McFarland demands more physicality as winless Newcastle face Exeter in Premiership survival test

Dan McFarland has issued a blunt assessment of Newcastle Red Bulls’ start to the Gallagher Premiership season, warning that the newly rebranded club’s physicality falls well short of the standard required as they prepare to face winless Exeter Chiefs.

The Red Bulls came close to opening their account last weekend, but defensive lapses allowed Leicester Tigers to pull away for a 24-19 win at Kingston Park. Newcastle are still integrating 25 new signings, and McFarland acknowledged the process is taking time.

“We need to be getting off the line in defence and smoking guys and we are seeing bits and pieces of that, but on both sides of the ball, we need to be doing more physical damage,” McFarland said. “It’s not close to where we want to be.”

The head coach was equally direct about the work required at the breakdown. “We have to be getting shoulders into ribs and be moving bodies at the breakdown. Judging where we are on this journey is difficult and I don’t want to put any limits on what we are capable of. We do set benchmarks to find out where we are and it is a week-to-week thing.”

One bright spot from the Leicester defeat was flanker Max Hicks, who joined from Perpignan and impressed as a ball carrier. McFarland believes the best of the back-row forward is still to come.

“He has good speed and is a good ball carrier and we haven’t seen the best of him by any stretch of the imagination,” McFarland said. “I see a lot of growth in him as a player and with his long levers he is an offload threat. Tall guys are particularly important. He is quick and explosive and that is where his power comes from.”

McFarland also reflected on the missed opportunities against Leicester, suggesting Newcastle should have taken more from the game. “We were held up over the line against Leicester and punched holes through the middle and didn’t get the ball to the spaces, and a lot of that is getting used to each other. We should have won that game against a powerful Tigers team.”

Looking ahead to Exeter, McFarland offered a measured scouting report on a side that possessed the best defence in the Premiership last season. “Exeter are more structured than us, there is less risk, and they had the best defence in the league last season. I watched their defeat by Gloucester and they were off their game, and they had the bit between their teeth at Bath and could easily have won that match.”

Both clubs arrive at Sandy Park desperate for their first points of the campaign.