Falcons face old foes in Euro cup pool

Jun 16 2009 by Nick Purewal, The Journal

TOUGH new quarter-final qualification rules have not deterred Steve Bates from building towards European Challenge Cup glory after Newcastle Falcons learned their pool stage opponents yesterday.

The Falcons will face up to two old foes in the form of Montauban and Stuart Grimes’ former club Petrarca Padova, as well as French side Albi in pool five this coming season.

Falcons rugby director Bates put some of his charges back to work in pre-season yesterday, hoping to get the jump on the tough job of building his host of new players into a tight-knit unit as soon as possible.

Already targeting a place in the last eight, unperturbed Bates welcomed the increased competition that will come his side’s way after European Rugby Cup dispensed with the traditional last-eight qualifying process.

Rather than the five group winners being joined by the three best runners-up, this coming year three Heineken Cup teams will drop down into the second-tier European competition.

Saracens blasted the Falcons out of the competition with a 32-13 Vicarage Road win in April, and Bates is already targeting a stronger push for glory this term. A Heineken Cup place awaits the competition winner, with Northampton Saints having claimed that spot this season, and Bates said he expects the Falcons to mount a stronger challenge for that prize this year. While a number of players are already back in pre-season training at Kingston Park this week, a big contingent is yet to return.

Micky Young is plying his trade with the England Saxons as they look to retain the Churchill Cup, while Rob Miller is in Japan with the Under-20s and new men Josh Afu and Filipo Levi are with Tonga and Samoa. The England Sevens contingent have been handed more recovery time after a late finish to their IRB Series commitments, but Bates is pleased to have as many men back so early.

Looking ahead to the European run, Bates said: “We certainly want to make more progress in this competition than last year, and we are going in to win it.

“We believe that we will be strong enough to do that, and we are now starting the process of gelling the players into the necessary units to make sure that happens.

“We played Montauban and Petrarca in the 2006/07 season, and with Grimesy having played for Petrarca as well, we know a bit about both of those teams.”

POOL 1: Bourgoin, Leeds Carnegie, Overmach Rugby Parma, Bucuresti Oaks

POOL 2: Worcester Warriors, Connacht Rugby, Montpellier, Olympus Rugby XV Madrid

POOL 3: Saracens, Castres Olympique, Toulon, Rugby Rovigo

POOL 4: London Wasps, Rugby Calvisano, Bayonne, Racing-Metro 92

POOL 5: Newcastle Falcons, Montauban, Petrarca Rugby, Albi