FALCONS TEAM NEWS
The Scotland international, 30, who joined the Falcons from Edinburgh Rugby in the summer of 2009, joins Will Welch in the 100 club with the skipper hitting the magic milestone at home to London Irish last month.
And ahead of this weekend’s showdown with Quins, Falcons boss Dean Richards has paid tribute to the experienced back-row.
“Hoggy’s been fantastic for the club ever since he arrived here, and I don’t think people realise how well he understands the game,” said Richards.
“It’s a big milestone and a testament to his commitment to the club – he’ll be itching to kick-on now and help the club move up the table,” he added.
Hogg will lead out a Falcons side that has made one change from last week’s trip to Northampton Saints with Kieran Brookes replacing Oliver Tomaszczyk at tighthead.
The Kingston Park club currently occupy ninth place and will be keen to close the gap on London Wasps who lie in eighth with victory over Quins.
Conor O’Shea’s men travel to the North East on the back of a 27-19 triumph at home to Gloucester Rugby, and Falcons boss Dean Richards is well aware of the dangers posed by Quins.
“They have got a huge amount of quality in their side from Joe Marler to Nick Easter, to Chris Robshaw to Danny Care, so they are clearly a top side,” said Richards.
“You can understand why they won the Premiership the other year, and they will come up here with the viewpoint of getting a result so it will be a hard game.
“Their whole team is a threat and it’s a great opportunity for us to test ourselves against some of the very best players in the game, and I’m really looking forward to the contest,” he added.
Tickets are still available for the game by calling the Falcons Ticket Hotline on 0871 226 6060 or click here to purchase online.
**Newcastle Falcons:** 15 Alex Tait, 14 Noah Cato, 13 Danny Barnes, 12 Adam Powell, 11 Ryan Shortland, 10 Phil Godman, 9 Mike Blair, 1 Rob Vickers, 2 Scott Lawson, 3 Kieran Brookes, 4 Carlo del Fava, 5 Fraser McKenzie, 6 Richard Mayhew, 7 Will Welch (c), 8 Ally Hogg
**Replacements:** 16 George McGuigan, 17 Grant Shiells, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 Sean Tomes, 20 Chris York, 21 Warren Fury, 22 Rory Clegg, 23 James Fitzpatrick
