to tinker with a winning formula, he added: “I’m not one to make massive changes and rest players generally anyway.
“I believe in freshening things up in a few key areas like hooker and scrum half, but other than that I would say most of the changes we make week on week are down to injuries and maybe one or two selections here and there, based on rewarding people who are in good form.”
Turning attention to Sunday’s opponents, Fletcher said: “Worcester are a serious club who have spent a huge amount of money this season, and in this league as I say every week, any team can beat any other team on their day.
“I’ve watched all of Worcester’s games over the past month, and they’ve improved every week. They are still after their first win, but nobody has really put them away yet and they have a very strong side at their disposal.
“I expect it to be an extremely tough game, possibly our most physical encounter of the season. Worcester have the best driving game in the Guinness Premiership and will look to nudge us in the mauls, so that is something we have been working hard at in training. They will come at us mainly through the forwards and down the middle of the field, we’re aware of that and we’re expecting a big physical challenge.”
Asked about his opposite number, Mike Ruddock, Fletcher said: “You have to have an enormous amount of respect for a guy who has coached a Grand Slam winning team, and from the reports I’ve heard of people who have worked with him he’s an outstanding coach.
“Results haven’t gone their way so far this season, but they’ve been very close in most of their games and I firmly believe they will be a good, good side in the near future with the way they have recruited. Hopefully not until after this weekend though!”
With that all-elusive consistency again being the buzz word ahead of Sunday’s encounter, Fletcher reiterated: “We have to go in to the game with the right attitude, and I’m sure we will.
“We feel as if we owe our supporters here a big home performance, but against a side as strong as Worcester we can take nothing for granted. I think the crowd will play a big part, and the belief is that we will add some consistency to these one-off big performances.
“People win competitions and get to the top of leagues because they play somewhere near their best most weeks. I’m aware that we’re not there yet, but we’re making progress and we believe in what we’re doing. It’s something we talk about every single day, the mindset and the attitude which drives performance on game day, and we’re gradually getting there.”
Up against a Worcester squad containing former Falcon Loki Crichton, Fletcher spoke of his admiration for the Samoan star, who swapped Kingston Park for Sixways over the summer.
“Loki is an outstanding player, and someone I rate very highly as a character from his time with us last season,” he said.
“He has some of the craziest footwork I’ve ever seen in any sport, he had a superb World Cup and he can play anywhere right across the back line if needs be, so we will definitely have to watch out for him.
“His best game for us last year, ironically, was the one that everyone remembers at Worcester for the missed kick at the end. He was our best player that day, and he is someone for whom I have a huge amount of respect.”
On the decision to let him leave the north-east, Fletcher added: “We tried to make it happen with Loki over the summer, but unfortunately it wasn’t possible. What we needed was someone who would be with us during the World Cup, having lost Toby Flood and Jonny Wilkinson, and so when Loki made the decision to go with the Samoa squad that meant it just wasn’t feasible for us.
“Would I have liked him to stay? Of course I would, because he’s an exceptional player and a fine person, but what I’m not going to do is stand in the way of someone who wants to fulfil their World Cup ambitions.
“We never spoke about whether or not he should go to the World Cup, and of course it was the right decision to represent his country. The consequence was that it wasn’t possible for us to offer him a contract, but I would never ask a player to turn down the chance of being in a World Cup, and I look forward to seeing Loki again on Sunday.”
Looking beyond this weekend, Fletcher also revealed that club captain Phil Dowson is on the comeback trail, after sustaining medial knee ligament damage at Connacht last month.
“Dows has been out training in the snow this morning, that’s how keen he is to get stuck back in to things, and there is every chance he might be involved for the Development Team this Monday at home to Leeds,” he said.
“Andy Buist meanwhile is looking to be back in the mix for the end of this month after his shoulder operation, and we’re really excited about both of those players, young English forwards who have an important part to play in the future of this club.”
Tickets for Sunday’s game are still available by calling 0871 226 60 60, or popping to Kingston Park during office hours.
Newcastle Falcons team to face Worcester:
15 Mathew Tait
14 Tom May
13 Jamie Noon (captain)
12 Toby Flood
11 John Rudd
10 Jonny Wilkinson
9 James Grindal
1 Jon Golding
2 Andy Long
3 Carl Hayman
4 Andy Perry
5 Mark Sorenson
6 Geoff Parling
7 Ben Woods
8 Brent Wilson
Replacements:
16 Matt Thompson
17 Micky Ward
18 Sean Tomes
19 Russell Winter
20 Lee Dickson
21 Tim Visser
22 Ollie Phillips
Not considered due to injury: Matthew Burke (knee), Ross Beattie (shoulder), James Hoyle (hip), Andy Buist (shoulder), Phil Dowson (knee), Hall Charlton (calf), David Wilson (back). |
