Newcastle Falcons team to face Benetton

Cameron Hutchison is among the players returning for Newcastle Falcons on Friday when they host Italian side Benetton in EPCR Challenge Cup action.

The Kingston Park clash is an 8pm kick-off and sees the centre starting in a game which is pivotal to the Falcons’ hopes of progressing through to the last 16 of the competition.

Full-back Elliott Obatoyinbo also comes in for the penultimate group clash, with Josh Barton replacing the injured James Elliott at scrum-half.

Adam Brocklebank starts at loose-head prop in a pack which sees the return of John Hawkins in the second row and Jamie Blamire at hooker, with the Falcons facing Benetton for the first time in 22 years.

Forwards coach Micky Ward was a player when the two clubs last met during the 2000-01 Challenge Cup pool phase - Newcastle beating the Italians 30-19 at home after losing 28-15 in Treviso.

The Falcons reached the semi-finals in that year’s competition, and Ward believes a win on Friday could re-energise his squad for the remainder of the current season.

“To move forward we need a win,” said the club’s appearance record holder, who celebrated his 45^th birthday this week.

“I don’t just mean in the Challenge Cup, but to move forward with our season. It would just kick start the whole squad for the back end of the campaign, and maybe moving into a new competition can give us that impetus.

“We’ve got a few bumps and bruises in the squad but we’ve not massively rotated, and it’s a game we’re taking really seriously.”

Asked about last weekend’s home loss to Harlequins, the Wallsend native said: “The little things are having a big effect on us during games at the moment. We were still very much in the contest at half-time but we let them off the hook on a number of occasions by making errors, and then in the second half it was more of the same.

“It was a game which was there for the taking for us, but whether it was execution, guys not doing their roles and things like that – we just ended up putting ourselves under pressure. When you do that against a good side like Harlequins you’re going to lose, and that’s what happened on the night.”

Acknowledging the backing of a season-high home crowd and reiterating the Falcons’ desire to do it for their supporters, Ward said: “It was a great atmosphere and the crowd turned up in numbers to get behind the lads, so it’s disappointing for us as a club to have lost the game.

“We obviously understand we’ve had a poor start to the season from a results points of view, but the morale and togetherness among the squad is really good.

We’ve got a top group of lads and they’re working incredibly hard. Yeah, it’s tough when you’ve lost as many games as we have and you’re coming in on a Monday morning to review another defeat, but the characters we have here and some of the things we’re trying to do to freshen things up – it keeps people energised.

“On the whole I’d say the morale is pretty decent considering where we are in the league and all the rest of it, but obviously we need a win. That’s where the focus is, on putting in place the things we need to achieve that result, and I believe that when one win comes it will be followed by more.

“It’s getting really important now, but that one win on Friday night will be the springboard we need.”

Newcastle Falcons team v Benetton Rugby (Friday, 8pm, Kingston Park, live on Viaplay)

15 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 George Wacokecoke, 12 Cameron Hutchison, 11 Iwan Stephens, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Josh Barton; 1 Adam Brocklebank, 2 Jamie Blamire, 3 Eduardo Bello, 4 John Hawkins, 5 Sebastian de Chaves, 6 Pedro Rubiolo, 7 Guy Pepper, 8 Callum Chick (captain).

Replacements: 16 Bryan Byrne, 17 Phil Brantingham, 18 Murray McCallum, 19 Freddie Lockwood, 20 Sam Cross, 21 Hugh O'Sullivan, 22 Louie Johnson, 23 Tom Penny.

Not available for selection: Tim Cardall, Mateo Carreras, Sam Clark, Ben Douglas, James Elliott, Jordan Holgate, Isaac Keller, Ollie Leatherbarrow, Kiran McDonald, Matias Moroni, Jacob Oliver, Richard Palframan, Vereimi Qorowale, Ben Redshaw, Oliver Spencer, Marcus Tiffen, Philip van der Walt.