Richards hails ‘immense’ forward effort in Jersey
Facing a gale-force wind in the first half but leading 24-3 at the break, the director of rugby said: “We knew with the weather the way it was that we had to keep it tight, and the boys did that incredibly well.
“I thought our forwards were absolutely superb, and I really do mean that. It was an incredible performance from them in horrendous conditions.
“Jersey are a good side and they normally dominate teams here, so we knew we had to turn up.
“To be fair to the boys they really did that, and I can’t fault them in any way.”
Achieving another bonus-point victory to extend their lead at the top of the table to 13 points, Richards said: “Our forwards were absolutely immense – there’s no other word for it.
“We had a gale-force wind against us in the first half and we basically couldn’t kick the ball because it was so strong, but we managed 82% possession in that half and managed it incredibly well.
“Overall we had 73% possession and we also played well with the wind in the second half, which was great to see in front of such a large and vocal away support. Our line-out was 100%, too, and it was just a tremendous effort.”
Defying the weather conditions which had caused travel disruption for some of the club’s supporters, the Falcons boss added: “It’s the sign of a good team to be able to produce a performance in such awful weather, and this was a good day for us.
“The forwards absolutely loved it, although I did feel a bit sorry for the outside backs being stood with their hands in their pockets in freezing weather like that.
“Brett Connon managed the game really well from fly-half, he kicked 100% and did what needed to be done, and it was just great to see such a team performance like that away from home against a good side.”
Newcastle Falcons’ next game is at home to Bedford Blues on Friday March 13. Tickets for the 8pm kick-off are available by [**clicking here.**][1]
[1]: https://www.newcastlefalcons.co.uk/news/story/Bedford-Blues-next-up-at-Kingston-Park-Stadium
