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Tait and Flood exit troubled Falcons
NEWCASTLE Falcons are hoping
to sign two Super 14 players
following the bombshell that
Toby Flood, Ben Woods and
Mathew Tait will all leave at the
end of the season.
Flood and Woods have signed
for Leicester and Tait is to join
Sale, with the two England backs
reported to be bringing in
£200,000 in transfer fees.
One of the targets is centre
Tane Tuipolutu, from the Hurricanes
club in New Zealand, while
South African lock Cobus Grobler
is also believed to have been
approached, although neither is
of the big-money calibre.
After highly-rated England
Saxons scrum half Lee Dickson,
the former Barnard Castle
School captain, announced last
month he was leaving to join
Northampton it was always likely
that more of the Falcons' own
academy products would follow.
Falcons yesterday enjoyed a
much-needed win, beating
Leicester 28-25 at Kingston Park.
Club chairman Dave Thompson
claims that the loss of four
England backs for half a season
is the reason for letting Flood and
Tait go, but the problems go deeper
than that.
Although Thompson probably
saved the club from bankruptcy
after Sir John Hall pulled out,
balancing the books has continued
to be a problem.
That first became evident
when Thompson decided he
wanted David Walder off the payroll
because the talented utility
back was spending too much
time on the bench.
Things were obviously coming
to a head when Thompson sold
Kingston Park to Northern Rock
late last summer and the sacking
of fitness guru Steve Black in
mid-season hinted that all was
not well on the playing side.
Suggestions that Jonny
Wilkinson would leave in the
wake of Black's departure proved
wide of the mark.
The fact that his brother Mark
stepped into the fitness man's
shoes strengthened Jonny's ties
to the area and he is reported to
have accepted a new deal on a reduced
£200,000 a year.
But as the Falcons continued
to slide towards their current position,
with only relegated Leeds
below them, the sacking of John
Fletcher as Director of Rugby
persuaded Flood to go public
with his misgivings.
Fletcher had brought Flood,
Tait and Woods through the Newcastle
Academy, but his promotion
when Rob Andrew left always
looked like a cost-cutting
gamble.
Fletcher's appointment last
week as the National Academy
coach confirms where his
strength lies, and Thompson now
needs to find the best head coach
he can afford.
Whether that will continue to
be Steve Bates remains to be
seen, but if he does stay in place
Bates will need the support of
someone like ex-Falcons and
Scotland prop George Graham,
with whom he worked at the Borders.
Former Barnard Castle school
pupil, Tait is relishing a fresh
challenge.
"I have really enjoyed my time
at Newcastle, but I am now looking
forward to a new challenge at
Sale and playing with a different
group of players," he said.
"This is fantastic news for us,'
said Sale director of rugby
Philippe Saint- Andre.
"Mathew is a naturally gifted
rugby player who can play at fullback,
wing and outside centre.''
In a statement put out by the
club at the weekend, Thompson
said: "Having four of our firstchoice
back line away with England
for so long this year, and the
fact that they would miss half of
our league games next season,
has been a major consideration
in the decision to allow both Toby
and Mathew to move.
"The impact of four of our
back line going out en-masse and
then returning at various stages
of the season has caused us certain
difficulties as we look to get
this team to where it needs to be,
and we felt that the situation had
to be addressed for the long-term
good of the club.
"Whilst we remain committed
supporters of England and of
English rugby the interests of
Newcastle Falcons remain our
foremost concern, and it is with
that in mind that we have agreed
to these changes.
"All three players still had a
year left to run on their contracts,
and the club will receive
transfer fees for both Toby and
Mathew.
"We are currently in advanced
negotiations with two Super 14
players, and hope to have some
positive news to report on that
front in the near future."
Fletcher, meanwhile, will be in
charge of England U18s on a
three-week tour to Argentina in
July.
9:08am Monday 5th May 2008
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