Falcons sign cover for Jonny

By Tightheed (& a little bit by Mally)
November 4 2002

With Newcastle's very own Captain Marvel, Jonny Wilkinson, away on England duty for the next three weeks, many fans have wondered just how Falcons will cope without him as Walder, Shaw & Richardson are all still out injured, & so the Falcons backs were starting to look a little thin on the ground.

Well it turns out the Falcons' management have been thinking the same thing and have signed Earl Va'a on a four week contract to provide essential cover while Jonny is on international duty.

Talking to the Newcastle Chronicle Rob Andrew said:

"We're a bit stretched with David Walder, David Richardson and Joe Shaw still on the injured list...Earl has been playing club rugby in Wellington in New Zealand and he'll be arriving tomorrow for the next four weeks and we're confident he can do a job for us as he has bags of experience."

Earl Valentino Va'a Factfile

Position: Flyhalf
Height: 170 cm
Weight: 84 kg
Date of birth: 01-05-72
Debut: 1996

Earl Va'a has signed for the Falcons on a four week contract as cover for Jonny. Rob is quoted in saying that the backs are stretched with injuries to Walder Richardson and Shaw as well as Jonny being away.

Earl has represented Samoa from 1996 until 1999 and played in the 1999 World Cup. Over the last few years Earl has played for Worcester and Richmond, L'Aquila in Italy as well as in New Zealand for the NPC side, Southlands.

Tightheed's Verdict

One thing to remember is who will be the two overseas players? With Marius and Epi in the squad who will step down?

I would put my money on Epi being left out for a few weeks until he gets his confidence back and Earl becoming a short term fixture at KP.

I'm glad to see Rob doing something to fill a void but if he was that short of backs with a bit of experience he could have called Gareth Maclure back from the wilderness, they are already paying his wages and he could fill a space on the bench.

Wait and see

As fans we can only wait and see if Tightheed is right. Hopefully Earl's signing will be a success, if it isn't then Falcons could be in for a rough few weeks.

It's time to put last week behind us and give the team our support. Welcome to Newcastle Earl!

To read the Newcastle Chronicle article Click here