Laycock ready for A-League crunch clash

Friday 07 April 2017 Written by: Adam


The 7.30pm kick-off is the Falcons’ final game of the regular season, the club currently placed third in the northern group as they strive for the win which would secure them a semi-final position.

Having lost last week’s visit to Sale Jets by a 29-12 margin, academy manager and first team skills coach Mark Laycock said: “We know it will be tough against Wasps. They beat Worcester 45-0 in their last game but we still have ambitions of going through, and it should be a good night for people to come down and watch.”

Entry at Kingston Park is free of charge, with the Tap & Tackle open for drinks and refreshments as the Falcons look to bounce back quickly from last week’s loss at Heywood Road.

“We were disappointed with the result in our last game at Sale,” said Laycock.

“We went over there with a strong side and a commitment to putting in a good performance, but it was a tough game and Sale played really well.

“Sale were very strong in the set-piece and that kept them on the front foot for large parts of the game. It wasn’t a great spectacle but it was a good physical test for the boys, many of whom haven’t played a lot of rugby.

“There were positives to take from it in terms of player development and learning, but we didn’t achieve our goal for the game. The good thing now is that we have a chance to rectify that against Wasps.”

Fred Burdon captains the side from inside centre, Darlington Mowden Park and Hartlepool Sixth Form flyer Adam Radwan drafted on to the right wing in a squad which contains Northumbria University’s George Wacokecoke on the bench.

**Newcastle Falcons A-Team to face Wasps (Monday, 7.30pm, Kingston Park Stadium)**

15 Dan Marshall

14 Adam Radwan

13 Belisario Agulla

12 Fred Burdon (captain)

11 Zach Kibirige

10 Craig Willis

9 Sam Egerton

1 Ben Harris

2 Ben Sowrey

3 Scott Wilson

4 Will Witty

5 Harrison Orr

6 Nili Latu

7 Tyrone Holmes

8 Opeti Fonua

**Replacements**

16 Jamie Blamire

17 Alex Rogers

18 Andrew Foster

19 Glen Young

20 Max Davies

21 Ruaridh Dawson

22 Brett Connon

23 George Wacokecoke

**Wasps A**

15 Piers O’Conor

14 Tom Howe

13 Brendan Macken

12 Guy Armitage

11 Frank Halai

10 Connor Eastgate

9 Craig Hampson (captain)

1 Tom West

2 Carlo Festuccia

3 Tom Heard

4 Marcus Garratt

5 Will Rowlands

6 Jack Willis

7 Sam Harry

8 Alex Rieder

**Replacements**

16 Luke Cole

17 Harry Morley

18 David Langley

19 Ehize Ehizode

20 James Seabrook

21 Will Porter

22 Nick De Luca

23 Owain James