STEVE Bates will be tuning in to French television tomorrow night as Brive entertain Overmach Parma in a game that could signal the end of Newcastle Falcons' European Challenge Cup hopes.

If Parma spring a surprise in the Parc Municipal, Newcastle's trip to Cetransa El Salvador on Sunday will become an irrelevance as they will not be able to qualify for the quarter-finals of the competition.

With tomorrow's game being screened live on French television, Bates will be desperately scouring the airwaves to keep abreast of the latest developments in Brive.

But even if Falcons are knocked out of the Challenge Cup, their director of rugby will not be fielding a weakened line-up in Spain.

"The reality is that if Parma beat Brive, the competition is over for us," said Bates. "But that result won't affect our selection (for Sunday's game) at all.

"The result of the Brive v Parma game is crucial in determining whether or not we can progress in this competition, so we'll obviously be keeping an eye out to see what happens.

"But we will go to Spain with a strong team regardless of whether or not we can progress in the competition.

"On current form, you'd have to say that Brive are favourites. But Parma beat them earlier in the season so nothing is ever guaranteed.

"I would expect Brive to take it seriously, especially on the back of the reaction we saw from them on the final whistle here last weekend, which suggests this is a competition they are determined to progress in."

Bates is expected to confirm his starting XV for the trip to El Salvador on Friday, but New Zealand prop Carl Hayman is a definite non-starter as he has been given permission to return to his homeland to be married.

Scrum-half Rory Clegg is available after recovering from the groin injury that kept him out of last weekend's defeat to Brive, while Jon Golding is also in contention for a starting place after shaking off a neck problem.

Mark Sorenson and Micky Young are carrying knocks, and will be assessed in training tomorrow before Bates selects his side.

"We want to put some things in place that we will use for the remainder of the Guinness Premiership season," said the Falcons chief. "Especially with an important game down at Bristol in a few weeks time.

"We have to take it very seriously, play properly and put some pressure on ourselves to put in a big performance going in to that Premiership programme."

* Newcastle forwards Phil Dowson and David Wilson have been included in the England Saxons squad to face Portugal on Friday, January 30.

Leicester scrum-half Harry Ellis will also get the chance to show he is ready to spearhead England's Six Nations campaign when he turns out at Sale's Edgeley Park.

Ellis was one of three number nines chosen in the elite squad last Wednesday, but he joins fellow Test caps Jordan Crane, also of the Tigers, and Bath full-back Nick Abendanon in an otherwise youthful 21-man party.

Head coach Stuart Lancaster's squad contains no players from Gloucester, London Irish, Harlequins, Northampton, Worcester or Sale because of rearranged Premiership matches, but includes four members of England's Under-20 World Cup final team - Noah Cato, Alex Goode, Nathan Catt and Joe Simpson.