Friday 30 September 2024

Head coach Dave Walder spoke of his delight at Friday night’s bonus-point victory over Gallagher Premiership leaders Bristol Bears, saying it should become the norm rather than the exception.

Newcastle were 30-15 victors and took the full five thanks to Mateo Carreras’ last-minute score, Walder saying afterwards: “Last week at Worcester wasn’t an accurate version of ourselves and not a performance to be proud of, but we were much better tonight.

“We’d had a chat in the week about our attitude and wanting to put in that 80-minute performance, and when our starting fly-half pulled out on the day of the game it’s just one of those things where you’re up against it.

“The pleasing thing is we managed to come through it, and we stemmed the tide.

“There was a big spell when we got back to 15 men after two sin-binnings and we kept the ball just their side of the half-way line, and we really steadied the ship.

“It was one of those passages of play that a lot of people won’t remember because nobody scored or anything like that, but in terms of the key to winning the game I thought it was a really important defensive period for us.

“We kept control, got possession and built from there in what turned out to be a strong finish.”

Asked about the contribution of Carreras and his returning countrymen Matias Orlando and Matias Moroni, the head coach said: “Somebody asked during the week what you get from the two Matiases, and it’s a case of grit, determination and just that international class.

“You stick Mateo Carreras on the edge of that, or ‘their little friend’ as they call him, and he’s a tough little character.

“I thought those three epitomised why we were so good tonight, and it was their work off the ball as much as what they did when we were in possession. They did the small things well, as did a lot of the lads.”

Assessing the importance of the result and the Falcons’ future prospects, Walder said: “It was my first win since taking over, so I’m proud of that, and it’s important for the entire playing and coaching staff. It’s been a huge team effort to produce that performance, and the thing now is to make sure it’s not a one-off.

“We won’t get carried away, and we can’t because we’ve got Saracens at home next Sunday!

“We’ve beaten the league leaders tonight who have got an unbelievable squad, and then we’re playing another unbelievable squad next week. That’s just the standard of the Gallagher Premiership, but we’ll definitely take confidence from this and know that we can repeat it.

“This has to become the norm rather than the exception, and when we get our attitude right we’re a very dangerous team.”

Click here to book tickets for the visit of Saracens on Sunday October 9.

By Mark Stevens
30/9/22

Rory O’Loughlin believes the hard yards put in during a testing pre-season programme have already started to pay dividends for the Exeter Chiefs.

Three games into the new Gallagher Premiership campaign and it’s been a dream start for the Devonians, who have notched up victories over Leicester Tigers, Worcester Warriors and Harlequins.

Irishman O’Loughlin has featured in all three games and he will start tomorrow’s Round Four encounter away to Sale Sharks as the Chiefs look to build on their impressive start.

It will, however, be another acid test for Rob Baxter’s side, particularly as the Sharks themselves are unbeaten in the top flight so far this term.

“It’s a massive challenge for us,” said O’Loughlin, who joined the Chiefs this summer from Leinster. “Already I’ve seen just how competitive the Premiership is. Every week it’s a different challenge and one which you have to be ready for. There are no easy games!”

Last-gasp victories over Leicester Tigers and Harlequins showed the fighting spirit of the Chiefs, whose summer work alongside the Royal Marines has definitely helped to give them a hard-nosed edge to their play.

“There were times in pre-season when I was questioning my move,” joked O’Loughlin. “The days were long, the sessions were hard, but you’ve seen in these first few games that are fitness levels are high and that we’re able to keep going for the full 80 minutes.

“Although we’ve come out of two of those games with last minute scores, we deserved to win those games, so that’s a big positive and something that we can look to build on.”

Exeter’s strong start has certainly laid a solid foundation from which they can build, but O’Loughlin feels there is still more to come from the team, starting at the Salford Stadium this weekend.

“There was a lot of chat during pre-season where we talked about learning from last season, where we missed out on points we probably should have secured,” he added. “As I said, every game is massive and you have to take points when they are on offer.

“Sale this weekend, we know it’s going to be tough. If you look at their team and the way some of their players play, it’s all based around them getting that physical dominance. We’ve talked a lot about this week and we know we have to match them in that area if we are to get anything from the game.

“That said, we’re coming into the game ourselves in a good mindset and looking to build on what we’ve done so far this season. There have been lots of positives in our game and that’s what we need to use again at the weekend.”