Preview: Exeter Chiefs v Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons are enjoying their best Premiership Rugby season since they lifted the title two decades ago.
Their success saw head coach Dean Richards named Director of Rugby of the Season ahead of their semi-final clash with Exeter on Saturday.
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🏆 An incredible season for @FalconsRugby sees the @RicohUK Director of Rugby of the Season gong go to Dean Richards. And it’s not over for the Falcons yet!#PremRugbyAwards pic.twitter.com/0Kmk96y2Cm
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) May 16, 2018
The Falcons' trip to Sandy Park is one the most challenging battles their face this year. However, lock Calum Green has embraced the task at hand.
"We’re ready, we’ve prepared really well and the whole squad is full of confidence," he said. "We just want to give a performance which reflects the ability and desire within the group, and if we do that we’ll be happy.
"Exeter have built their club and their team very steadily from their promotion season, and it’s the model that most clubs would look to. I don’t think there’s any disgrace in saying we’ve looked to emulate that, and why wouldn’t you when it’s all built on a good local fan base, a thriving academy, a real team ethic and a couple of foreigners who bring the stardust?
"If you look at our squad and our club we’re not too dissimilar. Maybe they’re a few years ahead of us but we’re not in a bad place, and we’ll just see what happens when we go down there.
"I’m massively excited, and weeks like this are why you play the game. You have to make the most of them, enjoy them and give it absolutely everything on the day. We won’t get caught up in the moment, we’ll go all out for the win and I don’t see any reason why we can’t do it,"
"There’s no point getting into the top four if we’re just going to give up in the semi-finals. We might as well try and get to Twickenham, and if we physically apply ourselves we’ve got a good chance. Exeter like to move the ball around so we need to be ready for that, but when you’ve got game-breakers like Sinoti, Niki Goneva and the rest of the guys, anything can happen,"
While, in Exeter Chiefs' camp Thomas Waldom, who heads to New Zealand at the end of the season, is hell-bent on bowing out on a high note by helping the Chiefs to make it back-to-back titles in the Premiership.
"To hear them saying on TV that you are Premiership champions is nice and to get it again would be amazing, but we know we have a tough task starting with Newcastle on Saturday.
"We have worked hard this week on making sure that we have our house in order and getting ourselves prepared. We have looked at a tape of them and know they have threats all over the field.
"It’s do or die rugby and this is why we play it. Even if we win by a point, we go through, but we know we have to be on our best game if we want to progress, but training has been good all week really,"
The Chiefs have twice beaten Newcastle already at Sandy Park this season – once in the Premiership and then in the Anglo-Welsh Cup semi-final – but that will count for nothing when the two clubs lock horns on Saturday.
"It’s an amazing club, anyone that is thinking of coming here, you have got my recommendation hands down, it’s a great place to be," he added. "There are great coaches and the players are as well. They are a weird bunch at times, but they are really enjoyable as well.
"We are trying to get Sky installed and in New Zealand, they have the rugby channel where they show all the Premiership games and my wife asked me if we should get it. I said it was a no-brainer because if I don’t do that, I wouldn’t be able to watch the Chiefs, would I?"
Prediction: Exeter have won their last seven Premiership Rugby matches since Wasps beat them at Ricoh Arena in February. The Chiefs only defeat at Sandy Park in the tournament since October 2016 was by the narrowest of margins to Worcester Warriors on 10 February. Newcastle Falcons have reached the Premiership Rugby Semi-finals for the first time courtesy of their best league finish since they won the inaugural Premiership Rugby title in 1997/98. The Falcons have lost just twice in the last eight rounds of Premiership Rugby, at Worcester in round 19 and at home to Wasps in round 22. The Tynesiders’ record on the road this season is won seven, lost four. Exeter’s only defeat in their last nine fixtures with Newcastle in all tournaments was 20-28 at Kingston Park in round 13 of Premiership Rugby. The two clubs have met just twice before in a knockout match, with Newcastle winning 34-10 in the fourth round of the Tetley’s Bitter Cup at Kingston Park in 1998, and in the quarter-final of the European Challenge Cup at Sandy Park in 2015 with Chiefs winning 48-13. Newcastle have lost on all ten previous occasions they have visited Sandy Park. Exeter Chiefs will take it by 10 points.
Teams:
Exeter Chiefs: 15 Lachie Turner, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Sam Hill, 11 Olly Woodburn, 10 Joe Simmonds, 9 Nic White, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Don Armand (captain), 6 Dave Ewers, 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Mitch Lees, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Alec Hepburn
Replacements: 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Greg Holmes, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Thomas Waldrom, 21 Stuart Townsend, 22 Gareth Steenson, 23 Ian Whitten
Newcastle Falcons: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Vereniki Goneva, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 Sinoti Sinoti, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Michael Young, 8 Ally Hogg, 7 Gary Graham, 6 Mark Wilson (captain), 5 Evan Olmstead, 4 Calum Green, 3 Scott Wilson, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Sam Lockwood
Replacements: 16 Santiago Socino, 17 Rob Vickers, 18 David Wilson, 19 Will Witty, 20 Nili Latu, 21 Sonatane Takulua, 22 Juan Pablo Socino, 23 Alex Tait
Date: Saturday, May 19
Venue: Sandy Park, London
Kick-off: 15.30 (14.30 GMT)
Expected Weather: It will be a sunny afternoon with a high of 22°C and a low of 8°C.
Referee: Matthew Carley.
Assistant Referees: Tom Foley & Anthony Woodthorpe.
TMO: Stuart Terheege.
Source: @PremRugby, @ExeterChiefs, @FalconsRugby
