mens
Gallagher-Prime Minister
Newcastle Red Bulls have given Hoskins Sotut his first Gallagher PREM start since arriving at the club, with the former All Black selected at No.8 for Saturday night’s clash with Leicester Tigers.
The back rower could qualify England the duty you last played for New Zealand in 2022
Sotutu made his debut as a substitute in last weekend’s trip to Northampton Saints and is one of two changes to the XV.
The other sees winger Obi Ene brought in for his first appearance, with Werner Kok unavailable due to a hamstring problem.
In the forwards, Adam Brocklebank was called up for the 23rd match after missing the first round. Newcastle go into the competition looking to back up their PREM Rugby Cup victory over Leicester last month, when they won 36-24 at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
“We saw a lot of tackles throughout the stretch last weekend, which I think was partly due to the ‘follow-up’ law,” head coach Dan McFarland said.
“What that means is more 50-50s under the ball, which means more transition and more unstructured offense. That’s a big part of our game, and it’s a real emphasis on how we can make the most of those situations.”
“Defensive coaches around the league are probably struggling at the moment because you regularly see 12 or 13 tackles a game and the officiating seems to favor the attack.
“To be honest, I totally agree with that, but I admit it’s a tough time for defensive coaches. Those scraps around air contests are such a big part of the game now, and it’s a case of what systems you can put in place to deal with that.”
McFarland also believes the offensive line coaches are to be credited for quickly adapting to the changes.
“I also think you have to give credit to the offensive coaches and the players around the league because they’re constantly trying new things and the defense has to think more,” he said.
“I think the fans generally appreciate that and for me as a rugby watcher it makes it a more exciting spectacle.”
Despite taking the forfeit bonus point from Franklin’s Gardens, McFarland said there were plenty of positives to build on.
“We are competitive, professional people who never want to lose, because losing hurts. But injury is fuel, and there is an understanding that we are on our way.
“All this is a process for us and it takes time. The best way to react is to test yourself against another quality team, and we will certainly do that on Saturday.
“At Northampton we wanted to play a high-energy game where we moved the ball a lot, and I thought we did that. We can definitely create more chances in the future with better communication and cohesion, and that will put us in a much better position.”
Reflecting on the visit of Leicester, McFarland said establishing Kingston Park as a tough place for opponents remains a key objective.
“We want to make Kingston Park a place that we and our fans can be proud of.
“The starting point is effort and physicality, because the fans love that and everything else comes from that in terms of rugby.
“It’s going to be tough because the Gallagher PREM league is unapologetically full of really good teams, but if we play with optimism and give our hearts and souls for each other every week, I think we’re on a path that will eventually lead to success.”
Newcastle Red Bulls: 15 Harrison Obatoyinbo, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Alex Hearle, 12 Chris Harris, 11 Obi Ene, 10 Brett Connon, 9 James Elliott; 1 Pouri Rakete-Stones, 2 George McGuigan, 3 Elliot Millar Mills, 4 Oscar Usher, 5 Cam Jordan, 6 Max Hicks, 7 Tom Christie (captain), 8 Hoskins Sotutu.
Replacements: 16 Ollie Fletcher, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 James Harper, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Ollie Leatherbarrow, 21 Sam Graham, 22 Simon Benitez Cruz, 23 Zack Henry.
