Falcons' chance to make amends
Jan 4 2011 by Mark Smith, The Journal
FORAGING flanker Redford Pennycook believes Friday’s visit of Sale Sharks gives his Newcastle Falcons side the ideal chance to atone for their late collapse at London Wasps.
The Falcons had got themselves to within three points of their Aviva Premiership opponents in Sunday’s Adams Park encounter, before capitulating in a disastrous final 12 minutes.
That result leaves them just three points above basement side Leeds Carnegie, and eight points shy of third-bottom Sale as the league campaign approaches the half-way point.
Sale’s arrival in the North East this week is therefore a timely one as Newcastle look to give their survival drive a major kick, with Pennycook stating: “We have to turn it on for Friday now, and everyone knows how big a game it is.”
The 25-year-old has been one of the finds of the season after signing in the summer, but the athletic openside knows all too well the pitfalls of a relegation battle after making the drop with Bristol two seasons ago.
Weekend wins for both Leeds and Sale were not the updates he had been hoping for, and the Bristolian admitted: “You try not to think about what other teams are doing, because you can’t affect it, so it’s pointless worrying.
“Obviously we’re human and we do take it in when we hear results from Leeds and Sale, but as professionals all we can do is focus on our own job and helping make sure the Falcons get the results we need.”
With little time to dwell on their position, Pennycook added: “Normally a Sunday-to-Friday turnaround is a bit of a nightmare because there’s hardly any time for training in between matches, but this time it’s ideal in giving us the chance to get straight back out there.
“The boys want to make up for our mistakes down at Wasps, and in front of our own fans it’s a great chance for us to get back on track.”
As part of a Falcons pack which was shoved almost half the length of the field in the wrong direction for Serge Betsen’s late try, he admitted: “We put a lot of effort and hard work in, but a ten-minute drop in concentration can be the difference in this league.
“It sounds obvious but you need to play for the full 80 minutes, and there were a lot of boys upset in the changing room after the final whistle.
“Line-out defence is one of the big areas we need to improve on, and the boys were really angry with the way we let ourselves down there in the closing stages against Wasps.
“They drove us back a huge distance for Betsen’s try, and that has to be a major focus because it wasn’t good enough. Having said that, there were also positives we could take out of the game, and you have to take those into account.”
One such plus-point was Pennycook’s own shift, with a string of turnovers at the ruck and a telling contribution for Jimmy Gopperth’s first-half try.
“In terms of Jimmy’s try it was a good team score really, although you’re concentrating so much during the game that it’s hard to remember exactly what happened.
“There was a little hip-swerve, which is something I learnt on the dance-floor, but all joking aside we’ll obviously have a look at the video and see if there’s anything we can use for future games.” Aware of what to expect from Sale on Friday, he added: “I was on the bench when we played there back in September, and they’re a strong side as they showed by beating Saracens on Sunday.
“Everyone knows about Charlie Hodgson, with his goal-kicking ability and the way he directs them around the field.
“That means we have to be even more disciplined around the breakdown, and we can’t give away any penalties inside our own half because he will just punish us every time.
“They’re good all round the park, but I believe we can compete with them and get the result.”
