Brive v Newcastle: Teams
Newcastle travel to Brive on Friday knowing a win would all-but put them in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
Last Updated: 10/01/08 11:48am
Newcastle Falcons travel to France on Friday to face Brive knowing a win, in front of the Sky Sports cameras, would all-but seal the qualification for the quarter-finals.
Newcastle and Brive are locked together on 15 points at the top of Pool Three in the European Challenge Cup, and an away win in France would virtually see the Falcons through to the last eight of the competition.
Director of rugby John Fletcher takes his side back to the Stade Amedee-Domenech where they suffered a heavy defeat last year.
Some revenge has already been exacted with Newcastle winning 25-19 at Kingston Park last autumn, but another success in Brive will be a much tougher assignment.
New Zealand prop Joe McDonnell returns for Newcastle for the trip, with the All Black coming in for john Golding at loosehead.
South African number eight Russell Winter comes in as the only other change of personnel from the starting line-up that beat Worcester for a second successive Premiership victory.
Winter will captain the side as Geoff Parling drops down to the bench.
England centre Jamie Noon has been left out of the travelling party due to family reasons, while a reshuffle in the backs sees Tim Visser moving to the wing, Tom May switching to full-back and Matthew Tait playing at outside centre.
Newcastle: 15 Tom May, 14 Tim Visser, 13 Mathew Tait, 12 Toby Flood, 11 John Rudd, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 James Grindal, 8 Russell Winter (c), 7 Ben Woods, 6 Brent Wilson, 5 Mark Sorenson, 4 Andy Perry, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Andy Long, 1 Joe McDonnell.
Replacements: 16 Matt Thompson, 17 Jon Golding, 18 Geoff Parling, 19 Phil Dowson, 20 Lee Dickson, 21 Alex Tait, 22 Ollie Phillips.
Brive: tba