Newcastle Falcons Set to Begin Challenge Cup Campaign

Newcastle Falcons, the sole current Premiership club yet to secure a European competition victory, are set to commence their Challenge Cup campaign, leveraging their recent upturn in domestic performance. The Falcons will travel to the south of France for their initial Pool 2 fixture against Top 14 team Pau. This fixture follows a period of success for the club, having secured five victories in their previous six encounters across the Premiership and Premiership Rugby Cup, contributing to a more positive atmosphere at Kingston Park. Consultant director of rugby Steve Diamond commented, “In this day and age, there are very few opportunities to win silverware, and clubs who are ambitious and put strong sides out can certainly have a go at it.” To optimize their chances of delivering a robust performance against Pau, currently positioned 10th in the Top 14, the north east club has arranged a chartered flight to south west France, aiming to reduce travel duration. Given their upcoming schedule, which includes an away match against Ospreys alongside home fixtures against Dragons and Montpellier, a victory in Pau would significantly enhance Newcastle’s prospects for advancing to the knockout rounds. In the previous season, the Falcons’ European campaign concluded at the pool stage, with their sole victory being a ‘dead rubber’ away game against Perpignan. This outcome compounded their Premiership struggles, where they suffered defeat in all 18 matches. With the current improved morale, Diamond recognizes that the pool stage presents an opportunity for Newcastle to sustain its positive trajectory. Diamond stated, “If you win two games and pick up a couple of bonus points, you can progress, so we’re going to have a go at this game away from home.” He added, “It’ll be difficult, but it was difficult to beat Saracens at home last week, so all is achievable. So we’ll stick to what we did last Friday.” He further remarked, “This is a welcome distraction from the Premiership. Travelling to different places, it is a bit like the old rugby ethos, a mini tour, as we’ll take an extra 10 players with us, so they can mix with sponsors. It’s a different outlook in this competition, but we’re going to take it seriously.” The lineup for Pau includes: Mondinat, Grandidier-Nkanang, Klemenczak, Roudil, Arfeuil, Desperes, Souverbie; Seneca, Jooste, Zabala-Arrieta, Jolmes, Maximin, Tlili, Hewat, Hamonou. Replacements are: Delhommel, Bibi-Biziwu, Papidze, Auradou, Tagitagivalu, Daubagna, Decron, Luc. Newcastle’s team features: Redshaw; Radwan, Hearle, Hutchison, Stevenson; Wilkinson, Pepper; McCallum, Fletcher, Palframan, de Chaves, McDonald, Lockwood, Gordon, Chick. Substitutes are: Byrne, Rewcastle, Hancock, Baker, Leatherbarrow, O’Sullivan, Connon, Spencer.