Quins v Falcons

Quins team is up. Good to see Care starting, i'll enjoy the struggle for the 9 shirt between him and Dixon. Sadly Dixon is out till the new year with a finger injury now. Otherwise bar rotation in the hookers the side is unchanged.

15. Mike Brown
14. Seb Stegmann
13. Matt Hopper
12. Jordan Turner-Hall
11. Sam Smith
10. Nick Evans
9. Danny Care

1. Joe Marler
2. Chris Brooker
3. James Johnston
4. Tomas Vallejos
5. George Robson
6. Maurie Fa'asavalu
7. Chris Robshaw (C)
8. Nick Easter

Replacements

16. Joe Gray
17. Nic Mayhew
18. Tim Fairbrother
19. Charlie Matthews
20. Luke Wallace
21. Richard Bolt
22. Rory Clegg
23. Tom Casson

Falcons Team:

1 Ashley Wells
2 Michael Mayhew
3 James Hall
4 James Hudson (C)
5 Andrew van der Heijden
6 Tim Swinson
7 Ally Hogg
8 Taiasina Tu'ifua

9 Chris Pilgrim
10 Jimmy Gopperth
11 Suka Hufanga
12 James Fitzpatrick
13 Jamie Helleur
14 Alex Tait
15 Jeremy Manning

Reps:
16 Joe Graham
17 Grant Shiells
18 Dan Frazier
19 Adriaan Fondse
20 Will Welch
21 Jordi Pasqualin
22 Rikki Sheriffe
23 Greg Goosen

That's a good team there Geordie.

I do wish Quins were resting a few of the key players for this one. I had hoped to see Clegg, Casson and Wallace start with Evans, Brown and robshaw on the bench just to get some variety and rest time in there.

Its not bad Yappy....but im still concerned with Gopperths over use of his flamin boot!

Hopefully with big lumps like T'ui'fua and Fitzpatrick getting some speed up on the crash ball...and using some of the ability out wide we actually might give you a game.....

But ill not hold my breath....

yappy, that is a really good point about resting players. Clearly you can't take Newcastle lightly, but the odd change shoouldn't harm your chances. In the seasons when Glaws started like lightening, we made minimal changes and by the end of the season we're burnt out. I hope this doesn't happen to you, but a bit of rotation is needed, especially with back to back games against Toulouse around the corner!

Exactly. If we really are serious about challenging for top spot then home games to teams like Falcons (sorry) really should see some key players rested.

Ouch Yappy....that got me where it hurts.....

Sorry Geordie! I didn't mean to kick you in the nuts

Its true all the same

Sadly I dont think we can underestimate any team in the Aviva. We've seen Quins take it easy against Falcons before and they have been burned. - LV cup semi last year.

Shudder. Truly a terrible night.

Increasingly strong Newcastle side and (squad), but Worcester won a game they probably didn't expect to yesterday - I reckon relegation could be a tight affair this season, what with Newcastle's new owner apparently prepared to keep spending to keep them up.

Steggman and Smith seem to have established themselves, and I think Quins look the more dangerous for it. It will be intersting to see how Hooper does.

Is this on tv anywhere?

Tait has to go. We've never looked like improving and to stand any chance of staying up we need a coach who understands how to motivate a team.

Humped again its utterly pathetic....

I agree Pooly...get rid of him NOW....though i think we're down already

Pleased with that result, although i would have liked us to try to get that playing a few more second teamers. Robshaw didn't make the match day 23 in the end due to an ankle niggle, which could be a blessed rest for him. And golden boy Luke Wallace came in and played well anyhows.

So away to Wycombe next week and I guess we'll have to play our first choice side if we want a win. When do we rest those senior players?

13 from 13 and 9 points clear of Saracens, a good weeekends work.

Geordie I agree you boys need a better coach. If you could just get someone in charge who could keep your players there for a few seasons you'd go far.

Maybe a season in the Champ, get some good wins and bond and try to tie some players in to longer contracts and hopefully you'll come back firing.

Ah possibly Yappy....

Its just frustrating. The physicality was there....even Easter said it was a very physical game...its just the other aspects...

Get rid of Tait, and get rid of Gopperth!

Problem is which coach would take us on.....?

Martin Johnson?

Brian Smith?
I wonder if Eddie O'Sullivan would want to go to Falcons - I would rather that than the RFU. He would make a blinding club coach.

Deano - if he isnt given a shout at the national side.

Aw i would take Deano in a second!

But cant see him wanting to come to us....a small side with a poor attendance record...

The writing is more than on the wall. Falcons are 9 points adrift at the bottom of the table, more than two wins behind, and we've still got to travel to Worcester. I just can't see where those two wins would come from atm, even if they do, we'd be relying on Worcester getting nothing for the rest of the season...

Get rid of Tait and some of rubbish he's brought in! Get some gnarly old Bar Steward players in the pack and supplement them with some of the vibrant young players Newcastle have around the squad.

Would Euan Murray stay? If he has ambitions to be in the Scotland squad, I’d suggest not.


Props: Jon Golding, Euan Murray, Dan Fraizer, James Hall, Darren Fearns & Grant Shiels

Hooker: Matt Thompson, Rob Vickers and Michael Mayhew

Locks: James Hudson, Tim Swinson, Andrew Van Heijden and Josh Beaumont (plus another)

Flankers: Will Welch, Mark Wilson, Joe Robinson, Redford Pennycook (A number of new faces need to be brought in including a genuine open-side).

No 8: Ally Hogg, Richard Mayhew

SH: Jordi Pasqualin, Will Chudley and a player good enough to come in and be first choice.

FH: Jeremy Manning, Joel Hogdson, Tom Catterick (Covering full back too)

Centre: Jamie Helleur, Luke Eves, James Fitzpatrick and Corne Uys (Still not sure on him though) - Plus another.

Wing: Luke Fielden, Ryan Shortland, Alex Tait (covering full back too) Plus another...

Fullback: Greg Goosen, plus another.

Cut: Joe Graham, George McGuigan, Ashley Wells (Useless), Richard Boyle (has he even played?), Glen Townson, Michael Tait, Rikki Sheriffe, Jimmy Gopperth (Lets have a fly half who actually knows how to pass! Chris Pilgrim,

Players like Adriaan Fondse, Taiasina Tuifua and Suka Hufanga I’ve not seen yet.

If it was me, I’d be looking to try and get some immediate fixes AND also some longer term options. In the short term I’d try and convince some of the older players that they'd like a year in the Championship before they retire: Jamie Noon, Dean Schofield, Pat Barnard, Chris Chesney and Tom May. These guys have experience and could guide the youngsters through.

Brian Ashton is director over at Fylde at the moment, perhaps he'd like a consultation role up at Falcons?

Mike Brown notches up another MoM performance - I was sitting near ground level on the half way line and Brown was shifting so fast that I first thought it was one of our wingers!
I've been a real Mike Brown skeptic over the last few seasons - but this year I've done a 180 - he's still not an international IMO but if he keeps improving like he has been, making breaks and scoring trys then he could be one for the future - definately a Saxons cap coming this year surely.

He would finght for that saxons cap with Olly Morgan and Abendanon (all Saxon regulars).

I wasn't sure about Brown a couple of season ago as well, but he's definitely won me over. Without doubt the best FB after Foden.

He played in every Saxons match this year and started the majority of them.

I would say that Brown is better that Foden in some regards, ie kicking and consistency. Foden has two big pluses though; his linking with Ashton and like we saw against Saracens when he's at top form he is brilliant.

Brown also has the uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time.

They're both pretty close and it's a big gap to any other fb below them.