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TEAM NEWS: 150 UP FOR CONNON
Brett Connon plays his 150th game for Newcastle Red Bulls on Saturday when they make the Gallagher PREM trip to Northampton Saints.
The 29-year-old fly-half has scored 762 points for the Kingston Park club, with the Carlisle native coming through Newcastle’s academy.
The Red Bulls are the only side to defeat the Saints on their home ground this season, having taken a 31-14 triumph from November’s PREM Rugby Cup trip.
Lock-forward Freddie Clarke returns from injury to take a place in the starting XV, with wing Harrison Obatoyinbo and prop Richard Palframan also back in the line-up.
Newcastle could be set to hand a debut to Nicky Little, the Hawick prop who has been drafted in on a short-term deal due to a barrage of front-row injuries, with Stephen Jones taking charge of his first game as head coach.
The Welsh great will have the reins until the end of the season, saying: “I’m very fortunate to have a great staff here, and a wonderful playing group who are open-minded and determined to work hard.
“I’m very appreciative of the work that Alan Dickens has done during his time in the role, and of course wish him all the best for the future. We’re in a good place to build on what has been done so far this season, and there’s a real desire within the group to finish the campaign strongly.”
“We’ve got a framework in place but we’ll be making some tweaks to improve things on the pitch, and the most satisfying aspect has been the buy-in from everybody to make it happen.”
Asked how he has found his first week stepping into the head coach role, the former British & Irish Lion said: “It’s been busy, I’m not going to lie, but it’s been good.
“The management here are really helping me and we’ve got a good senior playing group who lead well, which makes my job a lot easier. We’ve also had a couple of weeks without a game which has enabled us to get in some good work, and it feels like we’ve used the time wisely.
“Despite us being in late March we’ve still actually got a good chunk of the league season left to go, as well as the prospect of European knockout rugby, which everyone is looking forward to.”
Travelling to the Gallagher PREM leaders this weekend, Jones said: “You’ve got to be excited about the prospect of facing Northampton in a packed stadium on their own turf.
“We’ve got a huge amount of respect towards Northampton for the brand of rugby that their management and playing group have put in place, but from our perspective these are the games where you want to show your best and test your skills against the top sides.”
Highlighting Brett Connon’s appearance milestone as the fly-half prepares to play his 150th game for the club, Jones added: “It’s a huge honour for Brett and his family to reach 150 for his home side.
“He’s been great to work with and is really taking on board what we’re trying to do, and I’m sure it will be a marvellous moment for him to lead out the side.
“He’s got a real affinity with the local area, as have a lot of the players and staff, and I’m really enjoying learning about it the more time I spend up here.”
Newcastle Red Bulls v Northampton Saints (Saturday, 3pm, cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens, live on Discovery+)
15 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 14 Oli Spencer, 13 Alex Hearle, 12 Sammy Arnold, 11 Harrison Obatoyinbo, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Simón Benítez Cruz; 1 Adam Brocklebank, 2 George McGuigan (captain), 3 Richard Palframan, 4 Freddie Clarke, 5 Adam Scott, 6 Reuben Parsons, 7 Tom Christie, 8 Ollie Leatherbarrow.
Replacements: 16 Ollie Fletcher, 17 Murray McCallum, 18 Nicky Little, 19 John Hawkins, 20 Tom Gordon, 21 James Elliott, 22 Rhys Beeckmans, 23 Boeta Chamberlain.
Not available for selection: Finn Baker, Eduardo Bello, Luan de Bruin, Connor Doherty, Ethan Grayson, Joel Grayson, Nathan Greenwood, Callum Hancock, Connor Hancock, Elvis Kitenge-Fuki, Fergus Lee-Warner, Freddie Lockwood, Amanaki Mafi, Cameron Neild, Micky Rewcastle, Oscar Usher, Christian Wade, Liam Williams.
Referee: Ian Tempest.
NICKY LITTLE BIOG
Position: Prop
Born: 5/1/1990
Height: 1.85m (6 foot 1)
Weight: 118kg (18 stone 8)
Honours: Scotland U20s
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