Newcastle know what they need to do

Callum Chick knows that Newcastle Falcons need to start winning games if they are to be taken seriously.

But having taken over the captaincy at the start of last season, the No.8 is confident that Kingston Park will be no walk in the park this year.

Falcons were winless in Gallagher Premiership Rugby last campaign – with Steve Diamond taking charge at the club midway through the season.

But as they embark on a new season with a full Diamond pre-season under their belts, Chick is confident that the club’s fortunes can be transformed.

He explained: “I wasn’t really paying any attention to the outside noise (last season) – you can get lost in that – but it is tough. You always think the next week it’s going to happen, so you have a big build-up to the game then you get to a game and you don’t win. It’s a huge emotional up-and-down as well as, obviously, the physical aspect of the game.

“Obviously, we’ve had a discussion as a group, but we know teams aren’t going to take us seriously going into this year, which is fine – why would you after last season? But for us it’s putting all that noise being like ‘who cares?’

“We’ve just got to focus on us and if we what we know we can do, we can be competitive this year, we’ll be pushing teams and we’ll be winning games, and at the end of the day that’s all that matters. We’ll see how it goes, but I think we’ll shock a few teams this year.”

Falcons kick off their campaign at home to Bristol Bears on Friday night, with Diamond heading up a revamped coaching staff that includes former England Under-20s head coach Alan Dickens, as well as long-time lineout coach Scott McLeod, who re-joined last season.

Pre-season has taken Falcons all over, including to the Galway races over in Ireland as well as bonding in the Lake District.

Now the rugby is set to take centre stage, and the watchword for Chick and his teammates is clarity.

Explaining what they have been working on over the summer, Chick said: “Dimes has come in with a clear game plan and it’s probably been a bit more rugby-focused this year, as you can imagine.

“Last year wasn’t the best, so there has been a lot of endeavour to move things forward on how we’re going to play and the understanding from the group of play’s we’ve got.

“In defence, Dicko [Alan Dickens] has come in and taken the lead on that and been very good. We’re working on being clear in what we want to do with our attack and just make it more understandable for the players.

“We’ll have a very clear game plan this year and we’re going to be far more focused on us rather than the opposition. That’s probably the main difference going into this season.”

Diamond has always been a straight talker, whether it is with his players or to the media.

And with plenty of time to get his feet under the table, he has started to mould a squad that will suit the rugby he wants to play.

Replacing the likes of Guy Pepper and Phil Brantingham will not be easy but Cameron Neild and Kieran Wilkinson could prove savvy signings once they recover from their respective injuries that will keep them out of the early weeks of the season.

And for Chick, it is powerful former Ireland centre Sammy Arnold, who arrives from Brive, who could be a real star recruit.

He added: “Sam Arnold is going to have a big impact this year for us. He’s trained very well, he’s a big lad, knows his strengths. I’m excited to see him have a run out and get a proper game under his belt.”