John Rudd makes his Newcastle Falcons debut on Friday night at West of Scotland FC's Burnbrae ground, as his new club travels to face Glasgow Warriors (kick-off 6.30pm).

The former Northampton wing forms part of a side captained by fullback Matthew Burke, with Jonny Wilkinson starting at fly half after taking a full part throughout pre-season.

Fourteen of the starting XV on the night are English, with eight coming through the Falcons academy.

No.8 Phil Dowson makes his first competitive start for almost a year after recovering from a neck operation, while England’s Jamie Noon slots in at outside centre after touring Australia with his country in the summer.

Fellow England midfield man Mathew Tait is sidelined with a minor knee problem, while other injured players include Geoff Parling (shoulder), James Hoyle (shoulder) and Lee Dickson (knee).

Entrance to the ground on the night is free of charge, with the main event at 6.30pm being preceded by a Development Team match between the two clubs at 4.30pm.

Newcastle Falcons team to face Glasgow:

15 Matthew Burke (captain)
14 John Rudd
13 Jamie Noon
12 Joe Shaw
11 Ollie Phillips
10 Jonny Wilkinson
9 James Grindal

1 Micky Ward
2 Andy Long
3 David Wilson
4 Andy Perry
5 Andy Buist
6 Mike McCarthy
7 Ben Woods
8 Phil Dowson

This article was posted on 16-Aug-2006, 09:52 by Hugh Barrow.