I AM immensely proud to have finished my professional career as a ‘one-club man’ after playing 270 games for the team I supported as a boy. To get to fourth on the Falcons’ alltime appearance list is great especially with the company I am keeping. My good mate Will Welch has 275 appearances and could potentially have gone on and got 350 had he decided not to retire this year; Tom May is an absolute legend who was someone I was thrilled to play with and looked up to; and top of the lot, Micky Ward, is, of course, a Geordie hero.
I did come very close to leaving the club twice, for Northampton on each occasion. The first time was when I was about 21 and Jim Mallinder was in charge at Saints. It was very tempting but at that age I was established at Newcastle and starting week in, week out and I felt that, potentially, I might be stuck behind Bruce Reihana and not get much game time. I nearly went down there again, a bit later on, but, for whatever reason, I had a last-minute chat with Dean (Richards) and managed to stay.
I obviously have a great affinity with Newcastle but I don’t know if the club has fulfilled its full potential and, to be honest, I don’t know if I as a player fulfilled my potential. Who knows what would have happened had I decided to move away and taken a different path. Most of my time at Newcastle was spent fighting relegation but, for one glorious season (2017-18), we reached the play-offs and lost to a very good Exeter side down at Sandy Park in the semi-finals. More on the secret of that success in a bit…
Denne historien er fra May 21, 2023-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
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Denne historien er fra May 21, 2023-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Ten-try Chiefs show Pirates no mercy
TEN-TRY Exeter inflicted the backlash from six successive defeats in their worst ever start to a Premiership season on a young Pirates side suffering their own problems in the Championship.
South America look to keep on building
AS Sebastián Piñeyrúa's historic six-year term as President of Rugby Sudamérica comes to an end, his replacement shows no signs of slowing down.
Scarratt excited by new pathway
ENGLAND centurion Emily Scarratt is delighted with the new women's BUCS programme which aims to provide a smoother pathway for young aspiring female players.
Baxter: I want to make things better
ROB Baxter will not be walking away from Exeter, the only club still looking for a Premiership victory this season, believing he can get the Chiefs back on track and he cannot bear the thought of anyone else doing the job.
Pearce walks in his father's footsteps
PADDY Pearce is living a dream after emulating his father and great-uncle by playing for the club he supported as a boy, Bristol.
New England group will cause uncertainty
SO JUST when we thought that everything was getting sorted between the RFU, the clubs and players, a number of new agreements and a new group raises its head.
Galthie turns his sights to the future
FRANCE head coach Fabien Galthie offered the clearest hint yet of Les Bleus' future on Wednesday, when he released 19 players back F to their clubs for the ninth and final Top 14 round before the international break.
Gilmore has tightened up our defence - Anderson
CAMERON Anderson has hailed the impact made by defence coach Jason Gilmore, below, since he arrived at The Stoop in the summer.
Ampthill given 11-try lesson in class from Bath
BATH secured a thumping away success in the opening match of their Premiership Rugby Cup campaign against Ampthill at Dillingham Park.
New faces take the plaudits for Saints
NORTHAMPTON handed out a thorough lesson to a tame Leicester team in this one-sided East Midlands derby to launch the Premiership Cup.
