Falcons' Italian Job
By Leipziger
January 24 2007
The Falcons travel to Italy for the fourth time on Saturday, looking to complete a bonus-point double over Petrarca Padova and win a place in the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup, where we might face either Saracens or Clermont-Auvergne.
Last season we were totally triumphant in the booted country of pizza, mafia and footballing scandals with a 0-86 win at L’Aquila. This followed two defeats by Treviso in our first two trips in October 2000 and December 2002, although Newcastle were victorious over the whole ties eventually.
Not too much information this week, as Smithy has given it all to us already: The lowdown on Padova.
And also on the qualification possibilities: Europe: Road To The Quarter Finals.
It is of course possible for us to win the group with five points if Brive get no points at all on Saturday, but as Fletch has said this week, there is nothing we can do to influence the Brive-Montauban result, so best to just concentrate on our own performance and get as many tries as possible, as it is even less likely we can get a home QF.
Padova have won the Italian championship eleven times, the most recent in 1987 which was their fourth in a row. They are currently third in the table, one point behind Treviso and Calvisano having beaten the former 27-11 in their previous match. Petrarca’s squad features few household names, though Italian international centre Manuel Dallan is the dangerman and in the forwards, Galo Alvarez Quinones will be hoping to line-up against his former Newcastle team-mates.
Some links you may find useful if you are going:
Italian rail site (Trenitalia)
No team news as yet.