Newcastle Falcons to the fore as the North-East looks to build on rugby's World Cup legacy

THE goalposts have been disassembled at St James’ Park, the fan zone has disappeared from Newcastle City Centre and the banners welcoming the All Blacks have been removed from Darlington’s High Row.

The North-East’s spell in the Rugby World Cup spotlight is over, and while some magical memories remain, thoughts now turn to the thorny issue of legacy. In a region where the round ball is king, how can rugby ensure that last month’s groundswell of interest and enthusiasm is maintained?

Developments at grassroots level are positive. A number of North-East clubs have reported a surge in their junior ranks as youngsters decide to have a go at rugby training, while the region’s county associations are sifting through expressions of interest from prospective coaches and referees, who signed up at some of the World Cup fan zone events.

Ultimately, though, it is the elite level that drives momentum, and for all the well-meaning initiatives that have sprung up in the wake of the most successful World Cup ever, the biggest determining factor when it comes to the strength of rugby union in this part of the country will continue to be the fate of the region’s biggest professional club, Newcastle Falcons.

Put simply, if Falcons can retain their Aviva Premiership status and gradually reclaim their former position as one of the country’s leading sides, regularly competing for silverware and a place in Europe, it will be much easier to promote and sustain rugby in the North-East.

If, however, they are relegated and go the way of West Hartlepool, a former regional powerhouse who now exist on the periphery of the national game, is will be infinitely harder for rugby to flourish.

Given that Newcastle head to Worcester this afternoon at the foot of the Aviva Premiership table, and without a point from any of their opening three matches, it would be dangerous to take anything for granted.

With rugby’s Premiership increasingly becoming as polarised and reflective of financial muscle as it’s footballing equivalent, Falcons will have to strain every sinew just to survive this term. It is not too much of a leap of faith to suggest that the long-term viability of North-East rugby is in their hands as they attempt to do so.

“As a North-Easterner, I know how important this club is to rugby in this part of the world,” said Hartlepool-born scrum-half Micky Young, who began his professional career with Falcons and returned to the club this summer after spells at Leicester and Bath.

“If you think of rugby in the North-East, you think of Newcastle Falcons and we’re all aware of the responsibility that comes with that. It’s huge. We’re based in a city and region dominated by football, but we fly the flag to show that rugby is a still a big deal up here.

“It’s great to be able to do that. I know how much this region loves rugby, even though that might not be its main reputation.

“As a youngster growing up at West Hartlepool, I know how much that club meant at the time. I remember running around Brierton Lane and feeling part of something special.

“Then to come up to Kingston Park and watch the Premiership with Newcastle a big part of that was massive for me.”

West Hartlepool were once rivals to Newcastle Gosforth, the forerunners to the Falcons, but the club now find themselves in North One East playing against the likes of Morpeth, Percy Park and Driffield.

Their decline was both rapid and vertiginous, but as they plummeted, Falcons rose to take their place, initially under the control of Sir John Hall, who embraced the professional era and guided the club to their first national title, then under the watchful eye of Dave Thompson, who oversaw two Powergen Cup triumphs, and now under the wing of North-East businessman Semore Kurdi.

Kurdi was in charge when Falcons were relegated from the Premiership in 2012, but they bounced back the following season and in the last couple of years, their ambitious owner has pumped a large amount of money into the club to buy back Kingston Park and help establish ground-breaking academy links with local clubs and universities.

As a result, the club remains the leading light for junior rugby in the region – although Darlington Mowden Park have made huge strides in this area in recent years – and their track record for bringing through young players such as former Yarm School flyer Zach Kibirige and highly-rated front rower Scott Wilson remains strong.

“I remember watching the games when I was younger – we came to watch Falcons because we wanted to watch the highest standard of rugby we could,” said Young. “That was what drove us here, and then the academy set-up was the beacon and the hotbed for rugby in the whole of the area, which it continues to be today.

“It made me into the rugby player I am today, and it’s important that kids continue to get the chance to do that.

“To have the opportunity to play back here, knowing the history of the club and everything that it stands for, is a massive privilege. I know how much it meant to me as a child, so I know how much it must mean to the kids and supporters who are coming today.”

Nevertheless, while there has been considerable progress off the pitch in the last couple of years, on the field Falcons have struggled to haul themselves away from the lower reaches of the table.

Last season, it was generally agreed that the standard of Newcastle’s performances improved, yet the club still finished the campaign one place above the relegation zone.

That didn’t matter too much because London Welsh were cut adrift from the outset and there was never any risk of Falcons dropping out of the top-flight. The new season is only three games old, but the relegation battle already looks like being much harder-fought this time around, with last year’s promoted side, Worcester, having beaten Northampton and claimed a losing bonus point as they almost pulled off what would have been a huge surprise by winning at Gloucester.

As a result, today’s trip to Worcester’s Sixways home already looks like being a game that could shape Newcastle’s season. Win, and they will be up and running and in touch with their rivals. Lose, and depending on how London Irish fare at home to Bath, Dean Richards’ side could find themselves detached as the domestic calendar takes a two-week break for the European Challenge Cup.

“It’s great for me to be back in the North-East,” said Young, who won a Premiership title and an Anglo-Welsh Cup during his time with Leicester. “But I’ll only really be able to enjoy it when we’re winning.

“I always wanted to come back eventually, and it’s been awesome to be back up here. I love living in the North-East, and it’s great to be close to my family and parents.

“It’s great to be able to come back to a place you know so well and be back part of rugby up here, but I just want to put things right on the pitch. If that happens, everything else will fall into place.”