It has been a desperate season for all connected with Newcastle Falcons, set to finish bottom of the Premiership by some distance and in discussions about the worst top-flight team of all time.
The nadir of a shambolic campaign came at Ashton Gate last month as Bristol Bears ran riot, scoring 13 tries to record a club record 85-14 win over the hapless Falcons, who are a million miles from the team that won the title in 1998 with Doddie Weir and Gary Armstrong among their ranks.
Scotland prop Murray McCallum wasn’t on the field for that, a calf injury ending his season prematurely, but the 28-year-old admitted it has been a tough campaign.
He said: “Losing is as much of a habit as winning – I've been involved in teams that have had rocky patches, whether that was at Edinburgh or Worcester.
“It’s hard to take, particularly if it’s all some boys have been used to. It’s difficult to change the mindset.”
Falcons sacked Alex Codling in January after he criticised the club in a post-match interview following another hammering, at Leicester in December.
He said: “Newcastle have got decisions to make going forward around the strategy, because there are some really talented youngsters – but in the short term it makes life difficult. That’s the bare facts of it. I can’t dress it up any other way – but I can’t criticise the players.”
McCallum said the players must accept responsibility that Codling lost his job after their poor performances.
Steve Diamond, the ex-Sale boss who spent time as a consultant at Edinburgh last season, was appointed his replacement. So far, his new approach hasn’t brought any improvement in results.
McCallum admitted the players must take some responsibility.
“It was rough and we did feel for Alex - he's a lovely bloke,” the Fife-born prop said.
“It just shows it’s professional sport, the coach takes the brunt of it, but it was on us in terms of not performing.”
Diamond was involved at Worcester in its dying days – he even attempted to salvage the club from administration – and has a reputation as one of the game’s most astute coaches.
McCallum, who worked with Diamond at Sixways, and at Edinburgh last season, believes he’s the right man for the job.
He added: “Because we need direction rather than wholesale change, I back him [Diamond] to come in and steer the ship.
“I’ve worked with him at Worcester then at Edinburgh and now here. I think I’ve got a good relationship with him, and I know what he’s after. He knows how to lead a bunch of boys.
“He’s got his way of doing things. When you are in, it’s short and sharp but intense. We batter through things. He doesn’t want us in at 7am and away at 4pm.
“It’s shorter days but you need to know your shit. If you don’t, that’s your fault because the coaches have given us everything in terms of preparation.”
Newcastle must attempt to pick themselves from the floor after their demolition at Bristol as Bath visit Kingston Park tonight.
McCallum admitted they were lucky not to be on the end of the Premiership’s first-ever three-digit scoreline.
He said: “When something gets that rough, it’s almost just about trying to forget about it.
“What could have gone wrong for us did, and what could’ve gone right for Bristol went right.
“They had another couple of passes that didn’t go to hand and they could’ve been in triple figures.
“Afterwards, we just talked about sticking to what we’re trying to build rather than over-analysing everything that went wrong. We’d still be analysing that game now.”
McCallum will sit that one out with a calf injury, but he insists he will be fit if called upon by Scotland for the summer tour.
With premier tighthead Zander Fagerson likely to be rested, and WP Nel hanging up his boots, there could be room for McCallum, who has three caps but hasn't played for Scotland in six years.
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He added: "I’ll be back running in the last week of the season and I’ve been in contact with a couple of the coaches just before the Six Nations. It didn’t quite work out there but I’ve not had any comms leading up to the summer.
“There has been a lot of chat that boys will get rested because they’ve had a lot of rugby. I’ve no idea what’s going to happen.”
McCallum won the last of his three caps on an Americas tour, and hopes the door is not closed on his international career.
“I’d love to play for Scotland again,” he said, before adding: "That’s why I still push to play top level rugby. I’d love a game at Murrayfield – that's something I’ve not done in a Scotland jersey yet."
Longer term, McCallum will do his international prospects no harm if he can fulfil his aim to help make Newcastle a competitive Premiership outfit next season.
He said: “We want to be recognised as a competitive Premiership rugby team and respected across the board.
“This season and at points last season, I don’t think Newcastle have been.
“It’s making Kingston Park the fortress that it was known to be and making teams scared and not wanting to come up here.”
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