Dean Richards A Happy Man
Dean Richards declared himself a happy man after Newcastle Falcons recorded back-to-back victories, but admitted his frustration after missing out on a bonus point in Saturday’s 23-3 triumph at London Welsh.
The director of rugby said following the Kassam Stadium triumph: “Overall I am happy, and if you had asked me a week ago to take eight points from the Exeter and London Welsh games I would have been delighted to do so.”
“The final 20 minutes was frustrating for the coaching team because we thought the five points were there for us, but we probably took the wrong options at times.
Having emphatically ended their losing run, Richards added: “The confidence has been there all week, and even leading into the Exeter game there was huge confidence.
“It was interesting reading the reports and listening to the media, saying is there a crisis in the camp and all this.
“There was never a crisis going into Exeter, it was just a case of getting out there and nailing that first win.
“The quality of the performances has been outstanding in parts and it is all about doing it for 80 minutes which, even against Exeter, we did not really do. It was probably a 55-minute performance, and we shot ourselves in the foot at times.”
Starting brightly at London Welsh but failing to find a bonus point try in a frustrating climax, Richards said: “After 50 minutes we lost our way a little bit, and the subs did not quite have the same impact they did against Exeter.
“That was disappointing, but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
“Welsh were never going to lie down, and it was always going to be an 80-minute game.
“A lot of the sides who have played against London Welsh have almost had a 60-minute game with a final 20 minutes which then slips away, but that was never going to be the case here and it was a good, competitive game.”
