Newcastle Falcons want this so bad - Hudson

Mar 20 2011 by Mark Smith, Sunday Sun

JAMES HUDSON is longing to join Hugh Vyvyan and Doddie Weir this afternoon, in becoming Newcastle Falcons’ third cup-winning captain of the professional era.

Just as Weir did in 2001, and Vyvyan three years later, Hudson leads his troops into battle knowing that silverware and glory lies within the grasp of his restless paws.

The competition name and the venue may have changed since those heady Twickenham triumphs, but this afternoon’s LV= Cup final in Northampton lacks no significance.

“It’s a big game for the club, and a massive opportunity for the area,” said Hudson, the chiseled giant of a man who carries the hopes of an entire region with him when his side runs out against Gloucester’s Cherry and White army at Franklin’s Gardens.

“Winning a trophy would be enormous - not just for the club, but for North East rugby as a whole.

“The silverware on its own would be a feat, but securing Heineken Cup rugby for next season would be the icing on top of that - and something that we want badly.”

A two-time finalist in his spells at Bath and London Irish, the England Saxon carries the anguish and torment of broken dreams as his motivation, having fallen at the last hurdle on both occasions.

“It hurts when you lose those games, and it hurts for a long time,” said the 29-year-old, whose steady brand of leadership has been a welcome dose of consistency at a club which has changed its captain after each of the past eight seasons.

“I played in the 2005 Powergen Cup final for Bath and the Guinness Premiership final with London Irish in 2009.

“Unfortunately we lost on both occasions, but you do learn from the experience.

“The main lesson I got was that cup finals don’t come around very often, and that you can’t leave anything in the changing room.

“It’s a horrible feeling to come off the field wishing that you’d done something else rather than what you did, and you have to get yourself in that zone where you’re not really thinking about what you’re doing.

“We have to enjoy the day and leave everything out there on the field, because we don’t want any regrets when we hear that final whistle.”

With his own responsibilities encompassing counsellor as much as captain, Hudson believes that keeping a lid on excess adrenalin could prove key, with bodies in the oven and heads in the fridge.

“As a captain I always find that the main job is just reminding the boys about what we are going to do on the day, in terms of how we are going to play tactically and what we want out of the game,” he said.

“Finals especially are emotionally-charged, and it’s very easy to put yourself over that tipping point of being too up for a game.

“You can lose your composure if you fall into that trap, so my own role really is just making sure that the boys aren’t too attached to the day – that they focus on the rugby and not the magnitude of the occasion.”

NEWCASTLE FALCONS (v Gloucester, today 3.30pm, Franklin’s Gardens): A Tait, L Fielden, T Tu’ipulotu, J Fitzpatrick, L Eves, J Gopperth, M Young; J Golding, M Thompson, K Brookes, J Hudson (captain), A van der Heijden, T Swinson, B Wilson, A Hogg.

Replacements: R Vickers, G Shiells, J Hall, F Levi, M Wilson, H Charlton, G Bobo, T Catterick.