Rugby
Falcons Go To Bristol
11 October 2007
All Black prop Joe McDonnell captains Newcastle Falcons on Sunday, as they make three changes for the Guinness Premiership trip to Bristol.
Following the shoulder injury picked up in Friday’s 21-19 victory over Leeds Carnegie, skipper Phil Dowson sits the game out as Brent Wilson starts at openside flanker.
The other two changes come in the backs where a shoulder injury sees centre Mark Mayerhofler replaced by Middlesex Sevens winner Adam Dehaty, while at scrum half James Grindal comes in for Lee Dickson.
Refusing to get carried away despite his side’s start to the season, director of rugby John Fletcher said: “It has been a reasonable start resultwise with three wins from four, but we have a tough game at Bristol this weekend which will be a big test for the players.”
Assessing the club’s injury situation and his selection this weekend, he said: “Our captain Phil Dowson has a problem with his shoulder and will be out for a period of time, while the loss of an experienced centre like Mark Mayerhofler is obviously a big blow especially with so many of our senior backs away on World Cup duty.
“What it does is give other players the opportunity to build on the results and improve on the performances from recent weeks, so the boys are all looking forward to it.”
One such player is Adam Dehaty, the Newcastle-born centre of Iranian descent whom Fletcher coached all the way through the Falcons academy.
“Adam is a good player, and I have no problem at all with him starting in the Guinness Premiership for us,” said Fletcher.
“He played England Under-21s two years ago before concentrating on his university studies last year, but now he is devoting himself fully to rugby and is showing us every day in training just what a good player he is. Pre-season has gone very well for him, and in the appearances he has made from the bench he has been very impressive.”
The absence of skipper Dowson means a starting berth for Brent Wilson on the openside, with Fletcher stating: “Brent was going to get a start fairly soon anyway in the back row even without injuries to other players, because his form has been so good from the bench that he deserves it.
“He is a very talented player and offers us a lot in the way of ball-carrying and athleticism. We are excited for Brent to be in the starting XV having seen how hard he has worked, and then on the bench we have the return of our own Pirate of Penzance in Eni Gesinde. He is now sporting an eye patch and carries a parrot on his shoulder after his loan spell in Cornwall, but he gives us a different option from the bench with what he offers around the park and in the line out.”
The only other change from last week’s team comes at scrum half where James Grindal comes in for Lee Dickson, with Fletcher explaining: “That is purely a tactical horses for courses call on my part, based on the fact that some of the areas where Grinders has the edge over Dicko are the areas which will be at the forefront of the game this weekend.
“There will be games where the opposite applies and Lee will be chosen to start based on how we think the match will go, but it’s no reflection on his form that he has been benched this weekend after starting the last two games. It’s a squad game these days, I keep saying this every week, and the players know that all 22 of them have a role to play.”
Outlining the threat in what will be a strong Bristol side, Fletcher said of Sunday’s opponents: “Their main strength is in the forwards, but recently they have started to move the ball around a lot more through the backs.
“David Lemi was their leading try-scorer last season and in my opinion is arguably the most exciting player in the Guinness Premiership to watch. I would certainly pay to see him play in any game, and in the two matches since he’s returned from the World Cup he has given their play a new dimension so we will have to keep a close eye on him.
“In their last two outings they defeated a London Irish side which had beaten us easily the week before, and then they should have won last weekend at Harlequins when they suffered a narrow loss, so we know what a good team they are and we’ve been watching them closely.”
Newcastle Falcons team to face Bristol:
- 15 Matthew Burke
- 14 Tom May
- 13 Adam Dehaty
- 12 Joe Shaw
- 11 John Rudd
- 10 Steve Jones
- 9 James Grindal
- 1 Joe McDonnell (captain)
- 2 Andy Long
- 3 David Wilson
- 4 Jason Oakes
- 5 Mark Sorenson
- 6 Geoff Parling
- 7 Brent Wilson
- 8 Russell Winter
Replacements:
- 16 Matt Thompson
- 17 Jon Golding
- 18 Andy Perry
- 19 Eni Gesinde
- 20 Lee Dickson
- 21 Tim Visser
- 22 Ollie Phillips
Not considered due to injury: Andy Buist (shoulder), Ben Woods (hand), Ross Beattie (shoulder), Phil Dowson (shoulder), Tom Dillon (collar bone), Jamie Noon (knee), James Hoyle (hip), Mark Mayerhofler (shoulder).
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