Red Bulls Side for Dragons Trip
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Red Bulls Side for Dragons Trip
Newcastle Red Bulls have made three changes as they prepare for Friday’s trip to Newport, where they take on the Dragons in EPCR Challenge Cup action.
The 8pm kick-off at Rodney Parade is the last of their four group games, with unbeaten Newcastle having already secured a home tie in the round of 16 after defeating Lyon, Lions and Perpignan.
But the stakes are still high for the club as they aim to cement a seeding which would give them home advantage should they go even further in the competition, and they are boosted by the return of a pair of forwards.
Freddie Lockwood comes back into the side at No.8 having recovered from a broken bone in his hand, with lock Jamie Hodgson returning from his one-game suspension.
The only other change from last week’s 26-19 triumph over Perpignan comes in the backs where Oli Spencer misses out with a head knock sustained during the second half – Cameron Hutchison coming in at centre as Alex Hearle pushes out to the wing.
Senior assistant coach Stephen Jones highlighted the importance of Friday’s fixture as the Welsh great prepares to return to his homeland, saying: “This is a massive game for us.
“The fact that we already have a home tie in the round of 16 is irrelevant, because we know that home advantage in the later rounds is huge if we are able to go deeper into the competition. Securing a higher seeding from the group stage gives us the best possible chance of achieving that, but it’s also about maintaining our momentum.
“The Challenge Cup has been a great driver for us and I see it as a really important tournament, so we’re fully committed to it.”
Having won four of their last six games in all competitions, Jones said: “I’m happy with our work rate, our intention to play and the opportunities we’re creating. The next stage for us is to be more clinical, and that’s the exciting part for me because there is so much more growth to come from this group.
“The boys are working hard day in, day out, to improve their game, and they’re very open-minded. We’re starting to see things from training being transferred into our match-day performance, and not only that, we’re also starting to do it for longer in games. Rather than a good 15 minutes we’re starting to produce a good hour like we did against Gloucester, and I thought last weekend against Perpignan was the closest I’ve seen to an 80-minute performance since I got here.
“So there’s definite progress being made, but it’s only progress if we back it up week after week. That’s why Friday’s game down in Newport is so important.”
Asked about the positive contribution of a number of younger players, Jones said: “It was great to see a young lad like Oscar Usher picking up man of the match last weekend so early into his professional career, with guys like Finn Baker also coming through in the second row. Those two have been really impressive, and it’s testament to the detail being put in from the likes of Micky Ward and Scott MacLeod on the coaching side that they have been able to make that step up.
“At the other end of the spectrum we’ve seen a vastly-experienced performer like Christian Wade coming into the side, and he has got better week on week. He’s beating defenders, he makes things happen and his finish for his try last weekend was exceptional. Sammy Arnold is giving us that focal point in the middle of the park, and without wanting to list the entire team it’s just really positive to see the strides that we’re starting to take.
“Alan Dickens has been doing great work on the defensive side which has really been to the fore, the players are buying into it and without wanting to get ahead of ourselves, we’re starting to see the early fruits.”
Prepared for a stern examination as he returns to his homeland, the Welsh centurion said: “The Dragons are a much-improved side, and the work from Filo Tiatia and his coaching staff is clear for everyone to see.
“They left a lot of players at home last weekend for the Benetton game, and they’ll be fully focused on getting up for a massive night in front of their own crowd on Friday. It will be a great atmosphere down at Rodney Parade, as it always is, and we’re expecting a tough contest.
“Maintaining our momentum and continuing to upskill ourselves is absolutely massive for us, and a big performance away against the Dragons would show how committed we are to these ongoing improvements.”
Newcastle Red Bulls v Dragons (Friday, 8pm, Rodney Parade, live on S4C)
15 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Sammy Arnold, 12 Cameron Hutchison, 11 Alex Hearle, 10 Ethan Grayson, 9 Simón Benítez Cruz; 1 Murray McCallum, 2 George McGuigan (captain), 3 Richard Palframan, 4 Oscar Usher, 5 Jamie Hodgson, 6 Tom Gordon, 7 Tom Christie, 8 Freddie Lockwood.
Replacements: 16 Ollie Fletcher, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 Luan de Bruin, 19 Finn Baker, 20 Reuben Parsons, 21 James Elliott, 22 Rhys Beeckmans, 23 Nathan Greenwood.
Unavailable for selection: Eduardo Bello, Boeta Chamberlain, Freddie Clarke, Brett Connon, Joe Davis, Connor Doherty, Hame Faiva, Joel Grayson, Callum Hancock, John Hawkins, Elvis Kitenge-Fuki, Ollie Leatherbarrow, Fergus Lee-Warner, Amanaki Mafi, Oli Spencer, Liam Williams.
Referee: Christopher Allison (South Africa).
