Newcastle v Bath: Teams

Newcastle boss Alan Tait has made a statement of intent with his selections for the Aviva Premiership opener against Bath.

In a bid to avoid yet another scrap at the wrong end of the table, Tait has sprung a few surprises in his starting XV.

New arrivals Greg Goosen and Jamie Helleur come straight into the back division, while Richard Mayhew and Ashley Wells are named in the pack.

However Chris Pilgrim has edged out Jordi Pasqualin for the No.9 shirt while Ally Hogg starts on the bench.

"There are a couple of selections in there that people will raise eye brows at, but I always said that I would reward those players who put the hard work in over the summer," said Tait.

"Our performances in the three warm-up games have been good. You don't realise how important friendlies are, and we didn't get the opportunity to play many last year.

"We have had Bath watched in their warm-up games and we have analysed them in detail, identifying where their strengths and weaknesses are. I know roughly how Sir Ian McGeechan likes to play and how he gets his forwards up for a game."

Debuts

The Falcons are without Ryan Shortland, Matt Thompson (shoulder), Jonny Golding (Achilles), Redford Pennycook (arm) and Rikki Sheriffe (hamstring).

Bath have also given summer of their new signings a run out, with debuts for lock Ryan Caldwell, flanker Carl Fearns, and centre Dan Hipkiss.

Academy prop Kane Palma-Newport is also handed his first start for the club, while Dave Attwood is named on the bench after returning to full fitness.

"We beat them twice at the end of last season, but playing a side at the beginning of a season is always a bit different. Last year, their confidence wasn't high and they weren't that relaxed, but all that goes away with the beginning of a new season," said McGeechan.

"We expect them to do things with a bit more ambition and confidence, and we have to match that. We know how we want to play and we know the shape we want to put out on the field."

Newcastle: 15 Greg Goosen, 14 Luke Fielden, 13 Luke Eves, 12 Jamie Helleur, 11 Alex Tait, 10 Jimmy Gopperth, 9 Chris Pilgrim, 8 Richard Mayhew, 7 Will Welch, 6 Mark Wilson, 5 Andrew Van der Heijden, 4 James Hudson (capt), 3 Ashley Wells, 2 Rob Vickers,1 Grant Shiells
Replacements: 16 Joe Graham, 17 Dan Frazier, 18 James Hall, 19 Tim Swinson, 20 Ally Hogg, 21 Jordi Pasqualin, 22 James Fitzpatrick, 23 Tom Catterick

Bath: 15 Nick Abendanon, 14 Matt Carraro, 13 Dan Hipkiss, 12 Ben Williams, 11 Tom Biggs, 10 Sam Vesty, 9 Michael Claassens, 8 Simon Taylor, 7 Carl Fearns, 6 Ben Skirving, 5 Stuart Hooper (capt), 4 Ryan Caldwell, 3 Kane Palma-Newport, 2 Pieter Dixon, 1 David Flatman
Replacements: 16 Ross Batty, 17 Nathan Catt, 18 Duncan Bell, 19 Dave Attwood, 20 Guy Mercer, 21 Mark McMillan, 22 Paul Roberts, 23 Jack Cuthbert