Newcastle Falcons vs Sale Sharks Programme

NEWCASTLE FALCONS V SALE SHARKS - FRI DEC 23RD, 2022

STELRAD 

HELPING 

TO HEAT 

HOMES 

SUSTAINABLY 

FALCONS VS SALE LINE-UPS 

ELLIOTT OBATOYINBO 15 

ADAM RADWAN 14 

MATIAS MORONI 13 

TOM PENNY 12 

MATEO CARRERAS 11 

BRETT CONNON 10 

MICHAEL YOUNG (CAPTAIN) 9 

ADAM BROCKLEBANK 1 

JAMIE BLAMIRE 2 

TREVOR DAVISON 3 

GREG PETERSON 4 

SEBASTIAN DE CHAVES 5 

GARY GRAHAM 6 

CALLUM CHICK 7 

CARL FEARNS 8 

REPLACEMENTS 

OLLIE FLETCHER 16 

LOGOVI’I MULIPOLA 17 

RICHARD PALFRAMAN 18 

MATTHEW DALTON 19 

TOM MARSHALL 20 

SAM STUART 21 

TIAN SCHOEMAN 22 

ZACH KERR 23 

15 LUKE JAMES 

14 ARRON REED 

13 RYAN MILLS 

12 SAM HILL 

11 TOM O’FLAHERTY 

10 ROBERT DU PREEZ 

9 GUS WARR 

1 BEVAN RODD 

2 EWAN ASHMAN 

3 NIC SCHONERT 

4 COBUS WIESE 

5 JONNY HILL 

6 JONO ROSS 

7 BEN CURRY (CAPTAIN) 

8 DANIEL DU PREEZ 

REPLACEMENTS 

16 AKKER VAN DER MERWE 

17 ROSS HARRISON 

18 JOE JONES 

19 JOSH BEAUMONT 

20 JEAN-LUC DU PREEZ 

21 JOE SIMPSON 

22 TOM CURTIS 

23 BYRON MCGUIGAN 

Not just any rad. Stelrad. 

Proudly supporting 

REFEREE: ADAM LEAL 

ASSISTANT REFEREES: HARRY WALBAUM, JAMIE LEAHY 

TELEVISION MATCH OFFICIAL: DEAN RICHARDS 

CITING OFFICER: ANDY BLYTH

Good evening and thank you all for coming to our final home game of the 

year as we play host to Sale Sharks. 

Following the disappointment of last season’s cancelled home game on 

Boxing Day this is a match everyone has been looking forward to, and 

it’s a great way to start the holiday weekend as friends and families 

come together around some live sport. 

I always laugh when people refer to it as a ‘derby’ because Salford 

is a three-hour drive from here on a good day, but I guess with the 

geography of the Gallagher Premiership it’s the closest thing we’ve got, 

and we enjoy the rivalry. 

As a player I always loved the games against Sale, and then more 

recently we had the St James’ Park match a few years back which was 

another great occasion. 

Our home record against them in recent years is good but they’re always 

very tough opponents – Alex Sanderson has got them firing and has 

turned them into real contenders. 

They’ve had a squad in recent seasons which has been there or 

thereabouts, but Alex with all his knowledge has helped knit it all 

together and made some tweaks which have got them functioning 

really well as a unit. 

They’ll be a tough test for us, but hopefully with a good holiday crowd 

it should be a big occasion and we can give our supporters a bit of an 

early Christmas present. 

I know you will all have shared our disappointment at last weekend’s 

game against a strong Cardiff side packed with international players, 

and everybody has been working hard here during the week to ensure 

our performance levels are considerably higher. 

The European fortnight has seen us looking at a number of our players, 

through a mixture of choice and necessity 

In the forwards we have really been down to the bare bones in a lot of 

positions and had our hand forced to an extent, whereas in some of the 

back-line positions it was a more conscious decision to give game time 

to some guys and look after one or two others with one eye on what’s 

coming over the next few weeks. 

The Premiership is relentless in nature, and over the course of a season 

all teams are going to have times when they’re battling on with a lot 

of injuries. That has certainly been the case with us, but rather than 

dwelling on that we’re all just looking forward to what we know will be a 

physical game against a top side. 

DAVE WALDER 

“AS A PLAYER I ALWAYS 

LOVED THE GAMES 

AGAINST SALE.” 

As always, your support is really important to the team, and with this 

being our last home game of the year I just want to take a moment 

to thank all of you who have got behind the club throughout 2022, in 

whatever way. 

We all appreciate there are many competing demands for your time and 

your money with everything going on at the moment, but the backing 

you continue to show towards the Falcons remains vital to everything 

we are striving to achieve as a club. 

Once again thank you for your support throughout 2022, and I hope you 

enjoy the game. 

DAVE WALDER 

Head coach 

5

CLUB NEWS 

TWO MORE YEARS FOR JAMIE 

BLAMIRE 

Jamie Blamire has signed a new deal with Newcastle Falcons which 

will keep the England hooker at Kingston Park for the next two 

seasons. 

The 24-year-old Cumbrian has scored 15 tries in his 74 appearances 

after coming through the Falcons’ academy, going on to score an 

incredible six tries in his six England caps. 

Revealing the news of his contract extension, Blamire said: “I’ve 

been with the Falcons since the age of 16, coming through the ACE 

programme and the senior academy, and it’s somewhere that means 

a lot to me. I want to stay here for longer and build on what I’ve done 

so far, and I’m really happy to have the contract all sorted.” 

Keen to continue his progression at Kingston Park, he added: “The 

way we’re attacking this season under the coaching team I really 

feel suits my style of play, and I’m enjoying being part of it. As a 

team I feel like we’re slowly building again, and we want to get back 

to challenging higher up the league. 

“We’ve also got a core of local lads – I came through the academy 

with a lot of them – and we’re a really tight group. The guys who 

have come in from outside as well have fitted in brilliantly, and it’s a 

good place to be.” 

A former rugby league player in his youth, Blamire made his firstteam 

debut for the Falcons during their away win over Bordeaux in 

2017 and scored on his first Premiership outing at Gloucester the 

following season. 

Winning a Grand Slam with England Under-20s and featuring in 

their drive to the Junior World Championship final in 2017, his rapid 

rise has continued into the full national side. The front-rower 

scored on his England test debut against the USA in July 2021 and 

claimed a hat-trick the following week against Canada, starting in 

the Twickenham triumph over world champions South Africa the 

following November. 

SUNDAY SLOT FOR IRISH 

Dates and times have been confirmed for Newcastle Falcons’ 

Gallagher Premiership games in rounds 19 and 20. 

The Falcons will host London Irish on Sunday March 5 with a 3pm 

kick-off, and will then travel to Exeter Chiefs on Saturday March 11, 

kicking off at 2.30pm at Sandy Park. 

Both games will be streamed on PRTV Live. 

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9

The victory was built on attitude and effort from the players which 

is creating a really positive buzz around the programme as Falcons 

Community continues to develop a high-quality rugby programme in 

the North East. 

Attacking player of the match was awarded to Harry Clarke, and 

defensive player of the match, Ben Rogers. 

Falcons Community’s Tyne Met Premiership squad sits on top of 

the table, and we look forward to their next clash away against 

Doncaster College. 

have gone on, with several waiting to start various work placements 

in the New Year. This will give our students fantastic hands-on 

experience, helping develop their employability skills and further 

enhance their CV. 

Some of the students have started working through references 

supplied by tutors on the programme, including the Falcons club 

shop, Newcastle Council and Subway. 

For more information about HITZ, please email david.shotton@ 

newcastle-falcons.co.uk or George.spour@newcastle-falcons.co.uk. 

For more information about the course please contact niall.johal@ 

newcastle-falcons.co.uk or drew.hayton@newcastle-falcons.co.uk. 

RECORD NUMBER OF HITZ 

PARTICIPANTS 

MONUMENTAL DAY FOR 

RUGBY EXCELLENCE 

STUDENTS 

Falcons Community Rugby Excellence Programme with Tyne Met 

College is a joint rugby and education partnership set up to provide 

girls and boys aged 16-18 with the opportunity to pursue their rugby 

ambitions, alongside their studies. 

For the first time the 2022/23 programme has a total of three squads, 

with a boys’ AoC (Association of Colleges) Premiership squad, a boys’ 

AoC North East squad and a girls’ team. 

Our students had two big performances to finish off the year, with 

results to match! 

Our programme development team were victorious against Park 

View in the AoC North East League at Chester Le-Street, whilst the 

AoC Premiership squad won against Bishop Burton. 

The rugby excellence programme development squad came out 

on top of a tough battle, and despite hard conditions, showed 

exceptional passion and played with their heart, demonstrating the 

culture Falcon’s Community are building on their programme. 

A special mention to Ethan Parmley who played his first full 

competitive game for the college, and put in an excellent performance 

after a great week of training. The player of the match was awarded 

to Alex Storey, who led from the front and physically dominated. 

Top of the AoC Premiership table clash saw the Tyne Met’s Premiership 

squad come out victorious in a highly competitive fixture down at 

Bishop Burton. 

The first term of HITZ is drawing to a close, and we are really pleased 

to welcome the largest cohort of students to the course for 2022/23. 

A fantastic 150 participants have been with us now for three months, 

coving a wide range of topics including communication, planning, 

social media, first aid and much more. 

The students have gained more and more confidence as the weeks 

FALCONS FIT 

Falcons Fit, supported by Heart of the Tyne, is our brand-new heart 

health and physical wellbeing programme, starting in January. 

A 12-week programme running every Wednesday between 6:30pm- 

8pm at Kingston Park, Falcons Fit is aimed at individuals aged 18 and 

over, looking to improve their heart health. 

It is designed to help educate participants on health interventions and 

lifestyle adjustments to help promote heart health. The programme 

consists of rugby-themed physical activity and healthy lifestyle 

workshops, with a focus on reducing the risk of heart disease. 

To register your interest in Falcons Fit, please email 

falconscommunity@newcastle-falcons.co.uk. 

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA 

Instagram: @falcons_community Facebook: Falcons Community Twitter: @FalconsCF LinkedIn: Newcastle Rugby Foundation 

10 11

QUIZ TIME 

Test your knowledge on all things rugby with our ten-question teaser. Answers are 

upside down at the bottom of the page. 

Sell My Car 

Q1 In which country was Newcastle Falcons 

lock Sebastian de Chaves born? 

Q2 Which Newcastle Falcons player is 

pictured here? 

Q6 England flanker Jack Willis currently plays 

for which club team? 

Q7 Name the former Newcastle Falcons and 

Sale Sharks player? 

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Q3 Sale Sharks prop Bevan Rodd plays 

international rugby for which country? 

Q8 Which two teams played in the first ever 

Heineken Cup final in 1996? 

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Q4 Which team are bottom of the Gallagher 

Premiership going into this round of 

matches? 

Q5 ‘Born Content’ is an anagram of which 

Newcastle Falcons player’s name? 

Q9 England fly-half George Ford joined Sale 

Sharks in the summer from which Gallagher 

Premiership club? 

Q10 Jamie Ritchie is captain of which country’s 

national team? 

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ANSWERS: 1 South Africa, 2 Tian Schoeman, 3 England, 4 Bristol Bears, 5 Brett Connon, 6 Toulouse, 7 Mathew Tait, 8 

Cardiff and Toulouse, 9 Leicester Tigers, 10 Scotland. 

13

ELLIOTT OBATOYINBO 

“ 

I first played 

rugby in 

Egypt, in 

a touch 

competition. 

A scratch golfer who makes Nigerian masks in his spare time – 

Elliott Obatoyinbo is a man of many dimensions. 

Newcastle Falcons’ hot-stepping full-back had lived in four 

different countries before his eighth birthday, and recently turned 

his back on a two-year contract offer at Saracens in search of 

more regular Gallagher Premiership game time. 

Having started the Falcons’ last four games in the league, two of 

which were victories, it looks as if the long game is beginning to 

pay off for a man who seems to relish adventure. 

“I was born in a place called Ormskirk in Lancashire, and after a 

few months here in England I moved to Nigeria, which is where my 

dad’s from,” says Obatoyinbo, whose younger brother Harrison is 

a professional rugby player at French Pro D2 club Mont de Marsan. 

“My mum works for British American Tobacco, and has to move 

around every few years with her job. We were in Nigeria for three 

or four years, we moved to South Africa for a year, back to Nigeria 

for another two or three then up to Egypt for three years when I 

was around seven. 

“I went to a boarding school in Lancashire called Stonyhurst when 

my parents moved to London, and when I switched schools to go 

to Harrow my parents moved out to Kenya, so I was going back 

and forth between the two.” 

Sporting interests were always on a young Elliott’s radar, although 

he reveals a relatively unlikely location for his first dalliance with 

rugby. 

“I used to watch rugby with my dad when I was a kid but I actually 

first played it when we lived in Egypt, and I played in a tough rugby 

competition. I carried on with it at prep school, but I was into 

allsorts of different sports. 

“I played rugby all the way through school once I was in the UK, 

and I tried to join Sale Sharks when I was at Stonyhurst. The 

opportunity came up to go to Harrow School, and from there I 

joined up with Saracens when I was 15. 

“Growing up I tried pretty much every sport, but the main two 

were golf and football. I played rugby on the side, but it was when I 

was 16 that I made the decision to go down the rugby route rather 

than pursuing a professional golf career. 

“I played in the Junior Open Championship and made the cut, 

which I was really pleased with, and I played at a good standard. I 

still play now when I get the chance, but with the way school was 

and the time I had to commit to rugby, I chose to go down that 

road instead.” 

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Coming through with a star-studded Saracens squad at a time 

when they were winning domestic and European titles, Obatoyinbo 

has also been keen to pursue his artistic passions. 

He says: “In my first year at Harrow the Saracens academy 

coaches came to watch a few of our games and seemed happy 

with what I was doing. I ended up training with them every 

Monday, and then got signed in my final year at school. 

“I went full-time straightaway. I tried to combine it with a course 

at an art college in central London, which I really enjoyed, but with 

the time commitment they needed from me I just couldn’t balance 

the two in terms of trekking from Saracens’ training ground in St 

Albans to central London every day. I had to give that up, but I’m 

currently doing an Open University Course related to art, which I 

really enjoy.” 

Asked which particular aspect of art he specialises in, he reveals: 

“I’ve done some oil painting, I enjoy etching and charcoal drawing, 

and right now I’m interested in African art. 

“I’m trying to create a few pieces of traditional Nigerian masks 

using cartridge paper, which is like a thicker type of paper, and I’ve 

got a technique where I rip the pieces of paper in certain ways to 

kind of stick them on top of each other to create a nice texture. 

“I’m glad I’ve been able to stick with it in some way, and it’s nice 

to have interests outside of rugby. On my days off I get stuck into 

it, and I think it’s good for your mind to have a different focus.” 

A hot sporting prospect from an early age, the fleet-footed fullback 

had no shortage of competition at Saracens. 

“I made my first A-League appearance for Sarries when I was 17, 

and played my first Premiership Cup game the following season 

during my first year as a full-time pro,” says Obatoyinbo. 

“It was a pretty stacked squad back then, so even getting a run in 

the Prem Cup wasn’t easy. It was a big deal at the time, and you 

obviously learn loads just by being in and around that environment. 

“I was around three or four years in when I made my European 

and Premiership debuts, but it was great to be part of that. I got 

to learn from some of the best players around in my position like 

Liam Williams, Alex Goode, Sean Maitland, David Strettle and those 

kinds of guys. It was tough from a competition perspective, but 

great for my development. 

“They’ve got star players and really good coaches, and it’s a good 

family environment. The club looks after you and your family quite 

well, so the players want to give back as a result. It just makes for 

a happy environment, and it helps on the pitch when you’re that 

tight as a group.” 

Given the opportunity to remain at StoneX Stadium or explore new 

options Obatoyinbo chose the latter, explaining: “In November of 

last year Saracens offered me a two-year deal to stay with the 

club, but I was 23 at the time and felt I was ready for more regular 

exposure to Premiership rugby than I was getting. 

“The most important thing for me was game time in terms of 

taking the next step in my development, and so I made the 

difficult decision to leave Saracens. 

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“I played golf in 

the Junior Open, 

and made the 

cut.” 

17

“Saracens was tough from a 

competition perspective, but great 

for my development.” 

“I kept myself in shape during the summer, waiting for the right 

opportunity, and I was grateful when Newcastle came into the 

picture. It was initially on a short-term contract, but from there 

we’ve been able to extend for a couple of years, which is great.” 

“I’ll be heading after the game to see my mum’s side of the family 

in Lancashire, and the way the fixtures have fallen it means we’ve 

got Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off before we return to 

training on Boxing Day,” he says. 

“It’s a tight 

group, the boys 

are happy and 

we work hard.” 

Making his debut in the cup loss at Wasps but scoring a solo try 

in his first home game against Sale Sharks, Obatoyinbo’s footwork 

and safety under the high ball have been among the early standout 

features in an impressive start to life at Kingston Park 

“It’s nice to have that bit of family time during the middle of the 

season, but first and foremost we’ve got to take care of Sale 

Sharks.” 

“Newcastle and Saracens are quite different environments but I 

enjoy it here, and I’ve been made to feel really welcome,” he says. 

“It’s a tight group, the boys are happy and we work incredibly 

hard for each other. I like coming into training every day and I’m 

enjoying my rugby here with the Falcons.” 

With attention fully focused on this evening’s assignment, 

Obatoyinbo knows exactly what is coming from a Sale Sharks side 

who are not backwards in coming forwards. 

“It will be a really physical game against Sale, as it always is,” he 

says. 

“They’ve got a strong, aggressive pack and they like to be in your 

face, so we can definitely expect a bit of that from them. For us, 

it’s just about playing smart. We need to play our rugby in the right 

positions on the field and match Sale’s physicality. 

“The squad haven’t really spoken about it being a derby or 

anything like that, although I guess in comparison to how far away 

most of our opponents are, there’s a bit more of a local angle to it. 

The boys are definitely looking forward to it, though, and hopefully 

there’ll be a good crowd in.” 

With Christmas normally a difficult time for sportsmen given the 

training and game-day demands, the fixture Gods have been 

relatively kind to Obatoyinbo and the Falcons, with the full-back 

able to mix business and pleasure. 

18 19

PLAYER STATS 

Name 

Falcons 

career 

apps 


career 

points 


career 

tries 

Season 

2022-23 

apps 

Season 

2022-23 

points 

Season 

2022-23 

tries 

Name 


career 

apps 


career 

points 


career 

tries 

Season 

2022-23 

apps 

Season 

2022-23 

points 

Season 

2022-23 

tries 

Josh Barton 7 5 1 7 5 1 Tom Marshall 14 5 1 7 0 0 

George Bennett-Teare 3 0 0 2 0 0 George McGuigan 165 240 48 10 35 7 

Jamie Berrisford 1 0 0 1 0 0 Oliver Melville 1 0 0 1 0 0 

James Blackett 5 3 0 3 3 0 George Merrick 13 0 0 8 0 0 

Jamie Blamire 75 75 15 12 15 3 Matias Moroni 5 0 0 5 0 0 

Phil Brantingham 7 0 0 5 0 0 Logovi'i Mulipola 67 20 4 6 5 1 

Adam Brocklebank 86 0 0 10 0 0 Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti 32 15 3 4 0 0 

Conrad Cade 12 0 0 8 0 0 Elliott Obatoyinbo 8 10 2 8 10 2 

Mateo Carreras 25 45 9 8 30 7 Chidera Obonna 5 5 1 0 0 0 

Callum Chick 114 90 18 8 5 1 Matias Orlando 24 10 2 3 0 0 

Jeremy Civil 2 0 0 2 0 0 Richard Palframan 19 0 0 11 0 0 

Sam Clark 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tom Penny 82 50 10 9 10 2 

Connor Collett 25 10 2 6 5 1 Guy Pepper 7 15 3 7 10 3 

Brett Connon 77 335 2 9 51 0 Josh Peters 5 5 1 5 5 1 

Luke Coulston 1 0 0 1 0 0 Greg Peterson 64 15 3 8 0 0 

Matthew Dalton 9 0 0 7 0 0 Vereimi Qorowale 2 5 1 2 5 1 

Trevor Davison 98 20 4 5 0 0 Adam Radwan 81 230 46 11 15 3 

Sebastien de Chaves 27 0 0 12 0 0 Mike Rewcastle 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Matt Deehan 3 0 0 2 0 0 Sean Robinson 135 65 13 9 0 0 

Mark Dormer 3 0 0 3 0 0 Tian Schoeman 10 33 0 10 33 0 

Ben Douglas 3 0 0 2 0 0 Charlie Smith 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Nathan Earle 17 25 5 6 10 2 Oliver Spencer 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Carl Fearns 21 5 1 2 0 0 Iwan Stephens 11 20 4 5 5 1 

Ollie Fletcher 5 5 1 4 5 1 Ben Stevenson 58 80 18 9 0 0 

Gary Graham 88 80 16 0 0 0 Sam Stuart 71 35 7 9 5 1 

Ewan Greenlaw 5 0 0 5 0 0 Alex Tait 266 200 40 6 10 2 

Nathan Greenwood 1 5 1 1 5 1 Mark Tampin 66 0 0 13 0 0 

Will Hopes 2 0 0 2 0 0 Josh Thomas 5 15 0 5 15 0 

Louie Johnson 4 8 0 3 8 0 Marcus Tiffen 7 10 2 6 5 1 

Conor Kenny 4 0 0 3 0 0 Philip van der Walt 35 10 2 0 0 0 

Zach Kerr 11 10 2 5 5 1 George Wacokecoke 63 80 16 6 5 1 

Freddie Lockwood 16 0 0 6 0 0 Rory Ward 3 0 0 3 0 0 

Pete Lucock 32 5 1 6 0 0 Will Welch 275 90 18 4 0 0 

Charlie Maddison 24 5 1 7 0 0 Michael Young 189 100 20 6 0 0

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HERE AT KINGSTON PARK WE OFFER 

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22 

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FIRST TEAM SQUAD 

1. 1. 1. 1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

JOSH BARTON 

Scrum-half 

15/12/1997 

Height: 1.75m (5ft 8) 

Weight: 85kg (13st 5) 

JAMIE BLAMIRE 

Hooker 

22/12/1997 

Height: 1.85m (6ft) 


Honours: England 

ADAM BROCKLEBANK 

Prop 

06/09/1995 



Honours: England Students 

CONRAD CADE 

Prop 

27/01/1997 




PETE LUCOCK 

Centre 

27/11/1992 



CHARLIE MADDISON 

Hooker 

24/06/1991 



TOM MARSHALL 

Back row 

20/10/1999 



Honours: Scotland U20 

MATIAS MORONI 

Centre 

10/07/1991 



Honours: Argentina 

1. 

1. 

1. 1. 1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

MATEO CARRERAS 

Wing 

17/12/1999 




1. 

CALLUM CHICK 

Back row 

25/11/1996 




Geoff & Marie 

Penrice 

CONNOR COLLETT 

Back row 

05/02/1996 



BRETT CONNON 

Fly-half 

29/08/1996 


Weight: 89kg (14st) 

Honours: Ireland U20 

LOGOVI’I MULIPOLA 

Prop 

11/03/1987 



Honours: Samoa 

CAMERON NORDLI-KELEMETI 

Scrum-half 

20/09/1999 



Honours: England U18 

1. 1. 1. 1. 

1. 

1. 

ELLIOTT OBATOYINBO 

Full-back/wing 

9/10/1998 




MATIAS ORLANDO 

Centre 

14/11/1991 




1. 

MATTHEW DALTON 

Lock 

16/11/1998 




TREVOR DAVISON 

Prop 

20/08/1992 




SEBASTIAN DE CHAVES 

Lock 

30/10/1990 



Honours: South Africa U20 

NATHAN EARLE 

Wing 

25/09/1994 



Honours: England XV 

RICHARD PALFRAMAN 

Prop 

20/12/1993 



TOM PENNY 

Full-back 

13/10/1994 



JOSH PETERS 

Lock 

10/12/1995 



Honours: Spain 

GREG PETERSON 

Lock 

26/03/1991 



Honours: USA 

1. 

1. 1. 1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

CARL FEARNS 

Back row 

28/05/1989 



Honours: England A 

GARY GRAHAM 

Back row 

29/08/1992 



Honours: Scotland 

CONOR KENNY 

Prop 

25/07/1996 




FREDDIE LOCKWOOD 

Back row 

31/12/2000 




VEREIMI QOROWALE 

Wing/centre 

27/01/1995 



ADAM RADWAN 

Wing 

30/12/1997 




TIAN SCHOEMAN 

Fly-half 

23/09/1991 

Height: 1.82m (5ft 10) 

The 



24 Blackbirds Honours: England Students 

25 

SEAN ROBINSON 

Lock 

08/02/1991 

Height: 1.93m (6ft 3)

MOTOR GROUP 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

IWAN STEPHENS 

Wing 

24/03/2002 




BEN STEVENSON 

Wing/centre 

19/07/1998 




SAM STUART 

Scrum-half 

27/09/1991 




ALEX TAIT 

Full-back 

18/03/1988 




Jack & Jonquil 

Stewart 

SCOTT MACLEOD 

Coach 

Geoff & Marie 

Penrice 

JOHN STOKOE 

Team manager 

KEVIN MCSHANE 

Head of athletic performance 

LEWIS WILLIAMS 

Strength and conditioning coach 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

MARK TAMPIN 

Prop 

20/01/1992 



JOSH THOMAS 

Fly-half 

30/06/2000 



Honours: Wales U20 

PHILIP VAN DER WALT 

Back-row 

14/07/1989 



GEORGE WACOKECOKE 

Centre 

23/10/1995 




TIM PAYNE 

Strength and conditioning coach 

STEVE BREMNER 

Opposition and recruitment 

analyst 

MATT HODKINSON 

Tactical analyst 

RHYS GRIFFITHS 

Head physio 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

WILL WELCH 

Back row 

03/04/1990 




MICHAEL YOUNG 

Scrum-half 

31/12/1988 



Honours: England A 

ANDY SHEA 

Physio 

DERMOT AUSTIN 

Physio 

TOBY TREMLETT 

Physio 

RACHEL SCURFIELD 

Lead doctor 

FIRST TEAM STAFF 

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

DAVE WALDER 

Head coach 

MARK LAYCOCK 

Coach 

MICKY WARD 

Coach 

MARK WILSON 

Coach 

DEAN SHIPSEY 

Match-day doctor 

ANDY RAMSHAW 

Match-day doctor 

ANDREW CRUICKSHANK 

Psychologist 

ALAN BASKERVILLE 

Kit manager 

26 27

SENIOR ACADEMY SQUAD & ACADEMY STAFF 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 1. 1. 

JAMES BLACKETT 

Scrum-half 

22/10/2001 




1. 

PHIL BRANTINGHAM 

Prop 

02/10/2001 




JEREMY CIVIL 

Centre 

02/05/2004 



LUKE COULSTON 

Lock 

17/07/2004 

Height: 2m (6ft 6) 



MARCUS TIFFEN 

Back row 

03/09/2002 



SAM CLARK 

Prop 

31/1/2004 

Height: 1.84m (6 ft) 


OLIVER SPENCER 

Full-back 

22/2/2004 




1. 1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

MATT DEEHAN 

Back row 

04/10/2002 



Honours: Scotland U20 

MARK DORMER 

Prop 

16/09/2002 




BEN DOUGLAS 

Scrum-half 

16/01/2004 




Joan 

Milne 

OLLIE FLETCHER 

Hooker 

09/09/2002 




1. 1. 1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

JAMES PONTON 

Head of academy 

PJ BUTLER 

Academy coach 

JACK HAYES 

Academy coach 

KEITH ROBINSON 

Academy DPP manager 

EWAN GREENLAW 

Centre 

14/03/2003 




NATHAN GREENWOOD 

Wing 

20/11/2003 



Honours: England 7s 

LOUIE JOHNSON 

Fly-half 

13/06/2003 




ZACH KERR 

Centre/wing 

13/12/1999 



MICHAEL FERGUSON 

Head academy strength and 

conditioning coach 

SHAUN MCLAREN 

Junior academy strength and 

conditioning coach 

NICK TODD 

Academy performance analyst 

FRAZER BELL 

Senior academy physio 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 1. 

TO SPONSOR A PLAYER EMAIL 

CORPORATESALES@NEWCASTLE-FALCONS.CO.UK 

CHIDERA OBONNA 

Centre/wing 

18/10/2000 




GUY PEPPER 

Back row 

15/04/2003 




MIKE REWCASTLE 

Prop 

17/05/2004 




CHARLIE SMITH 

Hooker 

19/01/2004 




CAIN WILKINSON 

Junior academy physio 

28 29

FROM THE PRESS BOX 

By Mark Smith 

Newcastle Falcons media manager 

For our last home game of the calendar year we end with a mixture of 

sincerity and silliness as we look back on 2022. 

THE YETI AWARD 

Often talked about, but rarely seen. No, it’s not the abominable snowman, 

it’s the BT Sport cameras! 

You can count on one hand the number of times Newcastle Falcons have 

been shown live in Gallagher Premiership action during the calendar year of 

2022, with just five out of a possible 25 league games being picked. 

Only one of our 11 Premiership games this season has been selected by BT 

Sport (the thriller against Bristol) and the outlook into the new year isn’t 

much better. By the time we reach round 20 we will only have been shown 

twice – fewer times than Wasps, who ceased to exist four weeks into the 

season! 

At a time when there are only four or five games each weekend, three of 

which are picked for TV, it’s statistically quite incredible how few times the 

Falcons make the cut. Sort it out, guys! 

SCRAN OF THE SEASON 

My weekly Twitter food review always claims it doesn’t rank the clubs, but if 

we’ve learned nothing else this season it’s that I am full of hot air! 

Your winner is (and I’m clarifying here that it’s away games only) ... 

Doncaster Knights! 

Their cow pie will stick to your ribs, but it’s the perfect accompaniment to 

any match day. They’ve got a great set-up down at Castle Park for the scran 

fans among you, and they’re my champions for 2022. 

THE MATEO CARRERAS AWARD 

Goes to… Mateo Carreras! 

For those not in the know, the Mateo Carreras Award is a weekly contest in 

which Premiership players attempt and fail to score a better try than the 

one Mateo Carreras scored that weekend. Seven tries in eight games this 

season from the diminutive Puma. Some going, that. 

QUOTE OF THE SEASON 

“The main thing the lads in the coaching office will miss is the smell from 

when I make my mackerel on toast!” 

Dean Richards talks legacy after ending his ten-year spell as director of 

rugby. That smell will outlast all of us! 

THE BOOMERANG AWARD 

When club captain Mark Wilson announced his retirement from playing on 

Valentine’s Day, some feared that might be the last we’d see of the Kendal 

Kid. But no, his welcome summer addition to the coaching ticket ensured 

the club legend assumed his rightful place back at Kingston Park. 

AND A SNAPPY NEW YEAR! 

The Falcons’ website and social media channels have enjoyed a plentiful 

supply of top-notch images from club photographer Chris Lishman, who 

continues to go beyond the call of duty both in quantity and quality. We 

certainly appreciate it, and we know our supporters do, too. 

31

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CO 2, fuel economy, energy consumption and range figures may vary according to factors such as driving styles, environmental conditions, load, wheel fitment and accessories fitted. Off-road sequences on dedicated land with full permissions.

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ALL OUR YESTERDAYS 

Kingsley Hyland’s stroll down memory lane 

continues with key moments in the club’s 

history from 50, 45 and 30 years ago. 

50 YEARS AGO – DECEMBER 26, 1972 

NORTHERN 11-6 GOSFORTH 

Despite having to travel 150 miles to get here, Sale’s visit to Kingston Park this week 

represents the closest we get a ‘derby’ match in the North of England. 

Sale should have provided the Christmas opposition on Boxing Day last year but covid 

intervened, and the Falcons were awarded the points. 

In the pre-professional days the longest distance the club had to travel to fulfil a 

Christmas fixture could be measured in yards – the width of the Great North Road to be 

precise - as Northern provided the Boxing Day opposition. 

Northern had been Gosforth’s first ever opponents back in 1877 and the two clubs had 

been close rivals ever since, despite sharing occupancy of the old County Ground in 

Gosforth before acquiring permanent homes of their own. 

Northern had been formed a year earlier in 1876 and had been the dominant force for 

most of the following 95 years, but by the late 1960s and early 1970s the balance of 

power was shifting decisively in Gosforth’s favour. 

It was certainly the case that they went into this match as strong favourites, 

notwithstanding the late withdrawal of Roger Uttley and Peter Dixon from the back 

row. Northern clearly had not read the script. 

Gosforth started the stronger and led 6-0 through two 

Malcolm Young penalties before Northern took control. 

Gosforth struggled in midfield and the game’s two standout 

players were Northern’s fullback John Phillips, who put 

in some booming pressure-relieving kicks, and centre Ken 

Britten, who was later the cross the Great North Road to enjoy 

considerable success at Gosforth and earn a reputation as 

one of the best English qualified centres never to be capped. 

Northern cut the gap to two points when Britten seized on a 

dropped pass on the half-way line, and ran in to score. Phillips 

missed with the conversion attempt. 

Midway through the second half Ken Watson, who had moved 

from wing to fly-half to replace the injured Alastair Tindle, 

dropped a goal to nudge Northern ahead. Young missed with 

two penalty attempts which could have given Gosforth an 

undeserved lead. 

Britten almost scored in the corner but was deemed to have 

put a foot in touch, before Phillips crashed over in the corner 

for the decisive score. Chasing the game in the dying minutes 

Gosforth threw caution to the wind as Bill Curley went close, 

but Northern held on for a deserved victory. 

The teams that day were as follows: 

Northern: J.Phillips; C.Goatman; S.Watson; K.Britten; K.Watson; 

A.Tindle; P.Scurfield; C.White; D.Tindle; J.Wilson; G.Longstaff; 

M.Wood; W.Dempster; J.Painter; M.Nicholson. 

Gosforth: B.Patrick; B.Curley; S.Gustard; A.Mitchell; J.Ellis; 

H.Patrick; M.Young; P.Levinson; D.Madsen; A.Cutter; A.Black; 

F.Mahoney; D.Robinson; M.Stokoe; A.Richardson. 

Ken Britten was not the only Northern player to cross the 

great divide. Prop Colin White would also later join Gosforth, 

with whom he continued to play into the 1990s. Despite losing 

the best part of three fingers in a chainsaw accident in 1978 

he went on to captain the side to the 1981 John Player Cup 

final, and won four England caps in 1983. 

Two players from that 1972 match have familial links to the 

current Falcons. 

The Northern scrum half Peter Scurfield, who died last 

year, had previously played for Liverpool and Gosforth, and 

coached Gosforth in the 1982-3 season. His daughter Rachel 

is the current head of medical at the Falcons. 

Malcolm Stokoe (left) and John Stokoe 

38 39 

Steve Gustard

The Gosforth No.8, Malcolm Stokoe, was a former club captain 

and is still heavily involved with the Gosforth community club. 

His son John has been the Falcons’ team manager for well over 

a decade, having stepped up from earlier roles as scoreboard 

operator and kit man. 

Boxing Day was ‘derby day’ across the region, with many local 

rivalries played out before bumper crowds of largely inebriated 

spectators. Other local fixtures that day included: 

Blaydon 13-13 Ryton 

Rockcliff 12-23 Percy Park 

Hartlepool Rovers 6-10 West Hartlepool 

Durham City 19-10 Sunderland 

Winlaton Vulcans 3-15 Westoe 

Middlesbrough 9-3 Redcar 

Tynedale 23-6 Carlisle 

Gateshead Fell 3-9 North Durham 

Novos 11-0 Morpeth 

The All Blacks under Ian Kirkpatrick were part way through a 

mammoth 33-match Grand-Slam-winning tour of the British 

Isles, culminating in that famous match against the Barbarians 

at Cardiff and ‘that try’ from Gareth Edwards. On Boxing Day 

they had to be satisfied with beating Combined Services 31-10 

at Twickenham. 

45 YEARS AGO – DECEMBER 26,1977 

GOSFORTH 26-10 NORTHERN 

Five years on, and in their Centenary season 

Gosforth were at the peak of their powers. 

Northern, for their part, were still deemed to be a 

‘senior club’ by virtue of their strong fixture list. 

Gosforth had played an energy-sapping game 

at Middlesbrough on Christmas Eve in freezing 

conditions on a saturated pitch, and so made a 

number of changes for the Boxing Day clash with 

Northern. 

Richard Breakey replaced David Johnson at flyhalf, 

whilst Peter Dixon and Ian Richardson 

dropped out of the back row, which at times left 

scrum half Malcolm Young exposed. Nevertheless, 

the Gosforth forwards still dominated whilst their 

rejigged back line struggled to gel. 

Malcolm Young kicked Gosforth ahead with a 

penalty but Northern hit back through a try from 

right wing Kemp following a searing break from Jim 

Pollock – another who was later to cross the road 

to Gosforth, where he would enjoy international 

recognition with Scotland. Martin Woll converted 

to put Northern 6-3 ahead. 

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40 

Malcolm Young 

41

Gosforth then made their forward dominance tell 

as lock Terry Roberts forced his way over for a try, 

converted by Young, who soon added a penalty for 

a 12-6 lead. 

Gosforth’s sole try from a back followed as Ken 

Britten – by now an established Gosforth player– 

seized on a loose ball. Young again converted 

before Kemp went over for his second try for 

Northern, as Gosforth took an 18-10 lead into the 

break. 

The second half became something of a forward 

slog. Roberts went over for his second try 

and Young confirmed the home side’s forward 

dominance as he touched down a pushover try to 

end the scoring. 

30 YEARS AGO – DECEMBER 26,1992 

NEWCASTLE GOSFORTH 42-0 NORTHERN 

Twenty years on from that Northern victory in 1972 and 

Gosforth had become Newcastle Gosforth, relocating to their 

current home at Kingston Park. 

Whilst the geographical gap between the two clubs had been 

extended by a couple of miles the playing gap had grown much 

wider, to the extent that many were calling into question the 

justification for continuing with the fixture. 

Newcastle Gosforth were challenging at the top of Division Two 

and would secure promotion to the top division at the end of 

the season, whilst Northern sat at the bottom of North Division 

One without a win in seven league games. 

The respective club treasurers were of course keen to continue 

the fixture as it provided the best gate take of the season, and 

substantially boosted bar revenues. 

In the event the home side put in a below-par performance, 

seeing the game as an opportunity to give some players a runout 

as they returned from injury or North of England duties 

ahead of the resumption of the league programme early in the 

New Year. 

Northern only once came close to scoring, and seemed content 

to keep the score below 50 following their 6-54 drubbing at 

McCracken Park in the corresponding fixture 12 months earlier. 

The tone was set in the early minutes as Newcastle took the 

first scrum against the head, secured the first line-out on 

Northern’s throw and turned over Northern possession at 

the first breakdown. Most of the scoring came from forward 

dominance and the boot of David Johnson, but poor handling 

saw a number of other scoring opportunities go begging. 

Johnson kicked two early penalties, but it took 18 minutes for 

the first try as No.8 Alastair Meadows went over, with Johnson 

converting for a 13-0 lead. Johnson added a penalty as a rather 

dour first half ended with the home side leading 16-0. 

A flurry of scoring at the start of the second half left Northern 

followers fearful of a cricket score. 

On 41 minutes Northern’s scrum collapsed in a heap and a 

penalty try was awarded, Johnson converting. Five minutes 

later scrum half Steve Douglas scored a typical sniping try 

to break the monotony, Johnson again converting, and on 53 

minutes Douglas added a second as he touched down following 

a rolling maul. 

Johnson missed with the conversion – his only miss of the 

afternoon – but the lead was now 35-0. 

Northern, to their credit, did not capitulate, and it was not until 

ten minutes from time that Newcastle Gosforth ended the 

scoring as Meadows touched down his second pushover try. 

The teams that day were: 

Gosforth: N.Robinson; G.Doar; R.Wilkinson; I.Chandler; I.Williams; 

D.Johnson; S.Douglas; R.Fuller; N.Frankland (capt); P.Thompson; 

T.Roberts; F.Mitchell; G.Clark; R.Arnold; A.Meadows. 

Northern: I.Sutherland; J.Briggs; B.Russell; M.Ellis; M.Carr (capt); 

P.Nickalls; S.Mcleod; A.Leithead; R.Percival; N.Fergus; K.Scott; 

L.Longstaff; P.Robson; M.Johnson. S.Sill. 

The referee was Alan Hughes, whose dulcet tones those with 

RefLink may hear counting down Friday’s referee in his role as 

the regular timekeeper at Falcons matches. 

Captain Neil Frankland 

42 43

FIXTURES & RESULTS 

AUGUST 

F: Fri Aug 26 v Leicester Tigers(L 42-28) 

SEPTEMBER 

F: Fri Sep 2 v Doncaster Knights (W 29-33) 

GP: SAT SEP 10 V HARLEQUINS (L 31-40) 

GP: Sat Sep 17 v Leicester Tigers (L 36-21) 

PRC: Tue Sep 20 v Wasps (L 35-21) 

GP: Sat Sep 24 v Worcester Warriors (L 39-5) 

PRC: TUE SEP 27 V SALE SHARKS (L 21-29) 

GP: FRI SEP 30 V BRISTOL BEARS (W 30-15) 

OCTOBER 

GP: SUN OCT 9 V SARACENS (L 14-34) 

GP: Sat Oct 15 v Northampton Saints (L 32-31) 

PRC: Wed Oct 19 v Leicester Tigers (W 31-32) 

NOVEMBER 

GP: SAT NOV 5 V BATH RUGBY (L 10-17) 

GP: Sat Nov 12 v Gloucester Rugby (W 21-27) 

PRC: SAT NOV 19 V NORTHAMPTON SAINTS (L 28-31) 

GP: FRI NOV 25 V EXETER CHIEFS (W 24-21) 

DECEMBER 

GP: Sat Dec 3 v London Irish (L 39-17) 

ECC: Sat Dec 10 v Connacht (L 22-8) 

ECC: SAT DEC 17 v CARDIFF (L 10-47) 

GP: FRI DEC 23 V SALE SHARKS (7.45pm) 

GP: Sat Dec 31 v Bath Rugby (3pm) 

NEXT TIME AT KP 

V LEICESTER TIGERS 

SAT Jan 7th 

Gallagher Prem 

Kick-off: 14:00 pm 

JANUARY 

GP: SAT JAN 7 V LEICESTER TIGERS (2pm, BT Sport) 

ECC: Sun Jan 15 v Cardiff (1pm) 

ECC: SAT JAN 21 v CONNACHT (5.30pm) 

FEBRUARY 

GP: Fri Feb 17 v Bristol Bears (7.45pm) 

GP: Sat Feb 25 v Saracens (2.30pm) 

MARCH 

GP: SUN MAR 5 V LONDON IRISH (3pm) 

GP: Sat Mar 11 v Exeter Chiefs (2.30 pm) 

GP: Mar 24/25/26 V GLOUCESTER 

APRIL 

ECC: Mar 31/Apr 1/2: Round of 16 

ECC: Apr 7/8/9: Quarter-final 

GP: Apr 14/15/16 v Harlequins 

GP: APR 21/22/23 V NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 

ECC: Apr 28/29/30: Semi-final 

MAY 

GP: SAT MAY 6 v Sale Sharks 

GP: SAT MAY 13: Semi-final 

ECC: Fri May 19: Final 

GP: Sat May 27: Final 

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IN OPPOSITION - SALE SHARKS 

Centre Sam 

James 

Sale Sharks come into this afternoon’s encounter placed at second 

in the Gallagher Premiership after a flying start to the season. 

Winning seven of their nine games in the league, they also enjoyed 

a winning start in Europe, with the Manchester-based club 

having made some key moves over the summer. 

Arguably the biggest of those is yet to have any 

direct on-field bearing with Leicester Tigers’ 

title-winning fly-half George Ford having 

made the move to the North West, only 

to suffer a serious Achilles injury which 

has thus far prevented him from 

donning the Sharks’ jersey. 

Lood de Jager and Rohan Janse van Rensburg were other 

big-hitting departures for a Sharks side who also lost former 

Falcons full-back Simon Hammersley, winger Marland Yarde, 

hookers Curtis Langdon and Cameron Neild and giant lock JP 

du Preez. 

Sale’s powerful start to the campaign – their second full 

season under director of rugby Alex Sanderson - came after a 

pre-season which saw them beating Caldy away (5-40), losing 

at Connacht (15-5) and thumping Benetton at home (52-7). 

Their opening game of the Gallagher Premiership campaign 

brought a 29-22 home win over Northampton Saints and a full 

five points, followed by a 37-20 away win over Bath. 

The vastly-experienced 

England international 

had been drafted 

in to replace AJ 

MacGinty following 

his move down 

to Bristol Bears, 

but Sale’s transfer 

dealing did not stop there. 

England lock Jonny Hill was a shrewd acquisition from 

Exeter Chiefs, who also provided wing Tom O’Flaherty, 

who has been a consistently strong performer for Sale 

this term. 

Full-back Jason Woodward joined from Gloucester 

after an injury-affected season, with Ryan Mills 

arriving from Wasps. Joe Simpson brought 

experience at scrum-half, with Sale losing 

World Cup winner Faf de Klerk to Japanese 

club rugby. 

A pair of Premiership Rugby Cup games saw Sale winning 25-19 

at home to Leicester and 29-21 here at Newcastle Falcons, with 

the return to league action bringing a 28-20 triumph at home 

to Exeter Chiefs. 

Winning 26-16 away at champions Leicester Tigers in round 

five, the momentum continued with a 37-14 Friday night 

thumping of London Irish at Salford Community Stadium. 

Defeat eventually arrived at home to Harlequins on October 

30 when they suffered a 29-13 loss, compounded the week 

after when they fell 33-22 away to Alex Sanderson’s previous 

employers, Saracens. 

Normal service was resumed with a 27-17 home triumph over 

Gloucester and a 40-19 Cup victory at home to Quins, with their 

last league encounter seeing a 25-20 victory at home to Bristol 

Bears. 

Sale’s Heineken Champions Cup journey began in style as 

they put Ulster to the sword in a 39-0 drubbing, prior to last 

Sunday’s 45-19 loss at Toulouse. 

50 

Prop Bevan 

Rodd 

Full-back Joe 

Carpenter 

51

IN OPPOSITION - THREE TO WATCH 

NICK SCHONERT 

The South African tight-head is in his second season at Sale after 

joining from Worcester Warriors on a three-year deal. 

The 31-year-old is one of the chief anchors in a meaty Sharks scrum, 

with the Durban-born forward starting all but one of their nine league 

games this season. 

Playing with Natal Sharks, Griquas and Free State Cheetahs in his 

homeland, it was with Worcester that Schonert really made his name, 

playing more than a century of games for the Sixways side. 

JOSH BEAUMONT 

The 30-year-old lock has played more than a century of Premiership 

games for the Sharks, although his first steps in the professional game 

were actually at Newcastle Falcons, having been associated with the 

club’s senior academy during his time studying at Durham University. 

Beaumont made his Sale Sharks debut in 2013, and is a former captain of 

the club after becoming a mainstay of the back five of their forward pack. 

The son of World Rugby chairman and former England captain Bill 

Beaumont, Josh endured a couple of injury-affected seasons but is now 

back to fitness and featuring regularly in Sharks’ selection. 

DIRECTOR OF RUGBY 

ALEX SANDERSON 

TOM ROEBUCK 

The 21-year-old winger has started all but one of Sale’s nine games in 

this season’s Gallagher Premiership, scoring four tries, with his mixture 

of pace and power causing problems for defences across the league. 

Coming through the juniors at Chester Rugby Club, the Wirral Grammar 

School old boy made his first-team debut in 2018. 

Playing for Great Britain Under-18s 7s, Roebuck was capped by England 

Under-20s and earlier this season was called into the full national team’s 

training camp. 

The former back-rower is in his second full season as Sharks 

boss after being poached from Saracens in January 2021. 

A former Shark in his playing days, the Chester-born forward 

was capped five times by England before being forced to retire 

through injury, having moved to Saracens. 

Sanderson slipped into Sarries’ coaching set-up and was a 

key member on their staff during their plethora of domestic 

and European titles before they were relegated for salary cap 

breaches. 

53

The home of 

domestic rugby

NORTHUMBERLAND RUGBY UNION 

AROUND THE LEAGUES 

Our local club sides should have reached the mid-point of 

their league seasons as they head into the Christmas break, 

but the frozen pitches of the last two weekends have left 

most having to play catch-up with their fixtures. 

After their impressive start in National Division Two North, 

Tynedale have dropped off the pace a little, although having 

flirted with the lower end of the table in recent seasons they 

will be pleased with their seventh-place standing with six 

wins from 12 games. They have played four of the sides above 

them and took losing bonus points from defeats at home to 

Otley (22-25) and Chester (14-21) and away to league leaders 

Sedgeley Park (28-33). 

Pride of place amongst all our clubs must go Alnwick, who sit 

in second place in Regional Division One North. Unfortunately 

they are already 19 points adrift of runaway leaders 

Billingham, albeit with a game in hand. They were heavily 

beaten (0-60) on Billingham’s artificial grass pitch on 10th 

December. That, and Billingham’s commanding lead in the 

table, render Alnwick’s victory over them in September all the 

more creditable. 

Dropping down to Regional DivisionTwo North, two of our clubs, 

Morpeth and Northern, are well placed, whilst a third, Percy 

Park, are comfortably placed in mid-table. To the surprise 

of many Northern lie third, albeit eight points behind Penrith 

and 10 behind Morpeth, who beat them 26-8 at McCracken 

Park at the end of October. They were rewarded for agreeing 

to switch their away fixture at Stockton to Billingham on 

December 17, when they won 68-10 on the synthetic surface. 

Percy Park have perhaps not done quite as well as many 

expected, although they have won more games than they 

have lost. They were well beaten (15-46) at home to Morpeth 

in early October but have suffered by virtue of narrow defeats 

at Consett (21-27) and Middlesbrough (24-28) and at home to 

Durham City (11-14). 

In Counties One Durham and Northumberland, three of our 

four clubs are bunched together with Medicals in third, 

Ponteland in fourth and Whitley Bay Rockcliff in fifth. Novos, 

meanwhile, will be looking anxiously over the shoulders down 

in tenth place. 

Medicals are perhaps the surprise package, as they lie just 

four points behind second placed Sunderland. They have been 

hampered by a lack of consistency with an impressive victory 

(32-0) over Whitley Bay Rockcliff at home and a narrow defeat 

(22-28) against league leaders West Hartlepool, whilst they 

could only draw 29-29 at lowly placed Hartlepool. 

It’s a bit of a mixed bag in Counties Two Durham and 

Northumberland, where Ashington occupy a creditable fourth 

place, two ahead of North Shields. Wallsend sadly prop up the 

table with a solitary victory (35-24) over Sedgefield in October 

to add to their September victory over North Shields. 

Down at level 9 in Counties Three Durham and Northumberland, 

Gosforth lie third, with Prudhoe and Stocksfield sixth, Blyth 

seventh and Seghill eighth. After winning their first three 

games Gosforth suffered two consecutive defeats but have 

come back strongly, in particular in beating second-placed 

Seaton Carew 43-29 at the end of November. Of their two 

defeats the first (5-28) was at Houghton, who are runaway 

league leaders with the maximum 45 points from nine games, 

whilst the other was a surprise, 26-27 at Yarm. 

Blyth lost narrowly (28-30) at home to Gosforth in October 

and racked up a century in beating Jarrovians 114-0. Prudhoe 

and Stocksfield recorded home wins over Seghill (29-14) and 

Blyth (23-14), whilst Seghill put Gosforth’s defeat at Yarm in 

perspective by beating the Teessiders at home at the end of 

October (10-0). 

The saddest news from this league is the withdrawal of West 

End, after they had to concede a number of walkovers due to 

insufficient players. 

56

58 

PREMIERSHIP PREVIEWS 

TODAY 

LONDON IRISH V SARACENS 

London Irish’s home win over Newcastle in Round 12 ended a five-game 

losing run in Gallagher Premiership Rugby. The Exiles have lost only one 

of their last six home games at GTech Community Stadium in Premiership 

Rugby, and that by a solitary point to Gloucester on October 21. 

Saracens have won all nine matches they have played in Gallagher 

Premiership Rugby this campaign. They have lost just once away from home 

in Premiership Rugby since mid-February: 7-54 at Gloucester on June 4. 

London Irish beat Saracens 32-30 at GTech Community Stadium in February 

to end a nine-game win-less run against Saracens. 

. 

London Irish centre Will Joseph 

NEWCASTLE FALCONS V SALE 

SHARKS 

Newcastle Falcons’ two-game winning run in 

Gallagher Premiership Rugby ended with their defeat 

at London Irish in Round 12. The Falcons have won 

twice at Kingston Park in Premiership Rugby this 

season, beating Bristol in Round 4 and Exeter in 

Round 11. 

Sale Sharks have won their last two Gallagher 

Premiership Rugby encounters, both at home, to 

Newcastle Falcons’ Gary Graham 

Gloucester and Bristol. The Sharks lost their most recent 

away game in Premiership Rugby; 22-33 at Saracens on 

October 30 to end a four-game unbeaten run on the road 

in the tournament. 

The last seven fixtures between the two clubs in 

Premiership Rugby have all been won by the home side on 

the day. The Sharks have not been victorious at Kingston 

Park in Premiership Rugby since a 21-15 win in May 2016. 

TOMORROW 

EXETER CHIEFS V BATH 

Bath centre Ollie Lawrence 

Exeter Chiefs’ only victory in their last five Gallagher 

Premiership Rugby fixtures was 22-17 at home to 

London Irish on November 12. The Chiefs have lost 

only once at Sandy Park in the tournament 

since the end of March; 20-22 to Saracens 

on October 22. 

Bath Rugby’s three-game 

winning run in Gallagher 

Premiership Rugby ended with 

their 13-19 reversal at home to 

Harlequins on December 2. 

Exeter have lost only once to 

Bath in their last 12 fixtures in 

Premiership Rugby; 10-13 at the 

Recreation Ground in October 

2019. Bath have not won at Sandy Park in any competition 

since a 13-10 victory in Premiership Rugby on 30 October 

2016. 

LEICESTER TIGERS V GLOUCESTER 

Leicester Tigers’ last three matches in Gallagher 

Premiership Rugby have been evenly split with a win, a 

draw and a loss. 

Gloucester Rugby’s 34-19 win at home to Northampton 

in Round 12 ended a three-game losing run in the 

tournament. Gloucester have won just twice away from 

home in Premiership Rugby since the end of January, and 

that was in successive trips to Bath and London Irish in 

October. 

Tigers’ only defeat to Gloucester in their last seven 

meetings was 30-46 at Kingsholm in August 2020. 

Gloucester are without a win in their last 14 visits to 

Welford Road in Premiership Rugby, although they did 

draw a thriller at the venue 41-all in April 2011. 

TUESDAY DECEMBER 27 

HARLEQUINS V BRISTOL BEARS 

Harlequins have won their last four fixtures in Gallagher 

Premiership Rugby since their 19-27 defeat at home to 

Leicester on 16 October. Harlequins’ other loss at the 

Twickenham Stoop in Premiership Rugby this season 

was to Saracens. 

Bristol Bears drew their most recent Gallagher 

Premiership Rugby fixture 26-all with Leicester Tigers 

but are without a win in the tournament since their home 

success over London Irish on September 24. The Bears 

have won only once away from home in Premiership 

Rugby since October 2021: 23-8 against Wasps on 

September 17. 

Harlequins have won their last three fixtures against 

Bristol, whilst the Bears’ only victory at the Stoop since 

September 2001 came behind closed doors on Boxing 

Day 2020. 

59

GLOBAL 

PLAYERS 

LOCAL 

PRESENCE. 

Gallagher is one of the largest insurance 

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 with us: 

ANDREW MORTON, Sales Director 

E: Andrew_Morton@ajg.com 

T: 07548 093 612 


Find out how our local 

brokers can support your 

business at ajg.com/uk 

Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered Office: Spectrum Building, 

7th Floor, 55 Blythswood Street, Glasgow, G2 7AT. Registered in Scotland. Company Number: SC108909. FP1160-2021 Exp 06.09.2022 | ARTUK-4318

Newcastle Falcons vs Sale Sharks Programme

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