European combat resumes in central Italy on Saturday as Newcastle visit the Stadio Tommaso Fattori for the first time to play five-times national champions L’Aquila.  A week later the Italians visit KP for a return encounter.

 

The first match at least is a meeting of the top and bottom sides in Pool 4, with L’Aquila having been beaten 25-32 at home by Borders and hammered 64-22 in Brive.  As well as this, our opponents lie 8^th in the Italian Super 10 despite the weekend’s 14-9 victory over Viadana, in which they came back from 6-9 down at half time.  Their only try came from number 8 Caine Elisara, whilst Alberto Di Bernardo kicked three penalties.

 

L’Aquila are also second in their Skoda Cup group.

 

Unlike many teams we have played this year, L’Aquila’s squad is rather thin on internationals, although they do boast two Italian caps, Gert Peens (centre, 18 caps) and one of the country’s first choice props in Andrea Lo Cicero, the club captain who started all five of Italy’s 6 Nations matches in 2005 but who will be missing through injury.  Also on the roster is Colin Quigley from Aberdeen and a former Falcon (South Africa’s Falcons), Jacques Lombard.

 

On the face of things we shouldn’t have too many problems over the next two weeks, although we have lost on both of our previous visits to the land of Garibaldi and pizza – both times to Benetton Treviso, 28-15 in October 2000 and 27-8 in December 2002.   We turned things around at Kingston Park both times though, topping the group with a 30-19 victory in the former year and winning 35-5 to proceed to the quarter-finals on aggregate in the latter.

 

However, with us still having to go to Brive and them looking for maximum points in their next three games against Borders and L’Aquila, we can afford no slip-ups if we want to reach the quarter-finals.

 

And now to Mark’s little bit:-

 

The team, as announced on Thursday lunchtime shows, just for a change, a weakness in the backs.  Of the 14 registered, only eight are available, with six being injured and Mathew Tait being on England Sevens duty.  And here’s the rant.  As has been questioned elsewhere, it’s debatable whether Tait should be in George, or whether, like Tom Varndell at Leicester, he should have returned to his club for a competitive European match, in a competition that is of vital importance to Falcons.  Yes, Tait is part of the core squad, which according to the RFU website, is:-

 

“…a core squad of nine players who are available to play in all eight IRB Sevens tournaments and to be put forward for selection for the Commonwealth Games…”

 

However, whilst Varndell is not part of the core squad, James Bailey of Gloucester is – and he was in the Cherry and Whites squad for the Powergen Cup tie against Bath last weekend, rather than being in Dubai for the England triumph there.  Whilst I don’t begrudge any player the right to play for their country – and Tait, Varndell and Bailey are the future of English rugby for many years to come – surely some sort of compromise could be made between Falcons and the RFU to allow Tait to return and Ollie Phillips (named in the wider Sevens squad but ineligible for Europe) to take his place, if they insist on having a Newcastle player there.

 

The whole episode doesn’t make sense to me, and obviously to other Falcons supporters.  For those that have made the trip to Italy, I hope they aren’t shortchanged, but think of this – Gloucester themselves played a back row forward against Falcons in the Wildcard match last season, and James Forrester scored two tries and won the man of the match award.  Fingers crossed that Mike McCarthy can do the same.

 

When all’s said and done, I expect five points this weekend.  And an unexpected Borders win over Brive in Galashiels.  The Falcons team:-

 

15 Dave Walder

14 Mike McCarthy

13 Jamie Noon

12 Mark Mayerhofler

11 James Hoyle

10 Toby Flood

9 James Grindal

1 Jonny Williams

2 Matt Thompson

3 Tino Paoletti

4 Andy Perry

5 Stuart Grimes

6 Owen Finegan

7 Cory Harris

8 Colin Charvis (captain)

 

Replacements: 

16 Robbie Morris

17 Andy Long

18 Luke Gross

19 Geoff Parling

20 Andy Buist

21 Matthew Burke

22 Ben Woods

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