Rob Andrew Quotations

We are all frustrated with some aspects of our forward play but we've just got to be patient and keep working at it because we have personnel of a high enough quality to turn it around. The supporters are frustrated, we are ourselves and we know we owe them because they follow us all round the country. The rugby they've seen at Kingston Park this season, apart from half an hour against Bath, has been extremely poor and hopefully, with a clean slate and a new competition on Sunday, we can go some way to repaying them.

When he is fit we will consider him - but we are letting him recover at the moment.

When the medics come to me and say he is right, we will then consider him for selection, but not before. We aren't putting a time limit on it - it will happen when it happens.

My understanding of the current situation is that he can only play half a game, if he is fit and selected in the 22, so we'll just have to see how it pans out.

On the face of it, we are both capable of playing open, entertaining rugby to a high standard, but it may be that the team who adapts to something different, maybe some tight forward play, is the one who succeeds.

He was a little bit sore on Monday and Tuesday, as expected, but he's trained well with the squad and there aren't really any issues there.

He won't be fit for Dublin, there's no doubt about that, but he might be fit for Scotland and Italy.

He is fine, but his adductor is just a little bit sore. There haven't been any complications or anything like that, it is just part of the recovery process and he isn't far away.

He had a few bangs and bruises and he was pretty tired coming off at the end there as you'd expect after his first 40 minutes in six months. He's not going to change the way he plays.

He needs a fantastic pre-season and a great two months leading into the Autumn internationals. If you have seen what I have seen in the last three weeks, you will know this guy is a class act.

He was pretty close for the Leeds game.

Joe has worked very hard in coming back from injury over the last year and continues to give us options in a number of positions.

I think it pretty much puts paid to the autumn internationals, so it will most likely be over two years that he hasn't played for England.

I think it pretty much puts paid to the autumn internationals,

Owen had high expectations but the relentless nature of the league and our style of play have made it a testing season.

Our actual level of performance has been as good as I can recall in the last five or six years. We've just not had enough breaks and results have slipped away from us. This game will be a good yardstick for us. Not one single person in the land expects us to win.

Matt is a good young local forward who has come through the club's academy, and is continuing to develop further as a player.

Johnny has had the most complete week of training with the team since the injury happened. He was very close to being on the bench against Bristol last weekend, but the medical team bought him an extra week just to be absolutely certain.

That was rubbish. Two teams having a real off-day. It's difficult to explain performances like that.

We're delighted he has committed himself to the club for a further two years.

You are always going to get extreme views around coaches and players.

To be without Phil for such a length of time is a major setback, but he is a strong character and I am sure he will come back from this.

We are looking at his training schedule, as we do with all the players. He has been extremely unlucky with the trauma injuries he has suffered in the last few years, but we are in an impact sport and there is no way of preventing these things.

We have seen Grant play against us first hand in Europe last season, and we believe he will be a solid addition to our front row.

The players responded magnificently. Two days after Christmas, they have given everything for the club - you cannot ask for any more than that.

Under tournament regulations we have to name our team by noon yesterday and while we are happy to do that, the number of fitness tests we have over the course of the weekend means this team may well change by the time kick-off comes.

Bristol have a big set of forwards, and I thought they deserved their win against Bath, so we will pay them every respect in our preparation.

At the time he went in for the operation, we thought it would be four weeks out, and by Sunday it will be just under that four-week mark,

I've been waiting to try and get that combination all season and today was the first time I had all four of them available. It's been a bit frustrating.

I've been confident all pre-season that we can compete with anybody, and I still firmly believe it. Northampton lost a lot of games at home last season, so there will be a bit of tension there for the fans and the players. If we can achieve the level of performance we did at Sale (Newcastle lost 26-25), we believe we can cause them problems.

The supporters are frustrated, we are ourselves, and we know we owe them because they follow us all round the country. The rugby they've seen at Kingston Park this season, apart from half-an-hour against Bath, has been extremely poor, and hopefully, with a clean slate and a new competition on Sunday we can go some way to repaying them.

Nowadays there are too many players who can't get a contract elsewhere, who come to England and just take the money.

This is basically a knockout game, because I believe the winner will go on into the semi-finals.

This is an unfortunate setback, and is in the hands of the medics, who will continually monitor the situation.

This is an opportunity for us to give Toby a start, because he deserves it,

This is a devastating blow for Phil, who has really developed as a player in recent years and become a vital member of the squad,

There was no pressure from England but you have to weigh up a player's mental and physical state at this time of year.

It wasn't even borderline, it was about two yards forward.

Everyone knows he was not comfortable with what happened on the Lions tour because he wasn't given a chance. He was thrown in, unprepared and out of position against one of the best teams in the world.

The attrition rate and the physicality we see in the game these days is immense, as you could see from the six Premiership matches last weekend, some of which were basically 80 minutes of sheer warfare.

Tactically, it will be interesting to see how the game develops,

It's just absolutely ridiculous that he wasn't taken for an X-ray after complaining of jaw pains.

It's disappointing for us all. That's pretty much put paid to him playing in the autumn internationals. We will want to get him back on the horse as quickly as possible but let's just get him back playing before England pick him.

It was our worst performance of the season. We know what the rules are and we know what the regulations are. He is a core Sevens player and that is the situation. The system is as it is.

It was our worst performance of the season.

It took nine months for Mathew to get over the experience. Next time they have to be certain that they want him and then stick with him.

I hope he will have a full game with us against Bath on March 27. It is touch and go.

He's okay. He was knocked out but he was okay when he came off and I think they (the medical team) are just taking precautions in case there is a bit of whiplash.

I can categorically say I will not be putting my hat in the ring.

The time I've spent in professional Premiership club rugby has been invaluable.

There's no such thing as lack of confidence. You either have it or you don't.

The players must be at the centre of their industry.

I can categorically say I will not be putting my hat in the ring. It's not something I have ever coveted and it's not a position I am interested in taking up at this point in time. I am loyal to Newcastle and they have been fabulous to me. I feel that is where my responsibility lies.