Falcons make 12 changes for LV= cup

Newcastle Falcons have freshened up their squad for Saturday’s LV= Cup trip to Worcester, making 12 changes from the side which beat the Warriors at Kingston Park last weekend.

Left wing Uche Oduoza makes his Newcastle debut against his former club, with the England Sevens international having racked up the tries for the Falcons Development Team following his summer move from Japan.

Cumbrian Mark Wilson makes his debut on the openside flank, with the 20-year-old’s form for Blaydon and the Newcastle second-string earning him a call-up to the senior side.

England Under-20s fullback Tom Catterick is another drafted in for his maiden start after impressing from the bench in the recent win over Albi, with scrum half Hall Charlton captaining the Falcons for the Sixways clash (kick-off 12.30pm).

Director of rugby, Steve Bates, said: “Despite the number of changes, if you look at the side we have selected for this game there are actually still a lot of experienced players in it.

“The likes of Mark Sorenson, Filipo Levi, Adam Balding, Micky Ward, Gcobani Bobo and Hall Charlton to name just a few are all senior players, and for me this team is an exciting mix of those guys alongside some of our best young talent.

“Some of these players haven’t had as many starting opportunities as they would have liked this season, they are keen to state their case and I’m looking forward to seeing how they go.

“We have rested one or two key players, but there is still a lot of talent within this group and a number of guys really looking to put down a marker in terms of selection on a regular basis. They wouldn’t be in the team if we didn’t feel they were good enough, and this is an opportunity for us to see them in that first team environment.”

Highlighting one of his younger selections, Bates added: “Tom Catterick is someone I am especially excited about, because he has really shown up well in our Development Games and when he was given a chance from the bench against Albi three weeks ago.

“He has been selected at fullback for the England Under-20s, and it is only fair to Tom that we really give him a crack in his preferred position. That does mean Alex Tait shifting to the centres, but we know he can do a job there and that will also be good for Alex as he makes his comeback after a few weeks out with injury.”

Dismissing suggestions that the Falcons were taking the LV= Cup lightly, Bates said: “If we had to prioritise one competition as a club, like many others our main focus would be on performing week in, week out in the Guinness Premiership.

“Having said that, we want to win every competition we enter, and when we take the field in the LV= Cup and the Amlin Challenge Cup we are going all out to win.

“The reality is that your regular players simply can’t play every single week with the physicality and brutality of the game these days, so we have to be fair to those boys and manage their workload appropriately. That means there will be occasions where guys need to be rested, and this week we have taken the opportunity to give chances to a number of players within the squad.

“I’m expecting this group to do very well down at Worcester, and then we have a big game at home to Harlequins the weekend after to really put us into a good position in this tournament.”

With speculation on both sides of the equator linking Falcons skipper Carl Hayman with a return home to New Zealand after this season, the story was again back on the agenda this week with comments from All Black coach Wayne Smith suggesting the iconic tight head may well be in town to ‘say gidday’ to his former team mates.

Asked about the reports, and what they may mean in terms of the future, a pragmatic Bates said: “Presumably Carl will go and see the All Blacks while they are over here, they’re good pals of his and it would be only natural for him to pop over and catch up with them.

“I would expect him to go and see some of their games, but in terms of what happens after this season we’ll just have to wait and see.

“The All Blacks are in a position now where their front row isn’t perhaps as strong as it has been in the past, he is an outstanding player in that area and it’s just common sense that he will be someone they are targeting.

“In terms of whether or not Carl wants to play in the next World Cup for them, that’s one of those things that nobody can just assume. On the one hand as a player you can understand why he might want to go for it, but looking at it another way perhaps he has put that chapter of his career behind him.

“Nobody but Carl can answer that question, and I’m certainly not going to start putting words into his mouth.”

Newcastle Falcons team to face Worcester Warriors:

• 15 Tom Catterick
• 14 Danny Williams
• 13 Alex Tait
• 12 Gcobani Bobo
• 11 Uche Oduoza
• 10 Rob Miller
• 9 Hall Charlton (captain)
• 1 Laurence Ovens
• 2 Alex Walker
• 3 Micky Ward
• 4 Filipo Levi
• 5 Mark Sorenson
• 6 Peter Browne
• 7 Mark Wilson
• 8 Adam Balding

Replacements:

• Rob Vickers
• Grant Shiells
• Kieran Brookes
• Tim Swinson
• Josh Afu
• Chris Pilgrim
• Tom Biggs
• Charlie Amesbury