Newcastle No.8 Adam Balding hopes to carry on where he left off last weekend, as the Falcons forward has a spring in his step ahead of Sunday's LV= Cup visit of London Wasps to Kingston Park (kick-off 3pm).

Balding completed a full game last weekend at Cardiff Blues, admitting: “I actually can’t remember the last time I played the whole 80 minutes, but it was definitely nice to get that one under my belt.

“I was tired at the end, as you would expect after a big shift, but we’ve been given plenty of recovery time during the week and everyone seems to be feeling good.”

Asked how he had fared after putting in a gruelling 80 minutes in the 45-24 defeat, Balding said: “There were a few bruises and stud marks, but that just goes with the territory.

“I dish it out and expect it back, so I’d be disappointed in a way of I didn’t have those scars of battle after the final whistle. It’s all good stuff, and part and parcel of the game really.

“It was a shame about the result down in Cardiff because I thought the boys did remarkably well, and had we not made a few silly mistakes in the second half we could have pushed them close right at the end.”

Having skippered the side at Cardiff City Stadium, he said: “It was an honour to captain the team, and I thought a lot of the young boys really stood up on the day.

“It was a new team in a way, the boys had worked really hard during the week and we’d done a lot of practice on the driving maul. It was pleasing obviously to see that bear fruit with four tries from the pack.

“The backs worked hard as well, don’t get me wrong, but we all know we have strides to make in knitting the whole thing together and adding that real cohesion to our game. We worked hard for the full 80 though, we were only four points down at half time and at that stage it could have gone either way. Even despite the result in the end it will have been a great experience for our younger players, they will build on that and I’m sure be better for having been involved in the game.

“In terms of the set piece we were pretty happy with how it went, but I still feel we can take lessons from the way that Cardiff involved their forwards around the field, coming round the corner and things like that. You always have to take a look at the opposition and see what they did well, it helps us to improve our own game and so we can definitely learn from last weekend even in defeat.”

Asked to highlight some star performers from a young Falcons outfit, Balding said: “I’d rather not single any of them out, to be honest, because that would detract from what has been a great collective effort from the youngsters coming into the side.

“They all have a good attitude, they train hard, they’re prepared to listen to advice and their work ethic is fantastic. That’s a credit to them really, and as long as they keep developing the way they have been then the future looks great for the club.”

Looking to repeat last weekend’s set piece success this Sunday at Kingston Park against Wasps, Balding spoke glowingly about the progress being made at the driving maul.

“I’ve come from Leicester and Gloucester where the driving line out has featured heavily, and I think at times people have perhaps underestimated its effectiveness,” he said.

“If you get it right it’s one of the hardest things to defend, and it’s one of the most energy-sapping parts of the game to try and stop it. As an attacking player you come out of it feeling knackered, but the defending side feels even worse.

“It’s great to throw the ball around, but rugby’s a simple game. You play to win, you play to your strengths and if you’ve got a good driving line out you might as well use it.”

Insisting that the Falcons still have plenty to play for on Sunday despite already being out of the LV= Cup reckoning, he stated: “You should be motivated for every single game, or else you’ll get your head taken off.

“Ok, we’re out of this competition already, but these players here are proud people. Every single time they pull on that Newcastle Falcons shirt they want to put everything in. My philosophy is that you should always play every game as if it’s your last, because you never know what’s around the corner. I don’t care if it’s a friendly, a Cup final or whatever, I want to go out there and give a good account of myself for the club and for the supporters. I’m certain the other lads feel the same way.

“Wasps will certainly be up for it. They lost in front of their home fans last weekend against the Scarlets, so they will have had a proper grilling during the week and be wanting to put things right on Sunday.

“Ahead of the Premiership game down at Northampton next weekend we want to go through our plays and execute the game plan that we will take down to Franklin’s Gardens, so from a team point of view the Wasps game still carries a great deal of significance. Over the course of 80 minutes we’ve probably seen ten or 20 minute spells where each of those individual facets has worked, but the key for us is knitting them all together at the same time and from there keeping it going for the whole game.”

Looking to the longer term as the Falcons sit in the top half of the league with a home quarter-final in Europe, he added: “We’ve become much more professional this season, right across the board.

“In terms of things like training, diet and generally the boys looking after themselves we’re making some good gains, and everybody has really bought into it. The results of that work are starting to be shown on the pitch little by little, we have some massive games coming up in the next couple of months and this will now be a true test of what we are about as a group.

“We’ve said we want to be in the top four of the Premiership. That’s a big ambition, but these next five or six league games will put that to the test and determine where we fit into the whole picture. If we can get this Sunday’s game right against Wasps then it gives us that added bit of confidence going into the Northampton match next Saturday, and we’ll know that we can implement our game plan for the full 80.”

Tickets for Sunday’s game against London Wasps at Kingston Park (3pm) are available by calling 0871 226 60 60 or from the ground on the day. The club will donate a percentage of the gate receipts and prize money to the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Northern Region, with fans also able to show their support via a bucket collection on the day.