Boardroom battle is no distraction for Falcons

10:43am Saturday 1st November 2008

NEWCASTLE Falcons’ director of rugby Steve Bates has dismissed suggestions that mounting off-field uncertainty will have a negative effect on his side’s on-field performances.

The build-up to tomorrow’s EDF Energy Cup clash with Gloucester has been overshadowed by talk of unpaid National Insurance bills and possible winding-up orders, with Wednesday’s Extraordinary General Meeting ending with renewed talk of a takeover.

Chairman Dave Thompson has acquired an additional 23 shares in the club from the Newcastle Gosforth Rugby Football Club Shareholders’ Association, increasing his overall stake to 99 per cent.

That should make it easier to attract outside investment, but could also hasten a fullscale takeover, with Thompson understood to be in talks with three different consortia, one of which is led by Darlington businessman John Parkinson.

Whether Northern Rock’s sale of Kingston Park to Northumbria University affects the situation remains to be seen, but with this weekend’s dead rubber with Gloucester to be followed by crucial Premiership games against London Irish and Worcester, Bates is confident his players’ performances will not be influenced by the ongoing uncertainty.

“There’s an element where all that stuff is bound to affect people a little bit,” said Bates.

“But our job is to get the guys on the field and win games.

That is what we’re focusing on.

“We’ve had a good week in training and got through a lot of work, despite the bits and pieces floating about in the press. As professionals, we’ve been talking this week about putting those things aside and raising our concentration and consistency.

“Maybe what’s going on at the moment is actually a good test of that. We need to be more ruthless regarding what we are about as a team.”

Last weekend’s home defeat to Wasps effectively ended Newcastle’s interest in this season’s Anglo-Welsh Cup, but Bates is hoping to use tomorrow’s game as a warm-up for a run of league games that could shape the rest of Falcons’ season.

Tane Tu’ipulotu could make his first Newcastle appearance from the replacements’ bench, while flanker Brent Wilson starts his second game in nine days following his recovery from a hand injury.

Wilson said: “I was pretty hungry after six weeks out, and to come up against an England international back row for Wasps was a great test right from the off.

“The result was disappointing, but to get a full game and be so involved was a positive and we can build on that from now. It’s always good to test yourself against the best.”