Northampton Saints programme - 2021

GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP | NEWCASTLE FALCONS V NORTHAMPTON SAINTS | SATURDAY JANUARY 8TH 2022

2

the teams 

MIKE BROWN 15 

TOM PENNY 14 

MATIAS ORLANDO 13 

LUTHER BURRELL 12 

MATEO CARRERAS 11 

JOEL HODGSON 10 

LOUIS SCHREUDER 9 

KYLE COOPER 

GEORGE MCGUIGAN 

TREVOR DAVISON 

GREG PETERSON 

SEAN ROBINSON 

PHILIP VAN DER WALT 

WILL WELCH (CAPTAIN) 

CALLUM CHICK 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

15 

14 

13 

12 

11 

10 

9 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

GEORGE FURBANK 

COURTNALL SKOSAN 

FRASER DINGWALL 

RORY HUTCHINSON 

TOM COLLINS 

DAN BIGGAR 

ALEX MITCHELL 

ALEX WALLER 

SAM MATAVESI 

PAUL HILL 

DAVID RIBBANS 

API RATUNIYARAWA 

TOM WOOD 

LEWIS LUDLAM (CAPTAIN) 

TEIMANA HARRISON 

JAMIE BLAMIRE 

ADAM BROCKLEBANK 

MARK TAMPIN 

CARL FEARNS 

GARY GRAHAM 

SAM STUART 

BRETT CONNON 

GEORGE WACOKECOKE 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

JAMES FISH 

EMMANUEL IYOGUN 

EHREN PAINTER 

ALEX COLES 

KARL WILKINS 

TOM JAMES 

TOM LITCHFIELD 

TOMMY FREEMAN 

MATCH OFFICIALS 

REFEREE: 

ASSISTANT REFEREES: 

TELEVISION MATCH OFFICIAL: 

CITING OFFICER: 

MATTHEW CARLEY 

HAMISH SMALES, WAYNE FALLA 

STUART TERHEEGE 

CHRIS SHARP 

www.newcastlefalcons.co.uk 

3

4

DEAN RICHARDS 

Tom Penny attacks in our last Gallagher Premiership home game against 

Worcester Warriors 

H 

appy new year to 

everyone, and 

thank you for 

coming along to our 

first home game of 

2022. 

We were all bitterly disappointed to 

have had to cancel our Boxing Day 

home game against Sale Sharks due 

to Covid cases among the away 

squad, which thankfully they have 

been able to recover from. 

With a big crowd due in and a ‘Battle 

of the North’ on the cards it was 

going to be a great occasion for us 

all to enjoy. The boys had prepared 

well during the week and will have 

just been finishing off their Christmas 

dinners when news of the 

cancellation came through, so 

hopefully we will enjoy an altogether 

smoother approach into this 

afternoon’s fixture. 

We welcome Chris Boyd and his 

Northampton Saints squad to 

Kingston Park Stadium, with both 

clubs hoping to bounce back from 

disappointing losses last weekend. 

At the same time as we were 

defeated at Leicester Tigers, 

Northampton were losing at home to 

Saracens, so there will be no 

shortage of incentive as both camps 

look to right those wrongs 

Thank you to all of the supporters 

who travelled down to Leicester last 

Sunday, in some pretty awful 

weather. It was a great turn-out of 

away fans despite everything going 

on at the moment in relation to the 

pandemic, and we really appreciate 

the backing you gave to the players. 

We all share your feelings regarding 

the result, and have been working 

hard during the week to ensure a 

better performance in all areas today. 

The basics of playing rugby in the 

right areas and managing the 

conditions have not changed an 

awful lot, but to be a successful side 

you have to consistently master both 

aspects on a consistent basis. 

Leicester showed us how it was done 

last weekend, but with the ability and 

mind-set we’ve got within our squad I 

have every confidence we will put 

things right. 

I hope as many of you as possible 

will stay on after today’s game to 

watch our Under-18s side as we play 

Leicester Tigers on the main pitch at 

5.30pm. 

Our academy coaches have an 

outstanding track record of spotting 

and nurturing the great talent we 

have within our region, and we’ve 

got a very exciting group of players 

which you will enjoy watching if you 

are able to hang around after the 

full-time whistle in the first-team 

game. There could be some stars 

of the future out there! 

On a similar theme, it was also 

really heartening to see this week 

that, for the first time, we have five 

players named in England 

Under-20s’ elite player squad for 

2022. 

Congratulations to Mark Dormer, 

Ollie Fletcher, Louie Johnson, Guy 

Pepper and Iwan Stephens who 

will all link up as part of the 32-man 

squad, and also to Matt Deehan 

who is training with Scotland 

Under-20s. 

Age-group international selection is 

not the be-all and end-all when it 

comes to assessing the health of 

your academy, but from seeing 

these guys on a regular basis it’s 

hugely exciting for us as a club to 

have such a wonderful foundation 

on which to build. 

Once again thanks for coming 

along today, and on behalf of the 

club I’d like to wish you all the best 

for 2022. 

DEAN RICHARDS 

Director of rugby 

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CLUB NEWS 

Academy manager 

Mark Laycock 

FALCONS FIVE IN FOR ENGLAND U20S 

Newcastle Falcons’ continued strength as an academy has been 

demonstrated with a record five players named in England 

Under-20s’ elite player squad for the 2021-22 season. 

The 32-man group sees call-ups for prop Mark Dormer, hooker 

Ollie Fletcher, fly-half Louie Johnson, flanker Guy Pepper and 

winger Iwan Stephens. 

Falcons academy manager Mark Laycock said: “We are all really 

pleased as a club that the lads have gained recognition for their 

talent and efforts. 

“All five of them have very different back stories and have worked 

extremely hard to get to this point. The great thing is they are all 

exceptionally mature young men, so none of them are getting 

carried away, and they all understand that getting a foot in the door 

is only the beginning of the hard work ahead. 

WATCH THE U18S 

TODAY 

All supporters are welcome to stay on after 

today’s first-team game to watch the 

Falcons Under-18s team in action, taking on 

Leicester Tigers at 5.30pm on the main 

pitch. 

The West Stand concourse bar and toilets 

will stay open for the duration of the 

Under-18s match, as some of the stars of 

the future show what they are capable of. 

The Falcons’ Under-18s started their 

season with a narrow 20-14 loss away to 

Wasps on December 23, and following 

today’s game their next assignment is a trip 

to Sale Sharks a week tomorrow. Kick-off in 

that game at Heywood Road is at 2pm. 

Their next home game after today is on 

Saturday January 22 against Worcester 

Warriors, with a 2.30pm kick-off at Kingston 

Park Stadium. 

“Special shout-out has to go to Iwan Stephens who played his first 

proper game of rugby union less than 10 months ago having 

crossed codes from Leeds Rhinos rugby league, and has made excellent 

progress, scoring on his Gallagher Premiership debut against Harlequins earlier 

this season. 

“It goes to show that there are transferable skills in sport provided you keep your 

options open long enough, which is why we advocate kids playing lots of 

different sports.” 

Laycock added: “The most players we have had in an England Under-20s EPS 

squad before this was four, and that was back when Will Welch was involved. 

“Add to this Matt Deehan, who is attending the Scotland Under-20s camp this 

week, and all the lads involved in the England Under-18s squad from across our 

region, and it’s hard not to see a bright future for rugby in the North East and 

Cumbria. These lads are the role models for the next generation.” 

England Under-20s head coach Alan Dickens said: “Selection for the squad has 

been based on a combination of things - the previous regional camps we’ve 

held, the work we do with the club academies and coaches, plus our knowledge 

of the players within the pathway. 

“I’d like to thank all the Premiership clubs, the academies, the coaches and 

Premiership Rugby for their support. It’s been a big team effort. The squad and 

coaching team are looking forward to two four-day camps and a training game 

against Oxford University in the first half of January, which is all part of our 

preparation for the Six Nations and our first game against Scotland.” 


7

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GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP PREVIEWS 

LAST NIGHT 

BRISTOL BEARS V SALE SHARKS 

TODAY 

HARLEQUINS V EXETER CHIEFS 

(3pm) 

Harlequins have lost just twice at home in any competition 

since early April, both in Premiership Rugby, to Saracens 

in October and London Irish in November. Exeter Chiefs 

have won their last three Gallagher Premiership Rugby 

matches since their narrow defeat at home to Newcastle on 

November 6. 

The Chiefs have won their last four away games in 

Gallagher Premiership Rugby since their opening-weekend 

defeat at Leicester, and have never before won five 

successive away trips in the competition in the same 

season. The Chiefs have won on six of their last eight visits 

to the Twickenham Stoop in Premiership Rugby. 

NEWCASTLE FALCONS V 

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS (3pm) 

Newcastle Falcons have lost only once at Kingston Park 

Stadium in Premiership Rugby since April: 20-26 to 

Harlequins in Round 1 this campaign. Northampton Saints 

have lost their last four first-team fixtures since their 40-19 

victory at home to Bath in Round 10 of Gallagher 

Premiership Rugby. 

The Saints have won twice on the road this season in 

Premiership Rugby, at Exeter in September and at Bristol 

in November. Excluding “declared wins”, Newcastle’s only 

defeat to Northampton in Premiership Rugby since October 

2015 was 17-31 at Kingston Park Stadium in April 2019. 

SARACENS V GLOUCESTER (3pm) 

Saracens have lost just once in Gallagher Premiership 

Rugby since Round three: 15-18 at Exeter on December 

4. Saracens’ only defeat at StoneX Stadium in Premiership 

Rugby since October 2019 was 18-28 to Wasps in 

September 2020. 

Gloucester Rugby’s 17-20 defeat at home to Harlequins 

last Sunday ended a three-game winning run in Gallagher 

Premiership Rugby. Gloucester are unbeaten in their last 

four away games in Premiership Rugby since their defeat 

at Northampton in Round 1 - their best run on the road in 

the competition since 2016. The Cherry & Whites have 

been defeated on all eight previous visits they have made 

to StoneX Stadium. 

TOMORROW 

BATH V WORCESTER WARRIORS 

(3pm) 

Bath Rugby are still searching for that elusive first victory 

of the 2021/22 campaign, their most recent win being 

30-24 at home to Northampton in Round 22 last season. 

Worcester Warriors’ three victories in Gallagher 

Premiership Rugby this season have all been at Sixways: 

over London Irish in Round 1, Sale in Round 7 and Wasps 

in Round 10. 

The Warriors have won only once away from home in any 

competition since their trip to Russia to face Enisei in 

November 2019: 40-25 on their visit to London Irish (at the 

Twickenham Stoop) in 2020. Bath have won their last four 

fixtures against Worcester in Premiership Rugby since the 

Warriors’ 21-19 victory at Sixways in January 2019. 

Worcester have lost on all seventeen previous occasions 

they have visited Bath in all competitions. 

WASPS V LEICESTER TIGERS 

(3pm) 

Wasps’ only victory in any competition since the end of 

October was 38-30 at home to London Irish on Boxing 

Day. That victory ended an unwanted run of five 

successive defeats at Coventry Building 

Society Arena. Leicester Tigers have won all 15 first-team 

games they have played this season, whilst another victory 

would tie their all-time club record of 16 consecutive wins 

at the start of the 1983/84 season. 

Tigers have won their last nine away games in all 

tournaments since their 10-26 defeat to Sale at AJ Bell 

Stadium in Gallagher Premiership Rugby in May. The 

Tigers have already been victorious at Coventry Building 

Society Arena this season, beating Wasps there 55-7 in 

the Premiership Rugby Cup in November. Leicester’s only 

defeat in their last five Premiership Rugby fixtures with 

Wasps was 7-54 at Coventry in September 2020. 

10 

@FalconsRugby

CONOR KENNY 

Prop, 25 

Irish prop Conor joined Newcastle 

Falcons from Connacht, having 

made 11 appearances for the 

province. The former Ireland 

Under-18s, 19s and 20s 

international is a native of the 

Buccaneers club in Athlone, and 

plays on the tight-head side. 

GEORGE MERRICK 

Lock, 28 

George joins the Falcons 

from Worcester Warriors. The 

Carshalton-born player is a 

former England Under-20s 

player who won the age-group 

Six Nations title in 2012, going 

on to make his senior debut for 

Harlequins the following year. 

Merrick made 100 appearances 

for Quins before being signed by 

French giants Clermont in 2020 

– playing 11 times in his season 

with Les Jaunards before moving 

to Worcester for the 2020-21 

campaign. 

OLLIE LINDSAY-HAGUE 

Wing/full-back, 30 

Ollie is a two-time Olympian who 

joined on an initial four-month 

deal in August. Having played 61 

games for Harlequins, scoring ten 

tries for the London club, in 2016 

he concentrated full-time on his 

international sevens career. 

Helping Team GB to an Olympic 

silver medal in Rio 2016, Lindsay- 

Hague featured again in the Tokyo 

games during 2021, his Team GB 

side missing out in the bronze medal 

match against Argentina. A Sevens 

Rugby World Cup finalist who has 

also represented England in the 

Commonwealth Games, Lindsay- 

Hague can play across the back 

three in 15s, where he is renowned 

for his pace and footwork. 


RICHARD PALFRAMAN 

Prop, 27 

Richard Palframan joined 

Newcastle Falcons in the summer 

of 2021. The South-African-born 

tight-head was educated in Cape 

Town and played for Natal Sharks 

Under-19s before moving to 

England in 2012 to join London 

Irish, for whom he made 28 

senior appearances. Spending a 

single season at London Scottish 

before joining Worcester in 2018, 

his two seasons at Sixways saw 

him making 43 appearances for 

the Warriors before making the 

decision to join Newcastle. 

11

12

16

PROJECT RUGBY 

We are really pleased with the positive work our 

community development officers have achieved this 

half-term with Project Rugby. 

Project Rugby is a joint initiative between Premiership 

Rugby and England Rugby, designed to increase 

participation in the game from people from traditionally 

under-represented groups. 

Rugby is a sport for everyone no matter what their 

background or ability, and has a unique propensity to 

change lives, bringing increased self-confidence, 

resilience and improving individual wellbeing. 

This half-term we have placed a focus on encouraging 

girls to participate in rugby, working with Jesmond Park 

Academy and Longbenton High School, delivering 

sessions to Year 7 and 8. We have successfully ran 

training sessions from tackle techniques to contact, using 

tackling shields. All girls were invited to a Newcastle 

Rugby session at Novos RFC. 

Keni Mais, a teacher at Jesmond Park Academy, spoke 

highly of our community development officer Chris Ure, 

who delivered these Project Rugby sessions, saying: 

“Chris has been a fantastic coach at delivering project 

rugby sessions at Jesmond Academy. The way he builds, 

builds, and builds the sessions and questions the kid’s 

knowledge all the time.” 

A Year-8 girl at Jesmond Park Academy added: “The 

sessions have been really enjoyable and fun. I think it’s 

good that we are finally getting a chance to do rugby, 

because when I was younger I always wanted to do it, but 

never really got a chance as it was considered a boys’ 

sport. Chris has been a good at showing us what to do, 

while making it enjoyable. We’ve done contact and 

tackling, and been invited to Novos RFC to try club rugby.” 

MEET THE TEAM 

Andy Reynolds 

Community development officer 

“I have been linked with the Falcons at 

various stages throughout my life; from 

playing in the academy as a teen, 

completing a two-year internship as an 

analyst to the first team during my 

university studies and returning as a 

rugby development officer within the 

community foundation. I have 

coached several clubs across 

Durham and Northumberland, 

and have experienced all age 

ranges. I am passionate 

about rugby, and I love 

seeing the positive impact 

the sport has on people 

from all walks of life. 

14 

@FalconsRugby

NEWCASTLE 

FALCONS 

SAT 29 TH JAN 3PM KO 

KINGSTON PARK STADIUM 

N EWCASTLEFALC0NS.C0.U K 

CALL 0191 214 5588 opt 1 

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GREENE KING

Another team 

you can count on 

Nuffield Health Newcastle Hospital 

We’ve been providing outstanding private healthcare to people in the 

North East for over 40 years. You can trust our team of dedicated experts 

who offer a wide range of treatments including: 

• Hip and knee surgery 

• Joint preservation surgery 

• Cataract surgery 

• Neck and spinal surgery 

• Men’s health – bladder and prostate 

• Women’s health – breast screening. 

To find out more call 0808 149 3239 

or visit nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/newcastle-upon-tyne

NORTHUMBERLAND 

rugby union 

NEWCASTLE RAVENS 

TEAM OF THE MONTH 

Northumberland RFU are delighted to announce that 

Newcastle Falcons have once again kindly agreed to 

sponsor the Team of the Month Competition. 

The competition is open to all clubs, teams and age 

groups in Northumberland, and the entries will be judged 

on their own merits by an impartial panel including 

representatives of both Northumberland RFU and 

Newcastle Falcons. 

The RFU is rightly focusing on growing as well as 

celebrating diversity and inclusion in rugby, and so it is great 

to report that Newcastle Ravens, Northumberland’s first 

LGBTQ rugby club, last year celebrated their 15th 

anniversary, and were thrilled to attend the Thebans Clinic in 

October this year. 

The Clinic is a staple in the IGR (International Gay Rugby) 

calendar, and for the first time this year included a 

tournament which enabled teams from the length and 

breadth of the country to pit themselves against each other. 

The event, spread over a long weekend, started with a 

‘social’ at the President’s Suite at Murrayfield Stadium, 

followed by working on key aspects of the game such as 

footwork, protecting the ball and tackling skills. 

The day after was game day, with the Ravens enjoying a 

successful run out, winning two, against London Stags and 

KX Steelers, and only losing one game - to the eventual 

tournament winners, Cardiff Lions. A tremendous weekend 

was had by all, and friendships made for life. 

We want to hear about all your achievements this 

season! Selected winners will receive 20 tickets for a 

Falcons game of their choice, subject to timing and 

availability. The deadline for October and November 

entries has now shut, but we will be accepting 

nominations in early January for December’s award. 

Maybe your first team was unbeaten for the month, your 

u16s raised money for charity or your newly forged girls’ 

team played their first ever match? Let us know! All 

nominations, including details of the team and a brief 

summary of what has been achieved, should be emailed 

to DeanGray@NorthumberlandRFU.co.uk. 

SECOND BITE 

Northumberland RFU, Northumberland Rugby Union's 

Referees Society and Novos RFC support the work of 

Second Bite. 

The Second Bite Community Interest Company has 

social value at its core, and uses its profits and assets 

for the public good – providing dining choices in four 

venues in the North East to give training and hands-on 

experience to students from here and overseas, thereby 

opening previously-shut doors to recognised 

qualifications and job opportunities. Three of the venues, 

in collaboration with local grassroots charities, are also 

used for the preparation of meals to be distributed to 

individuals and families in areas of deprivation. 

If you would like to find out more or want to support the 

invaluable work that Second Bite does in the Community 

please get in touch with them. More information can be 

found at www.second-bite.org. 

On behalf of everyone involved with Northumberland 

RFU we hope you had a Merry Christmas, and best 

wishes for a healthy and happy 2022! 

31

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INTERNATIONAL SUITE 

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PREMIER CLUB 

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OFFICIAL CLUB PARTNERS 

18 

@FalconsRugby

MATCH 

HOSPITALITY 

Experience some good old Northern hospitality! 

Here at Kingston Park, we offer first-class corporate hospitality hosted by our welcoming and friendly team. 

From three-course fine dining and live cooking to a traditional carvery and executive box hire with 

unrivalled views, our corporate guests can enjoy Northern hospitality at its best. 

Contact our team to find out more about the packages we offer on 0191 214 2892 or 

corporatesales@newcastle-falcons.co.uk . 

Or visit our website on www.newcastlefalcons.co.uk 


19

ADAM 

Brocklebank 

N 

ewcastle 

Falcons 

prop 

Adam 

Brocklebank 

was 

well into his teenage years 

before he even picked up a 

rugby ball, and says you’re 

never too old to catch the 

rugby bug. 

Now aged 26, and with a 

degree and 60 professional 

rugby appearances to his 

name, the loose-head’s rise 

is a story of hope and 

commitment, and how 

anyone can turn their life 

around. 

“I was 15 years old and 

coming to the end of high 

school, and I wasn’t really 

doing much apart from 

playing video games,” he 

recalls, when asked about 

his introduction to the game. 

“My day was basically wake 

up, play Call of Duty, go to 

school, come home, go 

upstairs and play Call of 

Duty in my bedroom. That’s 

all I did, and there just came 

a point where I thought I 

needed to get off my 

backside and get a bit of a 

social life.” 

It was luck more than 

anything which put rugby 

onto Brocklebank’s radar, 

having been brought up just 

outside Liverpool. 

“My mum worked with a guy 

called Donny Sutherland, 

who is a former Scotland player 

who sadly passed away 

recently,” he says. 

“He was involved with Ormskirk 

rugby club, and he told my 

mum she should just bring me 

down and they’d see what they 

could do with me. So I went to 

Ormskirk, and after half a 

season they said to me I was 

doing really well with my rugby. 

“I also wanted to be a PE 

teacher at the time, and Donny 

worked at Myerscough College. 

They told me I could study 

sports science there and do my 

teaching qualification on the 

side, which was perfect 

because they also had a good 

rugby programme, so I went 

there and started off as a No.8, 

as all props do!” 

The Newcastle squad is littered 

with players who have not 

taken the traditional academy 

route into professional rugby, 

and in Brocklebank you’ll find a 

firm advocate of the theory that 

there’s more than one way to 

skin a cat. 

“It’s not a ‘normal’ route into 

professional rugby because I’d 

never even picked up a ball 

until I was 15, but I honestly 

don’t think that matters,” he 

says. 

“Newcastle Falcons have got 

guys from all walks of life who 

have come through loads of 

different paths. If you look at 

Trevor Davison he was playing 

social rugby for Blaydon 2nds 

and 3rds in his 20s, and now 

he’s a full England international 

with almost 100 professional 

games under his belt. Gary 

Graham was working as a 

sparky and got capped by 

Scotland, and people just find 

their own way. 

“If you want to get into 

something and you’re willing to 

commit to it, then you’ll do it. I 

was just playing rugby for fun at 

Ormskirk, and it was only at 

Myerscough that I began to 

think it was something I could 

take more seriously. I started 

putting proper effort into my 

learning and my understanding 

of coaching, and I got picked 

up by Sale Sharks’ 

academy. It was nothing 

serious with Sale, just a 

bit of involvement in a few 

academy games, but 

maybe somebody will be 

reading this and it 

might make them think. 

“You’re never too old 

to start with rugby, 

and Trev is the classic 

example. You might 

be really good at it and 

make a career, or you 

might just find a great 

group of mates and 

enjoy years of playing 

fun, social rugby. If 

you don’t try it you’ll 

never know, and I still 

love that social aspect 

of rugby. 

“The guys still have that 

camaraderie off the pitch, 

and the big thing I loved to 

begin with was that postgame 

clubhouse bar.You’d 

have everyone there, their 

parents too, and it was just a 

20 

@FalconsRugby

great atmosphere chatting for hours 

and catching up with people. I think 

that’s what rugby is all about, as well 

as the game itself.” 

Taking the step into university rugby, 

where he was capped by England 

Students, he says: “While I was at 

Myerscough I played for England 

Counties Under-18s, and I thought 

I’d have a crack at making rugby my 

job. I also knew I wanted an 

education on the side in 

case it didn’t come 

off, and so when I 

spoke to Durham . 

University 

it was the 

ideal 

scenario. 

“I did a sport and exercise science 

degree while playing a good standard 

of rugby in the BUCS competition, 

and Durham’s coach Alex Keay had 

always said they had good links with 

Newcastle Falcons. I knew if I was 

playing well for Durham that I’d 

eventually get on the Falcons’ radar, 

and it was just before Christmas in 

my first year at Durham that I spoke 

to the Newcastle academy coaches, 

Mark Laycock and Jimmy Ponton. 

“The Falcons have always had 

decent links with Durham Uni, and 

guys who have come through that 

route include the likes of Dave 

Walder, Sean Robinson, Simon 

Hammersley, Josh Basham and Ben 

Stevenson, to name a handful off the 

top of my head.” 

Playing well for the Palatinates and 

stepping up to the professional 

game, Brocklebank adds: “The uni 

rugby went pretty well, I played a few 

A-League games for the Falcons and 

I remember driving home to Liverpool 

after one of those early Falcons 

games with a massive smile on my 

face. It’s just gone from there, and I 

carried on signing deals with the 

Falcons while I was finishing my 

degree. Straight out of uni I signed a 

three-year deal, then last summer I 

signed for one year, and hopefully I’ll 

re-sign with the club again. 

“I finished my degree because I 

wanted that PE teaching option – 

more at a college rather than a 

university level – and I think it’s 

helped me in my rugby career. I’ve 

got a good understanding of how my 

body works, and when the strength 

and conditioning coaches get you to 

do certain things at least I’ve got an 

appreciation of why that is. I find it 

really interesting.” 

Being much more of a regular fixture 

for the Falcons this season, injury 

and illness aside, the increased game 

time has added significantly to the 

enjoyment factor of a player who 

relishes the physical elements of the 

sport. 

“I’ve absolutely loved being more 

involved this season,” he says, 

speaking on the way home from 

walking his two dogs, Bailey and 

Enola, at the beach. 

“Anyone who’s involved in sport will 

tell you they just want to play as much 

as they can, and this season has 

seen my most consecutive starts. 

There’s not been that many games 

where I wasn’t involved, I’ve started 

quite a few and just loved the whole 

thing.” 

Predicting big things for a Falcons 

side who will be looking to bounce 

back from last week’s loss at 

Leicester, Brocklebank says: “With 

the team we’ve got at the moment 

there are so many young players 

coming through with a huge amount 

of talent, and we also have the 

balance of combining that with some 

older heads. 


21

“So we’ve got these incredible young guys working alongside 

Will Welch, Mark Wilson and Mike Brown, which I just think 

is a really healthy dynamic. We’re starting to get a few more 

boys involved with England, and it’s just a great club to be 

part of at the moment.” 

With the Falcons up against a Saints side who themselves 

were defeated last Sunday – 30-6 at home to Saracens – he 

says: “Northampton have a got a real attack focus, and they 

can sting you if you’re not careful. 

“You think you’ve got them contained and they pull 

something out of the bag, but the team we’ve got at the 

moment is more than capable of executing our game plan 

and punishing any opposition mistakes.” 

As a prop-forward Brocklebank is among the players putting 

his head into the mystifying and terrifying area of the scrum – 

a facet of the game he is learning to love. 

He says: “Having Micky Ward at the helm as our forwards 

coach, he kind of beats it into you so much about the scrum 

that you end up loving it. Maybe he’s brainwashing us all! 

“If you speak to any of the props, it’s a weird and wonderful 

thing. 

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s incredibly hard work and there’s a 

lot of weight and pressure coming through you, but it’s great 

when it works. 

“I know a lot of people don’t like it, or don’t like some of the 

stuff that goes on around it, but when your team is dominant 

and going through other team’s scrums – that’s what rugby 

fans really love. 

“It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and whenever there’s a 

penalty or a collapse at scrum time, take it from me, it’s 

always the second-row’s fault rather than the front-row’s!” 

22

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JOSH BASHAM 

FIRST TEAM SQU 

JAMIE BLAMIRE 

ADAM BROCKLEBANK 

MIKE BROWN 

BACK ROW 

HOOKER 

PROP 

FULL-BACK 

17/4/99 

194CM, 104KG 

ENGLAND 

U20 

22/12/97 

185CM, 

113KG 

ENGLAND 

6/9/95 

188CM, 125KG 

ENGLAND 

STUDENTS 

FULL-BACK 

4/9/85 

183CM, 93KG 

ENGLAND 

LUTHER BURRELL 

MATEO CARRERAS 

CALLUM CHICK 

CONNOR COLLETT 

CENTRE 

WING 

BACK ROW 

BACK ROW 

06/12/88 

191CM, 

104KG 

ENGLAND 

WING 

17/12/99 

168CM, 78KG 

ARGENTINA 

25/11/96 

193CM, 

105KG 

ENGLAND 

BACK ROW 

5/2/96 

185CM, 

103KG 

BRETT CONNON 

KYLE COOPER 

MATTHEW DALTON 

TREVOR DAVISON 

FLY-HALF 

PROP 

LOCK 

PROP 

ROB FARRAR 

29/8/96 

176CM, 93KG 

IRELAND U20 

10/2/89 

178CM, 113KG 

SOUTH AFRICA 

U20 

16/11/98 

198CM, 

115KG 

IRELAND 

U20 

20/8/92 

188CM, 116KG 

ENGLAND 

NATHAN EARLE 

ROB FARRAR 

CARL FEARNS 

MARCO FUSER 

WING 

LOCK/BACK ROW 

BACK ROW 

LOCK 

24 

25/9/94 

185CM, 99KG 

ENGLAND XV 

16/3/00 

190CM, 103KG 

ENGLAND 

U20 

28/5/89 

191CM, 

122KG 

ENGLAND A 

9/3/91 

198CM, 

122KG 

ITALY

UAD 

GARY GRAHAM 

JOEL HODGSON 

CONOR KENNY 

OLLIE LINDSAY-HAGUE 

BACK ROW 

FLY-HALF 

PROP 

WING/FULL-BACK 

BACK ROW 

29/8/92 

187CM, 

112KG 

SCOTLAND 

1/8/92 

176CM, 84KG 

ENGLAND 

U19 

25/7/96 

185CM, 

125KG 

IRELAND U20 

8/10/90 

180CM, 80KG 

GREAT BRITAIN 7S 

PETE LUCOCK 

CHARLIE MADDISON 

TOM MARSHALL 

GEORGE MCGUIGAN 

CENTRE 

HOOKER 

BACK ROW 

HOOKER 

27/11/92 

183CM, 98KG 

24/6/91 

188CM, 

109KG 

20/10/99 

190CM, 99KG 

SCOTLAND 

U20 

30/3/93 

183CM, 

110KG 

ENGLAND A 

GEORGE MERRICK 

WILL MONTGOMERY 

LOGOVI’I MULIPOLA 

CAMERON NORDLI-KELEMETI 

LOCK 

LOCK/BACK ROW 

PROP 

SCRUM-HALF 

4/10/92 

201CM, 

123KG 

ENGLAND 

U20 

2/2/00 

195CM, 

98KG 

ENGLAND 

U19 

11/3/87 

192CM, 

128KG 

SAMOA 

20/9/99 

177CM, 84KG 

ENGLAND 

U18 

MATIAS ORLANDO 

RICHARD PALFRAMAN 

TOM PENNY 

GREG PETERSON 

CENTRE 

PROP 

FULL-BACK 

LOCK 

14/11/91 

183CM, 94KG 

ARGENTINA 

20/12/93 

185CM, 

120KG 

13/10/94 

179CM, 92KG 

26/3/91 

203CM, 

117KG 

USA 

25

ADAM RADWAN 

FIRST TEAM SQU 

SEAN ROBINSON 

LOUIS SCHREUDER 

ROBBIE SMITH 

WING 

LOCK/BACK ROW 

SCRUM-HALF 

HOOKER 

30/12/97 

179CM, 86KG 

ENGLAND 

8/2/91 

193CM, 

112KG 

ENGLAND 

STUDENTS 

25/4/90 

184CM, 82KG 

SOUTH 

AFRICA 

26/9/98 

175CM, 

110KG 

SCOTLAND 

U20 

BEN STEVENSON 

SAM STUART 

ALEX TAIT 

MARK TAMPIN 

WING/CENTRE 

SCRUM-HALF 


PROP 

19/7/98 

189CM, 96KG 

ENGLAND 

STUDENTS 

27/9/91 

173CM, 83KG 

ENGLAND 

U20 

18/3/88 

183CM, 94KG 

ENGLAND 

U20 

20/1/92 

185CM, 

120KG 

PHILIP VAN DER WALT 

GEORGE WACOKECOKE 

WILL WELCH 

MARK WILSON 

BACK-ROW 

CENTRE/WING 

BACK ROW 

BACK ROW 

14/7/89 

193CM, 110KG 

23/10/95 

180CM, 92KG 

ENGLAND 

STUDENTS 

3/4/90 

192CM, 

108KG 

ENGLAND 

U20 

6/10/89 

191CM, 112KG 

ENGLAND 

MAX WRIGHT 

MICHAEL YOUNG 

CENTRE 

SCRUM-HALF 

To sponsor a player email 

corporatesales@newcastle-falcons.co.uk 

26 

24/5/97 

188CM, 100KG 

ENGLAND U20 

31/12/88 

176CM, 83KG 

ENGLAND A

UAD 

DEAN RICHARDS 

DAVE WALDER 

MICKY WARD 

NICK EASTER 

DIRECTOR OF RUGBY 

HEAD COACH 

FORWARDS COACH 

DEFENCE COACH 

SCOTT MACLEOD 

MARK LAYCOCK 

TOBY FLOOD 

JOHN STOKOE 

LINE-OUT COACH 

SKILLS COACH 

KICKING & SKILLS COACH 

TEAM MANAGER 

KEVIN MCSHANE 

LEWIS WILLIAMS 

TIM PAYNE 

STEVEN BREMNER 

HEAD OF ATHLETIC 

PERFORMANCE 

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING 

COACH 

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING 

COACH 

HEAD PERFORMANCE 

ANALYST 

MATT HODKINSON 

RHYS GRIFFITHS 

ANDY SHEA 

DERMOT AUSTIN 

PERFORMANCE ANALYST 

HEAD PHYSIO 

PHYSIO 

PHYSIO 

TOBY TREMLETT 

RACHEL SCURFIELD 

ALAN BASKERVILLE 

PHYSIO 

LEAD DOCTOR 

KIT MANAGER 

27

JAMES BLACKETT 

SCRUM-HALF 

SENIOR ACADEM 

PHIL BRANTINGHAM 

PROP 

CONRAD CADE 

PROP 

OSCAR CAUDLE 

PROP 

22/10/01 

175CM, 79KG 

ENGLAND U18 

2/10/01 

183CM, 

116KG 

ENGLAND 

U20 

27/1/97 

183CM, 107KG 

ENGLAND 

STUDENTS 

14/10/00 

189CM, 

130KG 

MATT DEEHAN 

LOCK/BACK ROW 

MARK DORMER 

PROP 

OLLIE FLETCHER 

HOOKER 

EWAN GREENLAW 

CENTRE 

4/10/02 

190CM, 102KG 

ENGLAND 

U20 

16/9/02 

185CM, 

104KG 

ENGLAND 

U18 

9/9/02 

183CM, 

103KG 

ENGLAND 

U18 

14/3/03 

177CM, 98KG 

ENGLAND 

U18 

WILL HAYDON-WOOD 

FLY-HALF 

LOUIE JOHNSON 

FLY-HALF 

ZACH KERR 

WING 

FREDDIE LOCKWOOD 

BACK ROW/LOCK 

27/10/00 

178CM, 85KG 

ENGLAND 

U20 

13/6/03 

185CM, 89KG 

ENGLAND 

U18 

13/12/99 

180CM, 95KG 

31/12/00 

188CM, 

113KG 

ENGLAND 

U19 

CHIDERA OBONNA 

WING/CENTRE 

MORGAN PASSMAN 

WING 

GUY PEPPER 

BACK ROW 

IWAN STEPHENS 


28 

18/10/00 

185CM, 90KG 

ENGLAND 

U17 

30/9/99 

183CM, 102KG 

ENGLAND 

U18 

JOAN MILNE 

15/4/03 

190CM, 99KG 

ENGLAND 

U18 

24/3/02 

170CM, 80KG

MY SQUAD 

MARCUS TIFFEN 

BACK ROW 

MATTHEW WARD 

WING 

3/9/02 

184CM, 93KG 

30/9/01 

183CM, 92KG 

ENGLAND 

U20 

JOAN MILNE 

MARK LAYCOCK JAMES PONTON PJ BUTLER 

JACK HAYES 

ACADEMY MANAGER ACADEMY HEAD COACH ACADEMY COACH 

ACADEMY PERFORMANCE 

ANALYST 

MICHAEL FERGUSON 

SHAUN MCLAREN 

FRAZER BELL 

CAIN WILKINSON 

ACADEMY HEAD STRENGTH & 

CONDITIONING COACH 

ACADEMY STRENGTH & 

CONDITIONING COACH 

LEAD ACADEMY PHYSIO 

ACADEMY PHYSIO 

ROZ LYALL 

ACADEMY & MEDICAL 

ADMINISTRATOR 

To sponsor a player email 

corporatesales@newcastle-falcons.co.uk 

29

YOU R 

YOU R 

GET 

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TOGET H SQUA D 

OF 

SPONSOR PROUD 

30 

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32 

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37

ALL OUR YESTERDAYS 

Kingsley Hyland continues his series of articles examining 

the history of games played by the club in the 

corresponding week, throughout the years. 

. 

40 YEARS AGO – JANUARY 9, 1982 

Feidlim McLoughlin 

pitch nearest the clubhouse, should Northern’s pitch prove 

unplayable. Gosforth’s plan came to nothing when the 

groundsman’s tractor steadfastly refused to leave its shed! 

Northern fared little better in their attempts to get the match 

on when removal of snow from the lines revealed a hard frost 

underneath, which no-one seemed to have checked 

beforehand. In a further blow to an anticipated substantial bar 

take the Baa-Baas match also fell victim to the weather, 

bringing an anti-climactic end to the Australian tour. In the 

event, the cold snap returned with a temperature of minus 

26c recorded overnight in Newport, Shropshire the following 

day. 

Gosforth did eventually get to play their cup-tie at Bedford, 

winning 14-3. They went on to beat London Scottish before 

falling victim yet again to Leicester in the quarter final at 

Welford Road. 

With no rugby to describe, the sporting press still had column 

inches to fill. The Journal reported on Feidlim MacLoughlin’s 

selection to play opposite his brother in the Irish international 

trial. Feidlim’s brother Ray was already an Irish rugby legend. 

He won a total of 40 caps, and captained the side on seven 

occasions. He had captained both Gosforth and 

Northumberland whilst a post-graduate student at Newcastle 

University in the mid-1960s. 

Ray McLoughlin 

Whilst sporting fixtures regularly fall victim to covid 

outbreaks, cancellations due to inclement weather are now 

something of a rarity. That was not the case in the severe 

winter of 1981-82, dubbed ‘The Big Snow’ by the press. 

December 1981 had been up to that point the coldest that 

century in the United Kingdom, and this had played havoc 

with the rugby fixture list in the North East. By the time that 

Gosforth’s scheduled fixture at Glasgow Academicals was 

called off, four weekends had passed without any rugby in 

the area, and that would soon become five. 

January was a critical time for the senior clubs, who would 

enter the John Player Cup at the third-round stage. Gosforth 

had been drawn away to Bedford, and were desperate for 

match practice. Northern, for their part, had missed out on a 

big crowd for the Boxing Day ‘derby’, and after their 

scheduled fixture at West of Scotland had been called off 

they agreed to host Gosforth at McCracken Park on January 

9 with a 12.30pm kick-off to enable players and spectators to 

watch the conclusion of the Australian tour, with the 

showpiece match against the Barbarians at Cardiff. 

Volunteers were asked to attend at 11.30am with shovels to 

clear the lines, with the intention that the game would go 

ahead on a bed of soft snow. As a back-up plan Gosforth 

had requested volunteers at an earlier hour to help clear the 

It was whilst Ray was still in Newcastle that Feidlim came to 

visit to say goodbye en-route to starting a new job in South 

Africa. The developing apartheid situation in South Africa 

put paid to the job, and so Feidlim stayed. He initially played 

alongside his brother for Gosforth before crossing the great 

divide and joining Northern, where he would later become 

captain and president. He spent ten years travelling back to 

Ireland to play for his province, Connacht, as playing 

provincial rugby was a pre-requisite for international 

selection. 

38 

@FalconsRugby

Feidlim proudly records that in those ten years 

Connacht did not win a single match! 

He did eventually win a cap, representing his country 

against Australia in 1976. After retiring from playing he 

served the Irish Exiles for many years, eventually 

becoming president, and in so doing unearthed eligible 

Irish internationals such as Gosforth’s scouse import, 

Simon Mason. 

30 YEARS AGO – JANUARY, 1992 

The 1991-92 season, the second at Kingston Park, was 

a record-breaking one for Newcastle Gosforth, although 

they had nothing to show for it in terms of honours. 

Of 43 matches played, 35 were won, with just eight 

defeats. The team scored 1,368 points and conceded 

just 368. They scored 227 tries in total, 68 of them from 

the back row trio of Peter Walton (25 tries in 25 

matches), Graham Clark (24 in 33) and Richard Arnold 

(19 in 30). 

Fly-half David Johnson kicked 123 conversions, 58 

penalties and seven drop-goals, which, along with his 

solitary try, gave him a personal points tally of 445 

points. Sadly, of those eight defeats, five came in the 

11-match league season, and whilst promotion 

remained a mathematical possibility until the last three 

games, there was never a realistic prospect of the team 

achieving their three-year target a year early. 

Not surprisingly given those statistics the season saw 

several purple patches, most notably around the turn of 

the year between Boxing Day and mid-January. Two 

days after the 54-6 Boxing Day win at Northern, 

Middlesbrough were beaten 56-3 at Kingston Park. A 

weakened side was fielded on New Year’s Day for the 

traditional fixture with Novos at Sutherland Park, but it 

was good enough to secure a 25-9 victory. 

Things improved even further in the early days of 

January with home victories over Fylde (50-6), Morley 

(60-12) and Hawick (68-9). The league victory over 

Morley was noteworthy in that when the same sides had 

met in the cup at Kingston Park earlier in the season, 

Richard Arnold 

Toby Flood 

Newcastle had scraped through by a single point (10-9). 

The team topped 50 points on nine occasions that 

season, the biggest victory coming in the 

76-4 annihilation of Liverpool St Helens at Kingston 

Park in March. To put these scoring feats in 

perspective, this was the final season in which just 

four points were awarded for a try. 


NEWCASTLE FALCONS 31-29 LEICESTER TIGERS 

The Falcons were required to come from behind and 

overturn a 13-26 deficit to defeat league leaders 

Leicester in dramatic fashion at Kingston Park. 

In a match in which the two starting fly-halves took 

centre stage, there was little in the first half to hint at the 

dramas which were to come. 

With Jonny Wilkinson sidelined with injury once again, 

21-year-Toby Flood wore the Falcons’ number 10 shirt. 

Capped twice by England off the bench the previous 

autumn, Flood had been selected by Brian Ashton in his 

first England squad. Left out of that squad was Tigers’ 

fly-half Andy Goode, but it was Goode who was the 

more prominent in an uninspiring first half. 

He kicked penalties after 19 and 35 minutes, but 

sandwiched between these two scores he went over for 

a try after 27 minutes, and his successful conversion 

gave the visitors a 13-0 lead. Flood’s first successful 

penalty attempted narrowed the gap to 3-13, and it was 

6-16 at half-time as the two fly-halves swapped 

penalties in first-half injury time. 


The game really came to life in the 50th minute when, 

with Tigers lock Jim Hamilton in the sin-bin, Flood 

stepped off his right foot to score under the posts, whilst 

his conversion made it a three point game at 13-16. 

Goode extended this to 13-19 with a 55th minute 

penalty, and with Falcons flanker Ben Woods now in the 

sin-bin, what appeared would be the crucial score came 

on 59 minutes when Tigers wing Leon Lloyd went over 

from close range, Goode converting for 13-26. 

The Falcons responded strongly and wing John Rudd 

went over for tries twice inside ten minutes, the first of 

which was converted by Flood. This made it a one-point 

game at 25-26, and when Flood kicked his third penalty 

in the last minute of normal time the Falcons led for the 

first time at 28-26. 

The lead lasted less than four minutes as Sam Vesty, 

who had taken over kicking duties after Goode went off 

with a hamstring injury, kicked a penalty to make it 

28-29. 

39

With five minutes of injury time already added the Tigers 

were penalised at a maul approximately 45 metres out, 

and five metres in from the right hand touchline. Sporting 

brand new boots and with a swirling wind, this was a kick 

which might not normally have been attempted, but Flood 

had no hesitation in pointing to the posts. 

His successful kick sealed a memorable victory. 

The teams that day were: 

Newcastle Falcons: A.Elliott (rep.L.Crichton, 63); 

T.May; M.Tait; M.Mayerhofler; J.Rudd; T.Flood; 

J.Grindal (rep.L.Dickson, 63); J.McDonnell; 

M.Thompson; M.Ward; M.Sorensen; J.Oakes; 

G.Parling (rep.B.Wilson, 72); B.Woods; R.Winter. 

Leicester Tigers: J.Murphy (rep.A.Tuilagi, 72); L.Lloyd; 

O.Smith; S.Vesty; S.Rabeni (rep. D.Gibson, 50); 

A.Goode (rep. S.Bemand, 75); H.Ellis; A.Moreno 

(rep.J.White, 50); G.Chuter; M.Castrogiovanni; 

L.Cullen; J.Hamilton (rep.B.Kay, 58); B.Deacon 

(rep.S.Jennings, 72); L.Moody; M.Corry. 

The Falcons finished that season a commendable eighth 

in table. Leicester finished level on points with Gloucester 

at the top, but had to settle for second place by virtue of 

having won fewer games than the Cherry and Whites. 

This counted for little as Leicester were crowned 

champions yet again when they hammered Gloucester 

44-16 in the Premiership final in May. 


NEWCASTLE FALCONS 24-22 

Fast forward ten years and it again required late drama 

as the Falcons once again came from behind to beat Bath 

at Kingston Park to get the new year off to a winning start. 

The Falcons were quickly out of the blocks with Niki 

Goneva crossing for a third-minute try, converted by Joel 

Hodgson. That looked to be it so far as the first-half scoring 

was concerned, until George Ford kicked a penalty in the 

final minute of the half after two earlier misses. 

Bath dominated the third quarter and looked to have put the 

match beyond the Falcons as they opened up a 22-10 lead. 

Ford went over for a try four minutes into the half and 

converted his own score to give the visitors the lead at 7-10. 

Less than ten minutes later Semesa Rokoduguni went over 

for the first of two tries, Ford again converting for 7-17. 

A Hodgson penalty in the 61st minute gave the Falcons a 

foothold in the game, but this was snuffed out immediately 

by Rokoduguni’s second. The fast-improving Falcons were 

not to be denied, however, as they dominated the closing 

stages. 

They were back in the game eight minutes from time when 

Mark Wilson went over from close range, Hodgson 

converting for 17-22. With less than three minutes 

remaining replacement prop Ben Harris scored to level the 

match, leaving Hodson to kick a nerveless conversion to 

secure the four points. 

The teams that day were: 

Newcastle Falcons: A.Tait; H.Agulla; D.Waldouck; JP 

Socino; N.Goneva; J.Hodgson; T.Takulua (rep. M.Young, 

64); R.Vickers (rep. B.Harris, 70); S.Lawson (rep. 

M.Sowery, 64); J.Welsh (rep. P.Ryan), 64); C.Green; 

E.Olmstead (rep. W.Witty, 64); M.Wilson; W.Welch; 

O.Fonua (rep. S.Robinson, 45). 

Bath: A.Watson; S.Rokoduguni; J.Joseph; B.Tapuai (rep. 

R.Fruean, 55); A.Brew; G.Ford; D.Allinson (rep. C.Cook, 

61); N.Catt (rep. B.Obano, 64); T.Dunn; M.Lahiff (rep. 

S.Knight, 70); E.Stooke; L.Chateris; T.Ellis (rep. M.Garvey, 

9); F.Louw (rep. P.Grant, 70); Z.Mercer. 

Vereniki Goneva 

40 

@FalconsRugby

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41

FIXTURES AND RESULTS 

KEY: GP = Gallagher Premiership, ECC = European Challenge Cup, 

PRC = Premiership Rugby Cup, F= Friendly. 

(HOME GAMES IN CAPITALS) 

F: Fri Sep 3 v Glasgow Warriors (won 7-12) 

F: SAT SEP 4 V DONCASTER KNIGHTS (won 33-29) 

F: Sat Sep 11 v Edinburgh (won 10-26) 

GP: SUN SEP 19 V HARLEQUINS (lost 20-26) 

GP: Sat Sep 25 v Bath Rugby (won 13-20) 

GP: SAT OCT 2 V WASPS (won 18-14) 

GP: Sat Oct 9 v Saracens (lost 37-23) 

GP: SAT OCT 16 V BRISTOL BEARS (won 13-5) 

GP: Sat Oct 23 v Gloucester Rugby (lost 29-20) 

GP: Sat Nov 6 v Exeter Chiefs (won 14-15) 

PRC: SAT NOV 13 V WASPS (won 34-27) 

PRC: Fri Nov 19 v Sale Sharks (lost 25-20) 

GP: FRI NOV 26 V WORCESTER WARRIORS (drew 

24-24) 

GP: Sat Dec 4 v London Irish (lost 43-21) 

ECC: FRI DEC 10 V WORCESTER WARRIORS (won 

31-26) 

GP: SUN DEC 26 V SALE SHARKS (Cancelled) 

GP: Sun Dec Jan 2 v Leicester Tigers (lost 31-0) 

GP: SAT JAN 8 V NORTHAMPTON SAINTS (3PM) 

ECC: Fri Jan 14 v Biarritz (8PM UK time) 

ECC: Sat Jan 22 v Toulon (8PM UK time) 

GP: SAT JAN 28 V GLOUCESTER RUGBY (3PM) 

GP: Sat Feb 5 v Bristol Bears (2pm) 

GP: SUN FEB 20 V EXETER CHIEFS (3PM) 

GP: SAT FEB 26 V BATH RUGBY (3PM) 

GP: Fri Mar 4 v Harlequins (7.45pm) 

GP: SAT MAR 12 V SARACENS (3pm) 

PRC: MAR 18/19/20 V LEICESTER TIGERS 

PRC: Mar 29/30 v Northampton Saints 

GP: Mar 25/26/27 v Wasps 

GP: Apr 1/2/3 v Worcester Warriors 

ECC: APR 8/9/10 V ZEBRE 

GP: APR 22/23/24 V LONDON IRISH 

PRC: Apr 26/27 Semi-finals 

GP: Apr 29/30/May 1 v Sale Sharks 

ECC: May 6/7/8 Quarter-final 

ECC: May 13/14/15 Semi-final 

PRC: May 17/18 Final 

ECC: Fri May 27 Final (Marseille) 

GP: MAY 20/21/22 V LEICESTER TIGERS 

GP: Sat June 4 v Northampton Saints 

GP: Sat June 11 Semi-final 

GP: Sat June 18 Final 

TICKETS: Call 0871 226 6060 or visit 



49

An unmissable 

line up on BT Sport 

43

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 

Back-row forward Lewis Ludlam 

Northampton Saints 

came into this 

weekend placed sixth 

in the Gallagher 

Premiership table, 

following Sunday’s 30-6 home 

loss to Saracens. 

The Franklin’s Gardens side were 

defeated 18-10 on their last visit to 

Kingston Park Stadium back in May 

2021, when tries from Adam 

Radwan and Chidera Obonna 

brought a home victory for the 

Falcons. 

Coming into the 2021-22 campaign 

with a largely stable squad, the 

Saints are in their fourth season 

with Kiwi Chris Boyd in charge. 

Summer departures included props 

Francois van Wyk (Leicester Tigers) 

and Owen Franks (Hurricanes), 

while versatile back Harry Mallinder 

departed the club at which his father 

Jim had previously been director of 

rugby. 

Fiji scrum-half Frank Lomani signed 

up from Melbourne Rebels, with 

pace out wide added by the arrival 

of Springbok wing Courtnall Skosan 

from the Lions. 

Fellow South African Juarno 

Augustus brought added go-forward 

from the base of the scrum, with 

Northampton’s squad remaining 

otherwise in tact from the one which 

had ended the 2020-21 season in 

fifth place. 

44 

Ex-Newcastle captain Phil Dowson is 

among the familiar faces in the 

travelling ranks, with the former 

England back-rower serving as Saints’ 

forwards coach following his arrival 

from Worcester at the end of his 

playing days. 

Links between the current Saints 

squad and the Falcons are few and far 

between, although both clubs have 

claimed the notable scalp of winning 

away at Exeter Chiefs this season. 

After beating Bedford and Ospreys in 

pre-season action, Northampton got 

their Gallagher Premiership campaign 

off to a winning start, earning a bonus 

point from their 34-20 home triumph 

over Gloucester. 

England cap George Furbank was 

among their try-scorers, the versatile 

back part of an international contingent 

which includes England and Lions 

back-five forward Courtney Lawes, 

Wales fly-half Dan Biggar, Fiji lock Api 

Ratuniyarawa and countryman Sam 

Matavesi, to name just a few. 

Round two of the Premiership season 

brought a 26-24 victory at Exeter’s 

Sandy Park thanks to a late penalty 

from Furbank – scrum-half Alex 

Mitchell and Kiwi centre Matt Proctor 

having crossed the try-line. 

They went three from three in a flying 

start to the season thanks to a 23-21 

home victory over London Irish, 

surviving a nervy late TMO call after 

earlier tries from Proctor and Tom 

Collins. 

@FalconsRugby 

Their first defeat of the campaign finally 

arrived in Coventry on October 10, 

when a late try from replacement 

hooker James Fish at least rescued a 

losing bonus point in their 26-20 loss to 

Wasps. 

The recovery process did not take long 

as they rebounded in style with a 66-10 

thumping of Worcester Warriors, 

although the East Midlands derby 

proved a trickier proposition when 

league leaders Leicester Tigers claimed 

a 55-26 away victory. 

It looked like a mid-season wobble was 

on the cards when they then lost 30-6 

away to Sale Sharks on November 6, 

the break for Premiership Rugby Cup 

action seeing another pair of defeats at 

home to London Irish (26-36) and away 

to Harlequins (26-25). 

The return to Premiership duty brought 

a turnaround in fortunes, however, the 

Saints earning a 36-20 win away to 

Bristol Bears on November 26 thanks to 

two tries from Tommy Freeman and one 

each for Furbank and Paul Hill. 

A 40-19 home win over Bath got 

December up and running as South 

African pair Skosan and Augustus 

helped themselves to two tries apiece, 

with the Heineken Champions Cup 

window seeing a home loss to a starstudded 

Racing side (14-45) before 

defeat at Ulster (27-22). 

Northampton ended the calendar year 

with a defeat as they fell 41-27 at 

champions Harlequins, prior to last 

Sunday’s 30-6 home loss to Saracens.

the boss 

New Zealander Chris Boyd joined the 

Saints in the summer of 2018 having spent 

the previous three years with the 

Hurricanes, with whom he won the 2016 

Super Rugby title. 

Originally coaching home province 

Wellington Lions in New Zealand's 

National Provincial Championship, Boyd 

was also an assistant coach at South 

African Super Rugby side, the Sharks, and 

has coached New Zealand's national 

Under-20s team. 

THE MAIN man 

DAN BIGGAR 

The vastly-experienced Welsh flyhalf 

boasts 96 international caps to 

his name, three of which came for 

the British and Irish Lions during 

last year's tour. 

Even at the age of 32 Biggar is still 

pulling the strings for club and 

country, having starred for the 

Ospreys before joining 

Northampton Saints in the summer 

of 2018. Since then he has gone on 

to play 56 games for the Saints, 

scoring almost 500 points. 

CHRIS 

BOYD 


IN OPPOSITION 

45

46 

@FalconsRugby

PLAYER STATS 

Name 

Falcons 

career 

apps 

Falcons 

career 

points 

Falcons 

career 

tries 

Season 

2021-22 

apps 

Season 


points 

Season 


tries 

Name 

Falcons 

career 

apps 

Falcons 

career 

points 

Falcons 

career 

tries 

Season 


apps 

Season 


points 

Season 


tries 

Josh Basham 8 10 2 4 5 1 

James Blackett 1 0 0 1 0 0 

Jamie Blamire 52 50 10 7 0 0 

Phil Brantingham 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Adam Brocklebank 60 0 0 10 0 0 

Mike Brown 8 10 2 8 10 2 

Luther Burrell 17 0 0 4 0 0 

Conrad Cade 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Mateo Carreras 8 0 0 3 0 0 

Oscar Caudle 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Callum Chick 94 80 16 9 15 3 

Connor Collett 14 0 0 4 0 0 

Brett Connon 58 238 1 9 38 0 

Kyle Cooper 79 60 12 12 5 1 

Matthew Dalton 1 0 0 1 0 0 

Trevor Davison 79 10 2 8 0 0 

Matt Deehan 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Mark Dormer 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Nathan Earle 5 5 1 5 5 1 

Rob Farrar 9 5 1 3 0 0 

Pete Lucock 19 0 0 8 0 0 

Charlie Maddison 13 0 0 1 0 0 

Tom Marshall 5 0 0 1 0 0 

George McGuigan 139 145 29 11 30 6 

George Merrick 1 0 0 1 0 0 

Will Montgomery 11 5 1 5 5 1 

Logovi'i Mulipola 57 15 3 8 0 0 

Cameron Nordli- 

Kelemeti 

14 5 1 10 5 1 

Chidera Obonna 5 5 1 0 0 0 

Matias Orlando 13 5 1 1 0 0 

Richard Palframan 3 0 0 3 0 0 

Morgan Passman 1 0 0 0 0 0 

Tom Penny 63 40 8 9 0 0 

Guy Pepper 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Greg Peterson 42 10 2 10 0 0 

Adam Radwan 55 200 40 9 20 4 

Sean Robinson 112 50 12 8 5 1 

Louis Schreuder 30 10 2 8 5 1 

Robbie Smith 6 0 0 5 0 0 

Iwan Stephens 3 15 3 3 15 3 

Carl Fearns 14 5 1 9 5 1 

Ben Stevenson 44 75 15 8 

15 

3 

Ollie Fletcher 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Marco Fuser 17 10 2 5 0 0 

Gary Graham 79 80 16 9 5 1 

Ewan Greenlaw 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Will Haydon-Wood 10 32 1 8 32 1 

Joel Hodgson 154 538 14 6 18 0 

Louie Johnson 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Conor Kenny 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Zach Kerr 4 0 0 2 0 0 

Ollie Lindsay-Hague 1 5 1 1 5 1 

Sam Stuart 58 25 5 1 0 0 

Alex Tait 255 185 37 2 10 2 

Mark Tampin 38 0 0 8 0 0 

Marcus Tiffen 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Philip van der Walt 30 10 2 8 0 0 

George Wacokecoke 44 65 13 9 0 0 

Matthew Ward 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Will Welch 262 90 18 10 0 0 

Mark Wilson 236 210 42 0 0 0 

Max Wright 5 5 1 5 5 1 

Freddie Lockwood 1 0 0 0 0 0 

NEXT HOME GAME 

V GLOUCESTER RUGBY 

SATURDAY JANUARY 29 

KICK-OFF 3PM 

GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP 

TICKETS 0871 226 6060 


Michael Young 181 100 20 0 0 0 

47

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE ON ALL THINGS RUGBY WITH OUR 

TEN-QUESTION TEASER. ANSWERS ARE UPSIDE-DOWN AT THE 

BOTTOM OF THE PAGE. 

Q1 WHICH NEWCASTLE FALCONS PLAYER SCORED TRIES AGAINST FRANCE AND IRELAND 

DURING THE 2021 NOVEMBER INTERNATIONALS? 

Q2 WHICH NORTHAMPTON SAINTS PLAYER IS PICTURED HERE? 

Q3 NAME ENGLAND’S STARTING FRONT ROW FROM THE 2003 RUGBY 

WORLD CUP FINAL? 

Q4 AFTER TODAY’S MATCH, AGAINST WHOM IS NEWCASTLE FALCONS’ 

NEXT GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP GAME? 

Q5 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS DIRECTOR OF RUGBY CHRIS BOYD IS FROM 

WHICH COUNTRY? 

Q6 TRUE OR FALSE, NEWCASTLE FALCONS DIRECTOR OF RUGBY DEAN RICHARDS HAS 

APPEARED ON BBC TV’S ‘GENERATION GAME’? 

Q7 PADDY JACKSON, ADAM COLEMAN AND AGUSTIN CREEVY ALL PLAY FOR WHICH 

GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP CLUB? 

Q8 WHICH NEWCASTLE FALCONS PLAYER IS PICTURED HERE? 

Q9 WHO SCORED THEIR FIRST NEWCASTLE FALCONS TRY LAST MAY IN THE 18-10 HOME 

WIN OVER NORTHAMPTON SAINTS? 

Q10 WHICH CURRENT NEWCASTLE FALCONS FLY-HALF IS A FORMER NORTHAMPTON 

SAINTS PLAYER? 

1 MATEO CARRERAS, 2 COURTNEY LAWES, 3 TREVOR WOODMAN, STEVE THOMPSON AND PHIL 

VICKERY, 4 GLOUCESTER, 5 NEW ZEALAND, 6 TRUE, 7 LONDON IRISH, 8 CARL FEARNS, 9 CHIDERA 

OBONNA, 10 JOEL HODGSON.

9pm

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PRESENCE. 

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and risk management companies in the 

world, we are committed to our local 

communities—just ask the businesses 

and organisations supported by our 

Newcastle team. No matter your size, 

sector or game plan, we are on your side. 

Get in touch: 

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T: 01914 797 672 

Find out how our local 

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business at ajg.com/uk 

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49

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Northampton Saints programme - 2021

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