Newcastle players can’t wait to flee the freezing North-East to go to Russia

Just how cold is it up north, say in Tyneside? It's ruddy freezing.

You can't blame Newcastle Falcons players for looking forward to escaping the North East and into the warm embrace of Russia for their upcoming Challenge Cup tie with Enisei-STM in Sochi. In case you'd forgotten, Sochi was the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics and is generally known for arctic conditions. When the Russians hosted Irish side Connacht back in November, temperatures dropped to a ridiculous -18C. But it seems things aren't so bleak anymore, with Newcastle lock Mouritz Botha sharing his thoughts on the upcoming trip. https://twitter.com/mouritzbotha/status/687587763038892032 For context, here's a look at the Connacht bench during their visit two months ago... https://twitter.com/LeinsterRoyalty/status/665461107658792960