Newcastle Falcons are building from within, showing long-term thinking as the flag-bearers for professional rugby in NorthEast England.
Having played in England’s top-flight for all but two of the last 25 seasons, the Falcons are committed to a homegrown core as they build for the future.
Long renowned as one of English rugby’s prime breeding grounds, director of rugby Dean Richards insists the flow of talent is as strong as ever.
“People from outside of this area might think the North East is purely a football hotbed, but having moved here just over 10 years ago I’ve been blown away by the passion for rugby in these parts,” said the former England international, who won four Premiership titles and a pair of European Cups during his time in charge of Leicester Tigers.
“We are blessed with an incredible pool of playing talent from across Northumberland, Cumbria and County Durham, and our academy coaches do an outstanding job of identifying and nurturing those players.
“We as the first-team coaches are the beneficiaries of that because we’re getting to work with talented guys who know what the club and the region is all about, and I’ve always maintained that you get more from your local players. You have to have that as your core, and then of course you can add that sprinkling of stardust around it from overseas or elsewhere within the UK.” Actions speak louder than words, and Richards has lived up to his mantra, selecting more homegrown players than any other Premiership club on a consistent basis over the course of the campaign.
“I want at least half of our match-day 23 each to have come through our academy, and in most weeks this season we have beaten that figure,” says Richards.
“Those guys aren’t just in there for the numbers – they’re all quality players, and the firm hope for us is that they’re going to be here for years to come.”
It is not just at club level where the fruits of the Falcons’ academy are earning exposure, with a number making their international breakthrough.
West Cumbrian hooker Jamie Blamire has been a regular in England’s squad over the past year, scoring four tries in his first two internationals and going on to play in the Six Nations as well as helping England to defeat world champions, South Africa. Teessider Adam Radwan scored a hat-trick on his England against Canada last summer, going on to score against Tonga during the autumn internationals, while West-Newcastle native Trevor Davison made his England debut in July. Senior academy product Sean Robinson trained with England during the summer only to be denied a full cap due to injury, while Ponteland’s Callum Chick has also pushed through to make his England debut within the past year.
A club-record five players were named in England Under-20s’ elite player squad for this season in the form of Louie Johnson, Mark Dormer, Iwan Stephens, Guy Pepper and Ollie Fletcher, while senior academy player Matt Deehan has been a regular for Scotland Under-20s.
Ben Douglas, Luke Coulston and Nathan Greenwood all made their debuts for England Under-18s within the last few months, having been part of a Falcons Under-18s side which was just one win away from topping its regular-season league – all signs which point towards a healthy future for the Falcons’ senior side.
“It doesn’t happen overnight, and there are wealthier clubs down south who will go round the world and buy a star-studded team off the shelf.” says Richards.
“But that’s not the path we want to go down. We want this club to be here in 10, 20 or 30 years, still as strong as ever and with a predominantly homegrown core. We’ve definitely got the talent within our region to do it, and it’s an exciting time to be involved with Newcastle Falcons.
