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'I have bigger aspirations': Callum Chick opens up on his future
By Chris Jones
As Callum Chick led the Newcastle Falcons in a raucous rendition of Blaydon Races, the song they belt out in the changing rooms after a win, he realised that half the players didn’t know the words. That was hardly surprising as the victory over Exeter Chiefs ended a debilitating 25-game losing run in the Gallagher Premiership for a squad that is undergoing yet another rebuild, this time under the direction of Steve Diamond, the new director of rugby.
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While the 24-18 win over Exeter last Friday night brought 19 months of angst to an end, it still left them bottom of the table and it does not guarantee the tough days are over for the club with the smallest playing budget in the Premiership and is constantly raided by rival clubs for top talent.
The losing run was ended thanks to another selfless performance by Chick who didn’t miss a tackle all night at Kingston Park as the 27-year-old England international No 8 made as many dominant carries as any other player in that series of fixtures – seven – and also beat six defenders, the best from a forward in that round of matches.
So what was it like in that winning changing room after 574 days without a league victory? “Half the team didn’t know what the song was,” admitted Chick. “It was very nice to sing it again and the lads who did know Blaydon Races were giving it full blast. For the young players who hadn’t won it was important to remember that feeling but we are not getting carried away. Hopefully, there are more highs than lows now.
“It’s a win but we have had discussions this week about the fact we are professional rugby players and our job is to win games of rugby. That is what we are supposed to do. For all of us it is a case of bottling that emotion up and carrying it through to Gloucester (on Saturday) and to make sure we don’t have a drop off after that emotional high. We have spoken as a group about remembering what the lows felt like and not wanting to feel like that again and it will be a driving force moving forward.
“I was hugely happy to win and there was huge relief as there had been a lot of noise from outside the group and we knew it wasn’t true that we couldn’t win a game and weren’t up to scratch to be in the Premiership. It is hard to keep saying that when you keep losing and there was that exhale of emotion at the final whistle. Each week you don’t try to say something different after a loss because you want to ensure the message remains true to what we want to achieve with everyone doing their job for 80 mins.
“I felt against Exeter that is exactly what we got and in previous games we had put together 40 mins here and 20 mins there and then had a drop off letting teams back into the game. That win showed what we are capable of and the conversations have been around how people used to hate coming up to Newcastle on a cold and wet Friday night, it’s a long way from anywhere and windy. We have to use that to our advantage and it’s about harnessing that as a group. When we finished fourth in the league (2018) we didn’t win games by 30, 40 points it was by two or three points.”
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Chick pinpointed the long coach trip home from Bristol as the lowest moment during the 25-game losing run. “Losing (85-14) to Bristol away last April was a real low point and it was pretty tough because you prepare every week and think this is going to be the one to win again,” he explained. “You have a huge emotional ride for the game and then you lose again and going from that week to week is pretty tough. I have a good group around me, my girlfriend, family and friends and you need people to rely on and they were there for the Exeter game.”
The losing run came at a time of significant upheaval in the coaching box, allied to the loss of talented players such as Trevor Davison (Northampton Saints), George McGuigan (Gloucester), Phil Brantingham and Louie Johnson (both to Saracens), Matias Carreras (Bayonne) and Guy Pepper (Bath). Dean Richards left the role of director of rugby to be replaced by head coach Dave Walder who then made way for Alex Codling whose short time in charge ended with Diamond being brought initially as a consultant last season before taking over as director of rugby.
With so much change, it fell to players such as Chick to try and steady the ship and his captaincy has been pinpointed as a crucial factor by Diamond who stripped back the game plan to try and find that winning formula. “You have to buy into each coach no matter what is going on around you and Dimes has come in with a very simple game plan, doesn’t do a lot of coaching himself but has made it clear to the group what he wants and the other coaches to have their own roles and know exactly what they are doing,” said Chick.
“There is clarity throughout and that is very important. The nature of professional sport is that people come and go and over the last two years we have had a huge turnover and that is down to certain limitations that our club has and the new players have to learn quickly what it means to be at Newcastle and how we want to play.
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“I have played rugby since the age of seven and I am a competitive bloke and all I expect out of myself is the best I can do. It may not be a fantastic performance every game but if I have tried to deliver that despite the result then I can keep pride in myself. I have bigger aspirations and have had England caps and been in training camps which gave me a taste and I want more. I am not happy with what I have had so far and I want to get the most out of this career and represent my country as many times as possible.
“When we start winning games I will put myself in the shop window but at the minute it is about performing and keeping the ball moving. If you are not durable you are not going to last in the league and it is about managing your own body and while there are less games, they are probably more physical than they ever have been.
“After the first game with Bristol this season I was chatting with Ellis Genge and he said he felt we were not that far away and would start winning games. I felt players from other teams could see it coming but there is a difference between saying it and doing and last Friday was what we needed as a group.”
Holding onto Chick will be one of Diamond’s most challenging jobs as the No 8 has been linked with a move to Gloucester, their next opponents, to replace Zach Mercer who is reported to be heading back to France. Diamond has spoken to the agents for all the players out of contract and asked for the chance to put in a counteroffer – budget allowing. Chick has been with the club since the age of 12 and his loss would be a significant blow.
Chick’s test ambitions may mean having to leave and he said: “I signed a two year deal in 2023 and my future is important and if you play well then everything falls into place and there is no need to worry about it. Last time I signed a contract I didn’t have anything until April and the contract was up in June so that is the nature of the beast. Whatever happens, happens I would like to think I would get some offers.
“I used to watch from the North Stand at Kingston Park in the open and it’s a bit ridiculous (given the weather). From a young age, I said I wanted to be a rugby player and people said, “of course you do – it’s not going to happen”. I love the game and it put me in good stead and spending time watching helped me understand it and the home crowd makes all the difference. You could hear the crowd lifting us late in the Exeter game and those moments have been few and far between in the last couple of years.
“They stuck with us through thick and thin and the fans have been there in the rain and cold supporting us and the win was important for them as well.”
Now it is the challenge offered by eighth-place Gloucester who also only have one win this season but have been scoring tries for fun. Chick wants the same commitment and relentless pressure that did for Exeter to be replicated at Kingsholm and added: “We both play on similar plastic pitches and they are playing some magical rugby but they can also hang themselves and have conceded points in the last 20mins.
“They do leak a lot of points and it is about staying the fight until that final 20 where they have conceded a huge amount of points. Tom Gordon and Sammy Arnold have come into the team and made an impact. Tom flies around making tackles and jackals doing the dog work for 80 mins. Sammy is a very good voice off the pitch and is a no-nonsense 12 and is a real focal point for us which we have been missing for the last couple of years.”
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