Falcons academy starlets to face France U18

Sunday 22 February 2015 Written by: Adam


Newcastle Falcons have two representatives lining up for England this afternoon as academy prospects Callum Chick and Joe Craggs feature against the U18 international against France in Doncaster.

Both players have shone in the Premiership Under 18 tournament this season, with Chick earning a senior academy contract with the club through his exploits and Craggs earning the opportunity to represent the club in the Aviva A League.

Chick captains the side and starts the match at number 8, in a pack that features representatives from Bath, Exeter, Harlequins, and Northampton Wasps while Craggs has an opportunity to make an impact from the bench in the number 20 shirt.

England U18s coach John Fletcher said: “We’re into the competition phase of the season and of course that’s exciting. Before Christmas it’s a case of developing the players and watching the guys play, so it’s great to be able to pull that together ahead of what will be a tough game against France.”

“The key at this stage is to let the guys go out there and play their rugby. They are all talented players and we want to give them licence to go out there and impress.

“The French will be physical – they can be unpredictable, and they are capable of absolute genius, so it’s a great test for us. But we will be focusing primarily on ourselves, it’s about what we can do.”