Team news: Falcons side for Anglo-Welsh Cup semi-final

Friday 9 March 2018

Newcastle Falcons have made four changes to their side for Sunday’s Anglo-Welsh Cup semi-final at Exeter Chiefs, fly-half Toby Flood among the returning players.

Flood was a late withdrawal from last weekend’s Aviva Premiership victory at Gloucester due to illness but is fit to form a half-back pairing with Tongan international Sonatane Takulua, who replaces Michael Young in the No 9 shirt.

Maxime Mermoz starts at outside centre in place of Chris Harris, lock Will Witty replacing Calum Green in the only other change as the Falcons aim to reach their first cup final since 2011.

The winner of Sunday’s semi-final will meet either Northampton or Bath in the final in Gloucester on Sunday March 18, Newcastle heading into their semi-final in fine form at fourth in the Aviva Premiership table and with the best away record in the league, winning on six of their nine road trips.

Director of rugby Dean Richards said: “I watched the Exeter v Saracens game last Sunday and it was a different level of intensity to our own match at Gloucester, so we know we’ve got to step it up a gear against a very good side.

“The good thing is that our guys are beginning to show a really strong mental resolve, we’re winning most of the tight games and our record away from home is outstanding. We’ll need all of those qualities on Sunday and we can travel with a lot of confidence.

“Our defence is going pretty well, we’d like to score more tries but we’re working hard on that, and provided we get one more point than the opposition then that’s all I’m worried about.”

Having ground out a 21-20 triumph at Gloucester last weekend despite a disrupted build-up, Richards said: “The players are understanding what’s needed in games, they’re maturing and they’re overcoming a lot of the challenges that are being put in front of them.

“We sat down with the boys last Saturday morning before the Gloucester match and explained they had every excuse under the sun not to turn up, but that we needed them to just put it behind them and get on with it. We had our flight cancelled which meant a long bus trip down, we lost our starting loose-head through the night when his wife went into labour, we lost our starting fly-half on the day of the game through illness and all these things can pile up on you.

“But the lads showed a lot of mental toughness, they didn’t take the excuses that were there and they just cracked on with the job. We took every opportunity we had in attack, and even in conceding four tries we managed to make sure they were scored in the corner so the kicks were more difficult, which ultimately proved to be the difference.”

Embarking on a month which sees the Falcons playing a European home quarter-final as well as staging their biggest ever home crowd at St James’ Park, Richards said: “Whichever game you look at from now until the end of the season, they’re all huge.

“There’s so much at stake, whether it be winning the Anglo-Welsh cup, finishing in the Aviva Premiership semi-finals, winning the European Challenge Cup, qualifying for the Champions Cup - and it’s a really positive environment.”

Newcastle Falcons team to face Exeter Chiefs (Sunday, 1pm, Sandy Park, live on BT Sport)

15 Simon Hammersley

14 Vereniki Goneva

13 Maxime Mermoz

12 Josh Matavesi

11 Sinoti Sinoti

10 Toby Flood

9 Sonatane Takulua

1 Sam Lockwood

2 Kyle Cooper

3 Jon Welsh

4 Will Witty

5 Sean Robinson

6 Ally Hogg

7 Will Welch (captain)

8 Nili Latu

Replacements

16 Santiago Socino

17 Rob Vickers

18 Scott Wilson

19 Calum Green

20 Ryan Burrows

21 Michael Young

22 Joel Hodgson

23 Chris Harris

Exeter Chiefs

15 Santiago Cordero

14 Tom O’Flaherty

13 Ian Whitten

12 Ollie Devoto

11 James Short

10 Joe Simmonds

9 Stu Townsend

1 Moray Low

2 Jack Innard

3 Greg Holmes

4 Mitch Lees

5 Wilhelm Van Der Sluys

6 Dave Dennis (captain)

7 Julian Salvi

8 Matt Kvesic

Replacements

16 Paul Davis

17 James Kenny

18 Jack Owlett

19 Toby Salmon

20 Kai Horstmann

21 Will Chudley

22 Sam Morley

23 Tom Hendrickson

Referee: Karl Dickson