[DavenportSharky]

Referee: Christophe Ridley.

Assistant referees: Hamish Grant, Jamie Leahy.

TMO: Andrew Jackson.

Time keeper: Alan Hughes.

Friday’s game is being shown live on Discovery+ and the TNT Sports red button.

[Centrethreequarter]

TNT Sports 5 as well.

[SSR]

Will we have any international players allowed to play?

[Flumpty]

I've got my tickets for the Budgie Cage this Friday and really looking forward to visting Ice Station Zebra. Credit where it's due, the tickets were very reasonably priced.

[Olyy]

Will we have any international players allowed to play?

From Axe's media session (as reported by the excellent Kieran Crichard):
https://kierancrichard.wixsite.com/webs ... -19-3-2025

England players "that need it" have 1 week off in the three weeks following the 6N - Tom C's in Dubai atm but seen photos of Ben in training, so might be that it's only Tom we're missing this week - I would guess that the Currys and LCD have will need the week off but Roebuck and Ford won't?

[Yareet]

Will we have any international players allowed to play?

From Axe's media session (as reported by the excellent Kieran Crichard):
https://kierancrichard.wixsite.com/webs ... -19-3-2025

England players "that need it" have 1 week off in the three weeks following the 6N - Tom C's in Dubai atm but seen photos of Ben in training, so might be that it's only Tom we're missing this week - I would guess that the Currys and LCD have will need the week off but Roebuck and Ford won't?

LCD's socials also seem to show he's abroad

[JohnJ of HM]

Referee: Christophe Ridley.

Assistant referees: Hamish Grant, Jamie Leahy.

TMO: Andrew Jackson.

Time keeper: Alan Hughes.

Friday’s game is being shown live on Discovery+ and the TNT Sports red button.

Can't see how to get Discovery + and no response on TNT sports red button. TNT 5 not showing. Really annoying to pay for TNT and not be able to get it

[Altishark2222]

I don't think game will show in red button till kick off

[Altishark2222]

It's just come on on red button

[Olyy]

RMW and RDP have swapped shirts, compared to the team list, and are playing 12: RMW 13: RdP

[Olyy]

A fully fit Ford really does make a difference

Bev auditioning for outside centre on that line

[Olyy]

Well worked try for Newcastle but that was too easy

[Olyy]

Both teams have really struggled at the restarts (to put it kindly)

[Olyy]

Carpenter looks faster than I remember, he's had a very good half

RMW continuing to impress

Ford is a very good rugby player

10 - 27 HT

[JohnJ of HM]

It's just come on on red button

Yes red button seemed to be working but then it gave me a QR code to scan and i don't have a smart phone. In any case I want to watch on my television not a phone. I'm too old fr this technical stuff.

[Olyy]

15 - 39 FT
Ford MOTM

Solid performance - backs looked more fluid than they have in a while,
RMW increasingly looking like the player we want him to be, Roebuck and Carps both excellent and Ford was Ford, when he's on form everyone around him looks better

[Lord Elpus]

FT 15 : 39

[Yareet]

FT 10 : 39

Last play Falcons try, m’lud. 15-39

[Flumpty]

That bloke we have playing at 10 is some player !

[ledzepsfr]

Referee - Christophe Ridley?
Anyone would think it was Andrew Jackson how he checked everything Sale.

[ale shark]

Was this a Premiership game? The total lack of engagement for a bonus point win suggests The Back Row has more than a few valid points.

[Flumpty]

Referee - Christophe Ridley?
Anyone would think it was Andrew Jackson how he checked everything Sale.

From last nights RefLink, it sounded like it was the TMO that"wanted to look at it again, from this partiocular angle, backwards, at quarter speed, whilst wearing filtered lenses" until the ref saw things the way that he wanted to see them.
Callum Chick was very good at times in the way that he suggested things that the ref may not have seen whilst he was unsighted - the polar opposite of how Jono Ross used to do it !

Did we have a different SH playing for us for the first 60 mins or so ? He made things bloody difficult for the Budgies with his varting ball distributing methods, rather than the usual guy that ponderously put up box kick after box kick.

A special mention for Budgies #12 and #13 who deserve to be cited for crimes against hairderessers. Unless they were doing them for charity or a dare, a long term ban should be heading their way.

[FarnhamShark]

15 - 39 FT
Ford MOTM

Solid performance - backs looked more fluid than they have in a while,
RMW increasingly looking like the player we want him to be, Roebuck and Carps both excellent and Ford was Ford, when he's on form everyone around him looks better

The Newcastle commentators on the radio were repeatedly complimentary about RMW. Suddenly we've got centres coming out of our ears!

[Flumpty]

15 - 39 FT
Ford MOTM

Solid performance - backs looked more fluid than they have in a while,
RMW increasingly looking like the player we want him to be, Roebuck and Carps both excellent and Ford was Ford, when he's on form everyone around him looks better

The Newcastle commentators on the radio were repeatedly complimentary about RMW. Suddenly we've got centres coming out of our ears!

RMW had a cracking game. The centres seemed to seamlessly interchange and create space outside of them. RMW's try that was chalked off was a thing of beauty !

[Surbiton_Shark]

Didn't bother watching the game live - watched a full replay this morning.

Good win, great to get a bonus point. George F had some great moments.

Our props seem to have nice interplay between them.

Negatives were our penalty count - a better team would have made us pay and our accuracy/drops still are annoyingly high.

Interesting results in the Leics/Northants match - should make for an interesting next home match for us

[dinogyro]

I can't put my finger on it, but I came away really disappointed with that game. I just expected 'more' of what I'm not even sure!

Looking forward to Friday, my first live game of the season due to various personal issues.

[Beardedshark]

Watched the extended highlights last night. Was impressed with RMW, looks like he has bulked up. Hit some good lines

[Yareet]

Been meaning to ask this but did anyone hear why Asher replaced SiMac during the yellow card?

[Flumpty]

Been meaning to ask this but did anyone hear why Asher replaced SiMac during the yellow card?

Probably because there was a scrum and we needed to field a competitive front row.

[Yareet]

Been meaning to ask this but did anyone hear why Asher replaced SiMac during the yellow card?

Probably because there was a scrum and we needed to field a competitive front row.

That bit I'd understood. My more accurate question would therefore be why we brought our tighthead back on (albeit one who can play both sides) rather than our international-quality loosehead.

[Flumpty]

Been meaning to ask this but did anyone hear why Asher replaced SiMac during the yellow card?

Probably because there was a scrum and we needed to field a competitive front row.

That bit I'd understood. My more accurate question would therefore be why we brought our tighthead back on (albeit one who can play both sides) rather than our international-quality loosehead.

When Bevan scored his try, he did get quite an extended period of treatment for a knock, so possibly related to that.

[dinogyro]

Been meaning to ask this but did anyone hear why Asher replaced SiMac during the yellow card?

Probably because there was a scrum and we needed to field a competitive front row.

Bit harsh.