DEAN RICHARDS will have half an eye on the return of the Aviva Premiership when his Newcastle Falcons side entertain Cardiff Blues in the LV=Cup tomorrow.

Falcons host their Welsh opponents at Kingston Park having won two of their three knockout matches since the Premiership programme was halted in the middle of last month.

Each of those three games witnessed Richards naming a host of young academy players, and the director of rugby has been delighted with the way his club’s youngsters handled the step up to the senior ranks.

However, with attention switching back to the league when Newcastle travel to Bath next Saturday, the time for experimentation is at an end.

Tomorrow’s game will double as a warm up for next weekend’s trip to The Rec, with the likes of Alex Tait, Noah Cato, Gonzalo Tiesi, Adam Powell, Ruki Tipuna and Juan Pablo Socino coming back into the fold after a prolonged period of rest.

“The last two or three weeks have been fantastic in terms of giving people opportunities, but now it is all about winning,” said Richards. “I am not saying the last few weeks haven’t been, but there will be far more emphasis on a stable side producing a performance.

“If you look at the experience some of the boys have gained over the last few weeks, I think it has been outstanding. To come away with the wins we have done, especially over Newport and Exeter, delights me.”

Tipuna and Socino will pair up in the half-backs for the first time in a month, with Alex Tuilagi remaining on the wing after starting last weekend’s defeat to Northampton Saints.

In the forwards, loanee Alex Rogers makes his first Falcons start at loose-head, with Rob Vickers moving to hooker to replace Rob Hawkins.

Calum Green and Dom Barrow combine in the second row, with Andy Saull skippering the side in the absence of Will Welch, who faces six weeks on the sidelines after twisting his knee at Northampton.

Last weekend’s game at Franklin’s Gardens has taken a heavy toll, with Uili Kolo’ofai set to be absent for more than a month after pulling his hamstring and Jamie Helleur expected to be out for even longer after tearing his medial knee ligament.

Newcastle Falcons: Tait, Cato, Tiesi, Powell, Alex Tuilagi, Socino, Tipuna; Rogers, Vickers, S Wilson, Green, Barrow, R Mayhew, Saull, M Wilson.

Replacements: McGuigan, Nelson, Tomaszczyk, MacLeod, York, Blair, Clegg, Harris.