Balding captained the Falcons in the defeat by Cardiff

Newcastle Falcons back row Adam Balding has paid tribute to the club's academy players after their efforts in this season's LV= Cup campaign.

Sunday's visit of Wasps is the final pool game for Falcons and Balding, who has guided the young players, admitted they have a bright future at the club.

"They've got a great attitude, they train really hard and they're prepared to listen," he told BBC Newcastle.

"As long as they keep developing I'm sure they'll go onto better things."

Wasps are a side used competing at the highest level having won the Heineken Cup twice in the last decade, but this season they find themselves outside the elite places having finished seventh place in last year's Premiership.

But Balding knows the Wycombe-based club, just six points clear of the Falcons in the Premiership, remain a tough force regardless of recent form which has brought just one win in the last five matches.

"Shaun Edwards would have given them a proper grilling last week for losing to the Scarlets, so when they come up here they'll try to bully us a bit, and physically get into the game," Balding said.

"They'll want to take out as much from the game as they can and for us the most important thing is to play how we want to play when we go into the Northampton game next week.

"We've got to execute the way we want to play for 80 minutes, that's the key factor and if we can do that across the board then it'll bring it all together."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version