Break can be lucky for Falcons; in association with jolly fitness.Byline: By NICK PUREWAL PHIL DOWSON reckons a week off - whether with England Saxons The England Saxons are the second national rugby union team behind the English national side. They are one of the three sides that compete every year in the Churchill Cup, alongside the full national teams of Canada and the United States (the two most recent competitions, in 2006 or on a beach - will boost Newcastle Falcons' chances at Bristol. Falcons skipper Dowson will pull on the armband arm·band n. A band worn around the upper arm, often as identification or as a symbol of mourning or protest. Noun 1. armband - worn around arm as identification or to indicate mourning for the England second string tonight at Edgeley Park Edgeley Park is the home of Stockport County Football Club and Sale Sharks rugby union club. It is located in Edgeley, south-west of Stockport in Greater Manchester, England, and has a capacity of 10,852 seats. against Portugal. Tight-head prop Davey Wilson also starts in Stockport for Stuart Lancaster's side, who will look to win with ease against their Iberian visitors. While most Newcastle teammates are lapping up some winter sun, Dowson and Wilson will be battering their bodies around Sale Sharks' stomping ground stomp·ing ground n. A customary territory or favorite gathering place. Also called stamping ground. . Falcons rugby director Steve Bates had no hesitation in handing his men a week's break ahead of a physical fortnight's preparation for that Friday, February 13 trip to the south west. Newcastle take on Bristol at the Memorial Stadium in a little under three weeks, where a win would set them a long way towards Guinness Premiership The Guinness Premiership is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are, at present, twelve clubs in the Premiership. safety. Seven points clear of their west country rivals at the table's foot, the Falcons could establish a sizeable gap between themselves and Richard Hill's strugglers. Pinpointing a win against the Portuguese tonight, then looking forward to some hard club training ahead, Dowson said the week's break from Kingston Park
Dowson said: "It's always an honour to play for England, so Davey and I have been very proud this week and no doubt will be on the night. "Getting the opportunity to skipper the Saxons again is a great thing for me, and I'm really looking forward to it. "We've got a job to do on the night, and we need to get out there and play the way we have been training. "After that it's a weekend off and then back into it at Newcastle, where everyone is already looking towards that Bristol game, even though it's still a little way off. "It has been a tough old season for everyone, and the break will help all the lads recharge the batteries a bit before we get down to some more hard work. "The Bristol game is very important, we all know and realise that. "But we also know we can go down there and win - beating Gloucester gave everyone a lot of confidence, and we need to channel that." Dowson said the Falcons are fed up with battling all the way and losing games they should win, and he predicted they can now put that behind them. He said: "We closed the game out well against Gloucester and that was a real boost for the lads. "There have been several games this year where we have let ourselves down in the latter stages, and we've certainly had enough of that. "So we just have to make sure we cut out the mistakes - especially the penalties - and keep it tight. "No doubt it will be tense, but we get paid to deal with all that and I know we can use it to our advantage. "The week off, coupled with some important work on the training ground will hopefully stand us in very good stead." |
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