NEWCASTLE may currently be battling in the lower reaches of the Aviva Premiership but Eric Fry insists the LV= Cup is a different beast entirely, and one in which the Falcons are set to thrive.

The Falcons sit 11th in the league table but after winning their last four games confidence is now high at Kingston Park.

Newcastle will hope to carry that form over as they kick off their LV= Cup campaign with a trip to Franklin’s Gardens to face last year’s runners-up Northampton Saints before taking on Cardiff Blues and Fry admits they are desperate to get off to a winning start.

The prop moved to the North East from Championship side London Scottish over the summer but has struggled to wrestle a front row starting berth from the grip of Kieran Brookes and Scott Wilson thus far.

And although the competition is traditionally a breeding ground for young talent, the American is confident that his side’s strength in depth means they are set for success no matter what their starting line-up is.

“We have a lot of depth throughout our squad and there’s a lot of competition for spots,” said Fry. “So we are hoping to compete on multiple fronts.

“It doesn’t matter what team we put out in each competition, it will always be a solid XV that is capable of challenging any opponent.

“In terms of the LV= Cup in particular, it wouldn’t surprise me if we put out a strong team because it’s a competition we’ll be targeting.

“At the moment we’re taking it a game at a time – we’ll concentrate on each individual game and hope to play to our potential there.

“That should be enough to put us in a good position towards the end of the competition.”

Newcastle defeated Exeter Chiefs 29-24 at the start of October to end a 20-game winless streak in the Aviva Premiership and followed that up with victory over bottom-of-the-table London Welsh.

But European games against Bucharest Wolves and Newport Gwent Dragons – which the Falcons won – as well as start of the LV= Cup has halted their Premiership charge.

And although Fry acknowledges that the month-long break from league action came at a slightly inopportune time for the flying Falcons, he believes it will benefit them in the long-run.

“It would have been a good time for us to continue playing Premiership games,” added the 27-year-old, who has 26 international caps for the USA.

“But at the same time it’s good to give some of the guys who have been grinding away a bit of a break and give some playing time to other players.”

“It’s much easier to operate after a couple of wins – confidence is high in the team right now.

“When you’re losing you’re looking at so many areas that went wrong and you’re looking to polish things up – what went poorly and how can we fix it.”

Round 1 of the LV= Cup starts this weekend Saturday 1 – Sunday 2 November. For more information visit lv.com/rugby or follow @LVRugby