AS A 32-year-old veteran of many Welsh clashes with France, Newcastle Falcons flanker Colin Charvis knows a massive forward effort will be needed in today's Heineken Cup clash in Perpignan.

Charvis also knows from experience the sort of physical reception he is guaranteed in France after six months playing for Tarbes last season.

He said: "There's a very old clich that says generally the pack will decide whether or not you win a match, and the backs will decide by how much.

"I think that's pretty apt when it comes to playing away to French teams and if the front eight play well it will help our cause a huge amount.

"The fans down there are really passionate about rugby. They put a lot of pressure on their team and expect them to do well, but it's still the same side that came to Kingston Park and lost, and just another stadium that we have to play in.

"As you mature you realise that the noise from the opposition crowd doesn't affect you that much.

"You just have to get on with your job and stay focused, so I wouldn't put too much emphasis on our players being intimidated or anything like that.

"We're playing against a very good team, and we should be worrying about that rather than the crowd.

"Their team has changed in the last couple of years since they reached the Heineken Cup final, and we are currently top of the group, so if we go out there, show confidence and perform well there's no reason we can't come away with a victory."

The Falcons have won all four of their Heineken Cup ties this season and need to win either today or in their final group game at home to Newport next Sunday to be sure of a place in the quarter-finals.

They could conceivably lose both and still scrape through, but such a scenario does not enter their thinking as they need a win to have a chance of a home tie in the last eight.

Centre Jamie Noon, Man of the Match in the home match against Perpignan, believes that the lessons learnt by holders London Wasps can stand the Falcons in good stead.

It was in early February that Wasps travelled to the Stade Aime Giral and claimed a 34-6 victory, a win which set them on the way to Heineken Cup glory.

"We've heard all the stories from the Wasps players who went there and won last year, so we know what it entails to go and get a victory in Perpignan," said Falcons' 25-year-old joint vice-captain.

"We must make sure that we're disciplined on the field. We've watched the Wasps game from last season on tape, and there were a few incidents in that match, but we have to be clever and make sure that we don't react to them.

"They have an extremely vocal crowd and it will be very difficult, as well as the physical side of the game, so we have to work hard to have a chance of getting anything."

With a raucous reception guaranteed in the fiercely passionate Catalan town, Noon insisted: "I actually really enjoy playing in front of a noisy crowd, whether they're cheering for you or for the opposition.

"It adds to the atmosphere and makes the occasion all the more special, so I'm not too interested in what they have to offer in the way of intimidation, because it will be spurring us on even more to win. The important thing is to concentrate on the actual game, and that's what we will be doing."

Noon came close in the autumn Tests to adding to his five England caps, and injuries to Mike Tindall and Will Greenwood have put him firmly in the frame to play in the Six Nations opener in Cardiff on February 6.

"I'm happy with the way I've been playing this season, and the home leg which we won against Perpignan was probably one of my better games," he said.

"But we're up against a massive threat and we have to make sure everyone is right up for the game and functioning as a team.

"We've set our goal of doing well in this competition, and to do that we need to make sure we get a home draw in the quarter-finals.

"We're not looking beyond this next game. It's a great test for us, and it's fantastic for the club to be in this position after four pool games.

"At the start of the season nobody would have put us unbeaten at the top of the group.

"We're now going away and playing great teams like Perpignan with fantastic confidence, believing that we can win, which is a major sign of how far we've come so far.

"We're now getting a real head of steam going, and as a squad we are very tight. We're happy, and looking forward to what promises to be a really exciting game in Perpignan.

"The next two weeks will tell us where we really are, and if we can win away at Perpignan in the Heineken Cup, who says we can't go all the way?"

* Nick Gandy, who was Director of Rugby at Blaydon last season, is on his way back to the club.

After coaching in Holland he has been working in London, but his firm are transferring him to the North-East and he will rejoin Blaydon, purely as a player, in two weeks,

Dan Clappison will be at full back in today's National Three North match at Kendal as Grant Henderson has gone home to South Africa for two weeks.

Blaydon have had their best turn-out at training since September this week, although Colin Duncan is still injured and hooker Matt Hall is doubtful with a chest infection.