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Newcastle outline whether gripes over Welsh shoulder dislocation will feed into prep for Leicester rematch

By Chris Jones
(Photo by PA)

Newcastle head coach Dave Walder has claimed that the serious injury suffered by Jon Welsh at Mattioli Woods Welford Road nine days ago won’t be a motivation when the Falcons return to Leicester to take on the Tigers in this Saturday’s Challenge Cup quarter-final. 

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Prop Welsh was left with a dislocated shoulder following a bruising clear-out from Leicester’s Jasper Wiese during the 26-12 win by the hosts on March 28. The South African came in from the side at a ruck – according to Newcastle – to make the collision which resulted in Welsh requiring an operation.

The incident happened after Welsh had been involved in a pre-match verbal bust-up with England prop Ellis Genge, who is likely to be recalled to the Leicester team having been rested for the round of 16 home win last Saturday over Connacht.  

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There was apparently lingering anger within the Falcons camp that no action was taken at the time or subsequently against Wiese for the manner of his damaging collision with Welsh, but Walder has played down its significance ahead of a quarter-final that Newcastle qualified for with last Saturday’s win ay Ospreys.   

“There is always something in a game gone by where certain individuals have gripes but we haven’t talked about it,” insisted Walder. “This will be about us sticking to script and imposing ourselves in areas where we can get dominance.

“Leicester did their homework on Connacht and used the driving maul as a weapon and are probably the strongest mauling team in the Premiership at the moment. We conceded one against them when we played there a couple of weeks ago and if you want to give yourself a chance you have to match them up front.

“They have got that physicality and forward-based game with nine and ten putting them in the right places on the pitch. Steve (Borthwick) has gone in there and made things simpler for them, and they have some very good players who are putting their hands up this season.

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“George Ford is the best kicking fly-half in Europe and had a good day when we played them in the Premiership. There were areas where we let ourselves down in that game.”

Last weekend’s big news surrounding Newcastle was their signing for next season of former England full-back Mike Brown. Walder predicted the 35-year-old would be a real force in the north-east. “He is a very driven, skilful player who is still operating at the top of his game. He looks after his body and will make a huge impact on and off the pitch.”

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Jonathan Foster 2 hours ago
Scott Lawrence: 'I think the forward pass for the Fiji try was a pivotal moment in the game'

In this match, Fiji’s performance was exceptional, and the statistics reflect that they were the superior team on the day.


For instance:


Possession: Fiji controlled 59% of the possession during the match, while the USA only had 41% (RugbyPass, 2024). This allowed Fiji to apply constant pressure on USA’s defense and create more opportunities for scoring.


Territory: Fiji spent 64% of the match in USA’s half, keeping the Americans under sustained pressure (World Rugby, 2024).


Offensive Play: Fiji made 7 line breaks, compared to USA’s 3. In addition, Fiji completed 12 offloads while USA only managed 5, highlighting Fiji's superior attacking ability and ball handling (World Rugby, 2024).


Scrums and Rucks: Fiji was dominant in the scrums, winning 100% of their own scrums (8 out of 8), whereas USA only won 71% of theirs (5 out of 7).


Additionally, Fiji won 6 turnovers compared to USA’s 2 (ESPN, 2024). This scrummaging and breakdown superiority was a critical factor in controlling the game.


Additionally, while forward passes can be contentious, it’s important to note that USA was also guilty of making 3 forward passes during the match, which resulted in lost opportunities and turnovers (RugbyPass, 2024).


These key errors disrupted momentum and contributed to their inability to maintain a sustained attack.


References

ESPN. (2024). Fiji vs USA match report. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/rugby/match


RugbyPass. (2024). Scott Lawrence on the Fiji match and forward pass controversy. Retrieved from https://www.rugbypass.com/news


World Rugby. (2024). Fiji triumphs over USA in a thrilling encounter. Retrieved from https://www.world.rugby.com

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J
JW 4 hours ago
‘Did Conrad really score that many’: Rieko Ioane dismisses All Blacks drought

Indeed, but I also appreciate how Razor now has him covering the backfield more. Are they conflicting uses? Who was it that covered the Arg game, John(?), no it was a YTer (squidge?) suggested Jordies role was to chase and support the wing for a tap back.


That turnover try was actually a great example of were Jordies boot could have been used for territory instead of attacking (contestable). Hansen talking again about 'learnings' about what part of the field they want to play in. I would have thought that would be a basic principle about how the coaches want to play and it would be a bit late now to be learning that.


Nevrtheless we wait and see. One Barretts carrying though I'd suggest he only has a mandate to bring some physicality, not in how he does it. You can see how out of kilter he gets when he tries to do anything other than a simple cart up and pop. Just look at least week when he had two players on the outside to hit in multiple ways and he just indecisively takes the tackle before giving a poor overhead pop. That he still got the pass away hints at what he is "capable of" but as you saw, with free license, its just far off the mark. I've decided Rieko is my 12 from now on. I'd like Jordie to remain primarly at 12 at the Hurricans, as I feel that's were his best alround game can be kept in good shape, and you never know perhaps he will fill into the position after a while, but I'd like to try other centers essentially. But yes, if Razor/Hansen can get both him and Dmac humming in partnership they could also essentially cover many of the fb roles which aren't Jordans strength. Also obv happy to see Rieko tried on the wing just now I think that's more likely to fail than a Rieko/Proctor midfield.

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