Newcastle Falcons team to face Bath Rugby

Newcastle Falcons have made two changes for Saturday’s visit to Gallagher Premiership leaders, Bath Rugby.

Louis Brown replaces Elliott Obatoyinbo following the head knock sustained by the full-back in last week’s one-point loss against champions Northampton Saints, while Richard Palframan is rotated in at tight-head prop.

There could be a first-team debut for 20-year-old Oscar Usher in the second row, with the 6 foot 5 Northumbria University student having been named among the replacements.

Director of rugby Steve Diamond is well aware of the challenge awaiting his Newcastle Falcons side as they travel to a Bath team sat 15 points clear at the top of the table.

He said: “Bath are the new Saracens with the massive squad they’ve assembled, and they’ve got their recruitment spot-on. They’ll be a top team for years to come with the quality and depth they’ve been able to pull together, and they’ve probably already started their party with being so far ahead in the league.

“They’re a top side with galacticos in pretty much every position, and fair play to them. It’s taken them a while to get it right, but they’ve well and truly done it now in terms of their coaching and recruitment. You can only applaud them for it, and they’re a formidable proposition with the cattle they can roll out week after week.

“It will be really difficult to go down there and get anything, but we’ll show the right mentality and not wave the white flag.”

The Falcons took a pair of bonus points from last week’s loss against champions Northampton, having been denied a win at Exeter in highly controversial fashion in their previous outing.

Diamond said: “Last week looked great to the neutral and we scored five tries, which we’ve not done for a while in the league, but we had a collapse just before half-time which probably cost us the game.

“We tend to have a spell in matches where, for whatever reason, we just don’t cope, and it’s been the story of our season. We do loads of good stuff and I feel like we’re making positive strides, but when you let sides run amok for ten minutes it’s always going to cost you.

“Obviously we’re working hard to eradicate that, and we’ve been highly competitive in our recent matches. It doesn’t do any harm when you can bring on the England fly-half for an hour from the bench to change the game, and we’re not too despondent.”

Having served the first of his six-game touchline ban last weekend, Diamond watched his side take on Northampton from the elevated comfort of the hospitality boxes, and will do so again down at Bath.

“It was quite pleasant, to be fair,” said the Falcons boss.

“I sat down and had a bit of food before the game, I watched the match with our owner Semore Kurdi and I managed to avoid having a drink. It’s no drama, really, and the lads know what they’re doing. I’ll be in a box again down at Bath on Saturday with an old mate of mine, but the coaches are all switched on and it runs fine without me.”

Determined to finish the season strongly, Diamond added: “We are where we are in the league. Obviously we’re not happy about it but the lads are still training hard, the mood around the place is remarkably positive and there’s a buzz about the joint.

“We’re starting to see the improvements, but we’re still a ‘nearly’ team and ‘plucky old Newcastle’ when people talk about us. They say we’re ‘gritty’ rather than talking about our skill, but that’s just where we are and we have to take it on the chin.

“We played well at Exeter and should have won, we were one point away last weekend against the champions and we’re not far off. We’re competitive, we’ll fly down to Bath and give it our best shot, and I can’t ask any more than that.”

Newcastle Falcons team v Bath Rugby (Saturday, 3pm, The Recreation Ground, live on Discovery+)

15 Louis Brown, 14 Alex Hearle, 13 Connor Doherty, 12 Max Clark, 11 Ben Stevenson, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Sam Stuart; 1 Adam Brocklebank, 2 Jamie Blamire, 3 Richard Palframan, 4 John Hawkins, 5 Sebastian de Chaves, 6 Freddie Lockwood, 7 Cameron Neild, 8 Callum Chick (captain).

Replacements: 16 Ollie Fletcher, 17 Micky Rewcastle, 18 Murray McCallum, 19 Oscar Usher, 20 Ollie Leatherbarrow, 21 Max Pepper, 22 Oli Spencer, 23 Sammy Arnold.

Not available for selection: Eduardo Bello, Tim Cardall, Joe Davis, Tom Gordon, John Kelly, Kiran McDonald, Elliott Obatoyinbo, Jacob Oliver, Philip van der Walt.