Team for Falcons

It seems to have been ages in coming but the Premiership season gets off to a very good start for Glaws. You have to go to the far north sometime so it might as well be before the clocks go back ..

Not so sure about the Friday night fixture, but those Shedheads who can get there will doubtless go on to sample Newcastle's famed night life.

Billy Twelvetreess will lead a side which features just two debutants and one player who will be making only his second apearance.

Willi Heinz will be at scrum half  alonsgide Billy while Paddy McAllister will be at loosehad with Lewis Ludlow getting his second game at No 8.

The rest of the side is pretty much as before and they will be slight favourites to come back with the points. Falcons haven't been hit with the same number of World Cup call-ups but still struggled in the Kings of the North games  losing all of them to Tigers and Sharks.

They will have the entertaining  Sinoti Sinoti to the starting line-up with former All Black Mike Delany at fly half. 

Gloucs: Rob Cook; Charlie Sharples, Bill Meakes, Mark Atkinson, Henry Purdy; Billy Twelvetrees (capt), Willi Heinz; Paddy McAllister, Richard Hibbard, John Afoa; Tom Savage, Elliott Stooke; Jacob Rowan, Matt Kvesic, Lewis Ludlow

Reps: Tom Lindsay, Yann Thomas, Paul Doran-Jones, Sione Kalamafoni, Ben Morgan, Callum Braley, Jonny May, Steve McColl

Falcons: Simon Hammersley, Tom Catterick,  Chris Harris, . Adam Powell,  Sinoti Sinoti,  Mike Delany,  Ruki Tipuna; Rob Vickers,  Scott Lawson,  Taione Vea,. Mouritz Botha,  Calum Green,  Richard Mayhew,  Will Welch (capt),  Todd Clever.

Reps: George McGuigan,  Eric Fry, . Scott Wilson,  Josh Furno,  Ally Hogg,  Micky Young,  Craig Willis,. Tom Penny.