DEAN RICHARDS claims an improvement in Newcastle Falcons’ discipline has been the key factor behind his side’s rise up the Aviva Premiership table.

Falcons have climbed to tenth position on the back of four successive home wins, with last weekend’s 26-25 victory over Northampton Saints having maintained their upward momentum.

The club’s away form remains a source of concern ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Gloucester, with Falcons still searching for their first Premiership win of the season away from Kingston Park.

They came close in their last outing, going down 9-8 in an extremely hard-fought encounter at Wasps, and Richards has cited his players’ reduced penalty count as a leading explanation for the increased competitiveness.

“We made some mistakes earlier in the season from a disciplinary viewpoint,” said the Falcons director of rugby. “We were giving away 15 and 16 penalties a game, and getting absolutely crucified as a result.

“Gloucester at home at the start of the season (when Falcons lost 39-27) was a typical example of that, but we have sorted out our discipline issue and have been down to single figures.

“That has contributed massively to our improved league form, and also reflects the confidence with which we are not playing.”

Richards has made four changes to the side that started against Northampton, with Tongan scrum-half Tane Takulua having been handed his first league start of the campaign.

Michael Young drops to the bench to accommodate Takulua’s promotion, with a new second-row pairing seeing Calum Green and Mark Wilson packing down alongside each other. Wilson moves from the back row, with both Mouritz Botha and Sean Robinson missing out.

Richard Mayhew fills the back-row gap created by Wilson’s positional switch, with Italian wing Giamba Venditti replacing Alex Tait in the only other change to the side.

Tonga international Taione Vea retains his place at tight-head despite the recent arrival of experienced Japanese scrummager Kensuke Hatakeyama.

Newcastle Falcons: Hammersley, Venditti, Harris, Powell, Watson, Goode, Takulua; Vickers, Lawson, Vea, Green, M Wilson, Mayhew, Welch, Hogg.

Replacements: McGuigan, Rogers, Hatakeyama, Botha, Clever, Young, Willis, Socino.