Murray back in Falcons' starting line-up (From The Northern Echo)

Murray back in Falcons' starting line-up

8:00am Saturday 11th February 2012 in Sport By Scott Wilson

SCOTLAND'S loss is Newcastle Falcons' gain this afternoon as prop Euan Murray returns to domestic duty for the Aviva Premiership game at Bath.

Murray was part of Andy Robinson's front row for Scotland's Six Nations defeat to England last weekend, but his religious beliefs prevent him from playing on a Sunday and mean he will not be involved at the Millennium Stadium tomorrow as Scotland take on Wales.

Instead, the 31-year-old has been given permission to play for Newcastle as they resume their attempts to pull away from the foot of the table at Bath's Recreation Ground.

Murray's availability is a major boost to new director of rugby Gary Gold, who will take charge of his first Premiership game today after overseeing LV=Cup matches against Sale and Leicester.

Gold has just nine more matches in which to guide Falcons to safety, with the North-Easterners currently nine points adrift of 11th-placed Wasps, who have a home game with Saracens tomorrow.

“I have a great bunch of guys here and, to a man, I do not think that there is a guy who is not desperate to get back to winning ways,” said Gold. “There is a lot of hard work ahead of us and we are continuously hampered by injuries but unfortunately the world of sport is like that.

“It is no good moaning and groaning about it, it is just the way that it is and we have to adapt to it the best that we can. I am really encouraged with the attitude of the guys on the training field and the intensity in the sessions has increased quite a lot, so hopefully the pressure they are put under in training can be emulated in the games.”

Murray's return is one of four changes to the side that lost at Leicester last weekend. Jamie Helleur returns at outside centre in place of Corne Uys, who has a rib injury, while Grant Shiells and Will Welch are named in the pack.

Andrew van der Heijden is on the bench after recovering from a knee injury, and Matt Thompson also has a place among the replacements following a shoulder problem.

Bath are only two places above Newcastle in the table, but the West Country side are in decent form and have recorded three wins in a row in the Heineken and LV Cups.

“Bath have turned their season around with some good wins in their last few outings,” said Gold. “Their confidence is going to be high and I think Sir Ian McGeechan has done a very good job down there – we are certainly going to have our hands full this weekend.

“It is going to be as tough as it was at Leicester last week, if not tougher, and the guys realise that. We are going to have to front up and I really hope we can put up a good showing.

“If we keep improving in the areas we have identified, then hopefully the scoreboard reflects that. Bath are a team that like to move the ball efficiently around the park and they ask questions about your defence.

“They have some good runners such as Matt Banahan, Nick Abendanon and Tom Biggs, so they are going to be a tough prospect.”

NEWCASTLE FALCONS: Goosen, Shortland, Helleur, Fitzpatrick, Hufanga, Gopperth, Pilgrim; Shiells, Vickers, Murray, Fondse, Swinson, Welch, Hogg, Wilson.

Replacements: Thompson, Golding, Hall, van der Heijden, Tu'ifua, Chudley, Hodgson, Bedford.