Newcastle Falcons revival will be key for Jon Golding’s England call

A Newcastle pack getting the better of their Wasps counterparts at Adams Park sounds a familiar tale but this scene took place two years ago rather than on the final day of last season.
That day Jon Golding was part of a Falcons eight which embarrassed the home side and looked every bit England‘s next loosehead prop.
A broken rib denied him a place in England’s Six Nations squad. Instead it was a member of the Wasps front row, Tim Payne, who got the chance under Martin Johnson.
Golding bounced back from the disappointment to make England’s tour of Australia but after an Achilles tear which kept him out of action until February this year, the 30-year-old admits his international ambitions have been put on hold.
“The Achilles feels a lot better now and I’ve been able to get some good training on it in pre-season,” said Golding.
“It was something that had been bothering me for a while so in the end I had to have an operation which kept me out for a long time. Watching the guys in the early part of last season was hard and it’s only really now, with a proper summer behind me that I feel I will really be playing as well as I know I can.
“The key for me now is making sure that I can keep hold of my place in the Newcastle team because I know there’ll be a lot of pressure on me.
“England is, of course, something that you think about, any rugby player would be lying if they said otherwise, but I really need to forget about it and try to keep injury-free.
“If I can do that and have a good season, then I can start thinking about it again.”
Stranded on the sidelines for the first half of the season, Golding was unable to help his team as they lost seven of their first nine matches in the league.
After Golding’s return Newcastle picked up five wins and a draw from nine matches and he admits the arrival of John Wells, who will remain at the club next year as the Falcons prepare for life in the Championships, made a huge difference.
He added: “It took a while to come right but once John Wells and Gary Gold arrived we really managed to turn things around and it’s just a shame we couldn’t quite get off bottom spot.
“John is still here and he’s a great guy to have around. He is very demanding but with the success he has had we are really looking forward to improving next season.”
PAUL EDDISON