By BrianC
November 9 2005

With the Autumn Internationals now on we find ourselves facing two away Friday night games inside a three week period. The first of these is this week as we take on Newcastle at Kingston Park.

We’re now six games into the season with a record of three losses and three wins in the GP thus far. Nothing spectacular there one would say. What is most encouraging however is that the team now seems to be gelling. It is difficult to read too much into our European victories but last weeks thrashing of Bath was another matter altogether. We have not won a Premiership game by such a margin since the 2001/2 season - 22nd November 2001 we beat Saracens 13 - 55 at Vicarage Rd. That year we finished fourth in the table.

Newcastle have had a poor start to the season with only one win from their six games. Their supporters must be feeling similar frustration to that which we have in the last few seasons. Many of their losses have been narrow ones, they have picked up three losing bonus points along the way.

Our fortunes against the Falcons last season were mixed. At the Madejski in November we managed one of our very rare home wins over them 21 - 15 courtesy of a last minute, fifteen man, push over try. On that most nerve wracking of days last April, the final match of the season, they beat us 23 - 16 at Kingston park. We avoided relegation by the skin of our teeth.

One innovation at Kingston Park this season is a new mascot. Whatever we may call him or her it can be nothing but an improvement over the previous one. The old Newcastle mascot was widely regarded as the most scary in the Premiership.

This is our first time this season playing in front of the Sky TV cameras. All our televised games last season were losses. Can we reverse the trend this season? My belief is yes. As Skippy’s master plan is coming together we may even manage to do so in some style.