Newcastle Red Bulls team to face Leicester Tigers

Hoskins Sotutu makes his first start for Newcastle Red Bulls on Saturday when they host Leicester Tigers in Gallagher PREM action.

The former All Black No.8 made his debut from the bench last week as the Red Bulls claimed a bonus point away to champions Northampton Saints, with Sotutu’s inclusion one of just two changes for the 7.45pm kick-off at Kingston Park.

The other comes on the wing where Obi Ene comes in for his competitive debut in place of Werner Kok, who misses out with a hamstring injury.

Adam Brocklebank is added to the bench as his side look to record their second victory of the season over Leicester, having won 36-24 in the East Midlands three weeks ago in PREM Rugby Cup action.

Head coach Dan McFarland said: “Leicester are a different style of team to what we faced last week at Northampton.

“The Saints are still a very physical side in terms of collisions at the gain line, and whilst Leicester are also strong in that area they will bring more of a set-piece and aerial focus with it. That will be a big test, but we’re really looking forward to it.”

Having last week seen the most tries in the opening round of any PREM season, including four from his own team, McFarland was at pains to celebrate the attacking prowess right across the league.

“We saw a lot of tries over the whole piece last weekend, which I think is partly a consequence of the ‘escort’ laws,” he said.

“What it means is more 50-50s under the high ball, which means more transition and more unstructured attack. That’s a big part of our game, and there’s a real emphasis on how we can make the most of those situations.

“Defence coaches across the league are probably finding it difficult at the moment because you’re regularly seeing 12 or 13 tries in a game, and the officiating seems to be favouring the attack.

“To be honest I totally agree with that, but I’ll admit it makes it a tough time for the defensive coaches. Those crumbs around the aerial contest are now such a big part of the game, and it’s a case of what systems can you put in place to deal with it. A lot of it is around mentality, because it’s difficult to have a rigid plan for something that is by its very nature so unstructured.

“I also think you have to give credit to the attack coaches and players across the league, because they’re trying new things all the time and making defences have to think more. Fans in general I think appreciate that, and from my side as a rugby watcher it makes it a more exciting spectacle.”

Looking to improve on last week’s losing bonus point away to the champions, the Newcastle boss added: “We’re competitive, professional people who never want to lose, because losing hurts. But hurt is fuel, and there’s an understanding that we’re on a journey.

“This is all a process for us, and it takes time. The best way to react is to test yourself against another quality team, and we’ll certainly be doing that on Saturday.

“At Northampton we were looking to play a high-energy game where we moved the ball a lot, and I thought we did that. Going forward we can definitely create more opportunities by better connection and cohesion, and that will put us in a much better position.

“Everyone saw how much the yellow cards affected us, which is another work-on, but that ability for us to stay in system and withstand pressure is something that will improve with time. You also have to credit a very good Saints side for the way they took their opportunities, and there were definitely green shoots for us in the performance.”

Relishing the opportunity to put on a show for the home crowd on Saturday, McFarland said: “We want to make Kingston Park somewhere that us and our supporters can be proud of.

“The starting point is effort and physicality, because fans love that and everything else flows from it in a rugby sense. You’re not going to win games at this level if you’re not physical and you don’t work your socks off, and then from there it’s about layering on our attack and playing with ambition.

“It’s going to be tough because the Gallagher PREM is an unforgiving league full of really good teams, but if we play with optimism and give our heart and soul for each other every single week then I think we’re on a journey which will ultimately lead to success.

“Doing that in front of our home fans would be doubly special because we want to thank those guys for coming out and supporting us, and that will be a huge motivation on Saturday night.”

Newcastle Red Bulls v Leicester Tigers (Saturday, 7.45pm, Kingston Park, live on TNT Sports)

15 Harrison Obatoyinbo, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Alex Hearle, 12 Chris Harris, 11 Obi Ene, 10 Brett Connon, 9 James Elliott; 1 Pouri Rakete-Stones, 2 George McGuigan, 3 Elliot Millar Mills, 4 Oscar Usher, 5 Cam Jordan, 6 Max Hicks, 7 Tom Christie (captain), 8 Hoskins Sotutu.

Replacements: 16 Ollie Fletcher, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 James Harper, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Ollie Leatherbarrow, 21 Sam Graham, 22 Simón Benítez Cruz, 23 Zack Henry.

Not available for selection: Benjamín Elizalde, Werner Kok, Ethan Grayson, Nathan Greenwood, Josh Hodge, Murray McCallum, Richard Palframan, Raffi Quirke, Reuben Parsons, Will Rigg, Adam Scott, Rusi Tuima, George Turner, Sam Waugh.

Referee: Christophe Ridley.