NEWCASTLE are prepared to adapt their game plan according to the Rodney Parade pitch when they take on Newport Gwent Dragons tomorrow afternoon, writes Chris Kirwan.

The Falcons visit for an Anglo-Welsh Cup clash just 24 hours after Newport County host Hartlepool in League Two.

The surface poses problems for football but isn’t as challenging for rugby if the weather holds out.

Heavy rain meant it was sticky for the New Year’s Day derby against the Ospreys but it was much less problematic for the January dates against Treviso and Enisei-STM.

Newcastle, who play on a plastic pitch at their Kingston Park home, know that they need to be flexible in Newport.

“The Dragons are not too dissimilar to ourselves,” said forwards coach John Wells.

“They want to play (an attacking) brand of rugby, they want to move the ball and they will try and play through their backs.

“The key is whether or not their pitch holds up, and it’s a big if. We’ve seen the pictures of it, but if it’s a dry track it could be a good game with two sides who want to play.

“If it becomes a quagmire it could be a messy affair, and I suspect neither team wants that.”

Newcastle head into the fixture on the back of a 26-21 home Challenge Cup loss to the Ospreys and they want to return to winning ways before turning their attention back to the Aviva Premiership

“We are going out with all guns firing in Newport,” said Wells, whose side sit ninth in the league but just four points off fifth.

“We have selected a good team and when you look at this fixture in relation to when the Premiership resumes, it is a good opportunity to get a bit of stability back.

“We are a team which thrives on continuity, we need to start getting that back now and this is probably that first little step.”