THEY might be facing one of the most in-form sides in Europe tomorrow, but Newcastle Falcons will stick to their policy of using the European Challenge Cup to blood some of their academy products when they face Connacht.

Falcons have travelled to Ireland to face a Connacht side who are second in the Guinness Pro 12 table, and who have also won both of their European games so far.

They saw off French side Brive in their last continental outing, and Falcons director of rugby Dean Richards is expecting an extremely tough test as he looks to keep his own side’s European hopes alive.

There must have been a temptation to name a more experienced line-up given the quality of the opposition, but having fielded an experimental team in Falcons’ opening two Challenge Cup matches, Richards has made 11 changes for tomorrow’s game.

“There is a lot of inexperience in there, but they are learning a huge amount every week,” said Richards. “We need to combine all of those bits and pieces and mould them into a performance, but it will come.

“Connacht have been on fire in the Pro 12, just as Brive have been in France. We have drawn both of them in Europe so it means some difficult games. That’s great because it means pitting your wits against the best, and I would sooner it be that way than easy games week in, week out.

“We will start winning soon, and when we do we will go on a winning streak which makes people wonder what all the fuss was about at the start of the season when we were getting beat.”

Eleven members of tomorrow’s starting line-up have progressed through Newcastle’s academy system, with Simon Hammersley coming into the team at full-back and Zach Kibirige and Dan Marshall lining up on the wing.

Having impressed in the A team at fly-half, Craig Willis steps into the number ten role at senior level, with Tongan international Tane Takulua making his first start at scrum-half since returning from Rugby World Cup duty earlier this season.

In the pack, England Under-20s lock Will Witty makes his second start for the club as he continues his injury comeback and will be hoping to repeat his powerful performance on his debut start in last year’s competition.

Witty is joined in the second row by England international Mouritz Botha, with the pair lining up behind a front row of Alex Rogers, Scotland hooker Scott Lawson and Tongan tight head Taione Vea.

Newcastle Falcons: Hammersley, Marshall, Penny, C Harris, Kibirige, Willis, Takulua; Rogers, Lawson, Vea, Witty, Botha, Mayhew, Temm, Hogg.

Replacements: Hawkins, B Harris, Foster, Green, Chick, Dawson, Socino, Watson.