Dean Richards: Newcastle Falcons were never in danger

Dean Richards insists he has never been looking over his shoulder, despite presiding over the third longest losing run in Premiership history.
The Falcons’ 20-game barren spell came to an end with a victory over Exeter, which was then backed up by the 23-3 win over bottom-of-the-table London Welsh last weekend.
Richards has remained unruffled throughout, convinced that Newcastle would come good after kicking off the new campaign with four straight defeats.
“We didn’t think we were in danger at all,” he told The Rugby Paper. “Had we not missed as many points as we did and finished the game properly against London Irish, and also taken something from the Leicester game – which we deserved to after competing admirably well – you probably wouldn’t be saying what you are saying. So we don’t consider ourselves to be in that particular position.”
Under-fire Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew would no doubt love to be in a more accommodating environment, but Richards says comparisons between the two sports are irrelevant.
“Our ambition last year was to stay up and we got the job done, and this year we are two from six and that could quite conceivably have been, and should have been, three from six, with possibly something out of the Leicester game as well. Soccer is a totally different sport and it’s not for me to comment about soccer.”
But what about his old club Leicester?
“I don’t really follow it that much to be honest with you,” he said, referring to the pressure Richard Cockerill finds himself under.
“Occasionally I’ll bump into some of the boys and we’ll have a chat. If we ever have a bit of an injury crisis I’d quite like that injury crisis to be one where you can still field 11-12 internationals.
“We have our injury problems, as do other teams, but at the same time we don’t moan about it; we just like to give people an opportunity. The strength in depth we didn’t have last year we are starting to get this year.
“Leicester are a side that has probably got the most internationals in their club, so they’ve got quite a bit of experience and you’d expect them to be creeping up that ladder.”
One big plus for Richards and his coaching team has been the form of a predominantly all-English pack.
And he has backed home-grown flankers Will Welch and Mark Wilson – and others – to follow in the footsteps of Kieran Brookes and receive higher honours.
He said: “I do think that these boys are knocking on the door and pushing on and playing well.
“I think, with say a couple of injuries here or there, they may get that call up, certainly from a Saxons perspective. You’d like them to be involved in that. I think that would be a great call if they were. You only have to look at their games to understand that they are playing consistently well.
“Not only those boys, you can also look at Scott Wilson on the tight-head who’s stood up, Callum Green in the second row I think has been outstanding this year and Dom Barrow has come in for the last couple of games and done really well.”
JON NEWCOMBE