Wilkinson rested for Falcons
JONNY Wilkinson has been rested
for Newcastle Falcons' rearranged
home match against
Wasps tonight.
With all tickets sold following
Sunday's morale-boosting win
against Leicester, the Falcons
have no need to risk further damage
to their fly half.
Wilkinson is to have a shoulder
operation at the end of the season
and caretaker boss Steve
Bates said: "He did very little
training prior to Sunday's match,
which was a huge physical contest.
There is very little to be
gained by putting him through
another similar match in the
space of four days.
"We'll keep an eye on it with
the Worcester game in mind on
Saturday, but even then we might
just decide to give some of the
younger guys a run."
Making his first senior appearance
on the bench tonight is No.8
Peter Browne, the Durham University
student who has starred
for the Falcons academy this season
and played a few games for
Darlington Mowden Park.
"He is a player who excites me
a lot," said Bates. "He is a naturally
athletic player, a big strong
physical presence and I have a
very high regard for him.
"This is a chance for him to
find out what Premiership rugby
is all about, and I'm very confident
that he will rise to the occasion.
I think he is the type of player
who can excite the fans with
the way he plays, and I would also
put Micky Young in that category
at scrum half."
Young and fly half Rob Miller
are on the bench, with Hall
Charlton and Steve Jones starting
at half back, while Salebound
Mathew Tait switches to
outside centre with Tom May at
full back.
After the recent turmoil at the
club, Bates described Sunday's
win as "a big step forward" and
is confident of more success before
the end of the season with a
more structured style of play.
"For much of Sunday's game
we realised that we needed to get
ourselves down into the right
areas, and only then could we really
start to move the ball
around.
"Appreciating that reality of
rugby is a major change of mindset
for a lot of these players.
"The next major goal is to
learn to play away from home,
and I think a lot of the things we
are applying to our game, such as
keeping it tight and playing more
territory, will have a significant
impact next season when we are
on the road.
"What we already have is an
outstanding team ethic. The
players really want to work hard
for one another and put their
bodies on the line, and if we can
add more of a streetwise resilience
to that week in, week
out, then we can make ourselves
extremely tough to beat."
"Given what happened on
Sunday afternoon there is now a
real buzz among the place, and
everyone is keen to get back out
there."
Bates knows that the club
where he spent 15 years, Wasps,
will provide an enormous test as
they bid to get into the play-offs.
In the front row Micky Ward
and Matt Thompson replace Jon
Golding and Andy Long, with fitagain
Mark Sorenson returning
to the second row while Russell
Winter and Brent Wilson join
skipper Phil Dowson in a newlook
back row.
Newcastle Falcons: Tom May, Ollie Phillips,
Mathew Tait, Tim Visser, John Rudd, Steve
Jones, Hall Charlton, Micky Ward, Matt Thompson,
Carl Hayman, Andy Perry, Mark Sorenson,
Phil Dowson (captain), Brent Wilson, Russell
Winter
12:22pm Wednesday 7th May 2008
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