Richards Takes Positives From Kings Of The North Performance
Welch scored the Falcons’ first try from the base of a close-range ruck and was everywhere around the park, Richards stating: “I thought we took a couple of tries well and there were some good performances.
“I still think Will Welch is playing incredibly well. He just gets on quietly with his work, but if there was a man of the match for this game then he would have been my nomination. He was outstanding.”
Kiwi Fly Half Mike Delany made an assured debut, slotting a pair of penalties including one from the halfway line.
Richards said of the former Clermont man: “There was some reasonable stuff out there and it was nice to see Mike on the field.He acquitted himself well and there were a couple of nice little touches.
“It was nice to hear Mike saying he didn’t think he had played particularly well, because he obviously feels there is more to come.
“We’ve always known he is a threat with ball in hand, and that was a big part of the reason we brought him here. He has got exceptional footwork and a big boot on him too.
“He hit a penalty from the halfway line and he’s been doing it all week. He has got that in him, and having that long-range goal-kicking option is obviously useful for us.
“We gave him 50 minutes which was probably about right. We will train him for another fortnight and he should be fine by Gloucester on 16th October. We should also have Tom Catterick, Michael Young and Scott Wilson back by then, which is a boost.”
Crediting teenager Callum Chick for his contribution from the bench but finding areas for team improvement, Richards said: “Callum did well when he came on from the bench and individually a number of the boys stood up.
“The one area that most disappointed me was our line-out, which didn’t function particularly well. We started with Mouritz Botha and Calum Green in the second row. They are both big lads who take some lifting, and it was noticeable that the line-out improved when Scott MacLeod and Sean Robinson came on as the lighter options later on.
“The line-out area put us under a lot of pressure on our own ball, but that is the first time this pre-season that has happened, so it is not a huge concern.
“Defensively we were at sixes and sevens on a few occasions, but on the whole we were fine. It was a bit of a mixed bag with some parts of the performance being quite pleasing, and others requiring some improvement.
“There has been a lot of change over the past week but we are just starting to get some of the boys back from injury.
“Mike Delany got 50 minutes, Simon Hammersley got decent game time and Jason Tali had to come back on when we lost Chris Harris. That wasn’t ideal but we are getting people back now, which will make a big difference.”
To watch Falcons TV’s post-match interview with Richards click [here][1].
[1]: https://youtu.be/GXB-m_C2eTM
