Andy Long is banking on a Newcastle double as another derby with different shaped balls hits the headlines today.
The 140-mile round trip to Galashiels for their European Challenge Cup-tie with the Borders is about as close as the Falcons get to a real derby - but that's good enough for the Newcastle hooker, who was at St James's Park last Sunday.
"I was lucky enough to be at the Newcastle v Sunderland match so I have had a bit of an education as to what a derby match really means up here," says Dorset-born Long (left), who has been on Tyneside for just over a year following a move from Rotherham.
"It was absolutely amazing and definitely the best sporting event I've ever been to. The passion and noise was just amazing.
"I've learnt the meaning of the word `Mackem' and going to the derby was a bit of a rite of passage in my adoption to the Geordie culture I think.
"It was just brilliant, an absolutely amazing atmosphere, and I never thought I would ever experience anything like that.
"I know how passionate people are about sport in the North East, but that was a serious eye-opener - and I thoroughly enjoyed it."
Newcastle expect around 1,000 of their own fans to make the trip to Netherdale today and it points to the Borders biggest gate of the season - just under 3000 turned up when they played Edinburgh.
"I've played in a few Bath v Bristol derbies so I know what it will be like and we're expecting the Borders to be really fired up," said Long.
"The task for us is to match that fire, but to be disciplined in doing so, because that's one of the things that does tend to overflow when things get heated in derby games and passion is involved.
"We just have to play smart and we believe that if we approach the game with the proper intensity that we're good enough to go up there and get the result."
Having started his career at Bath, Long's career stalled somewhat after making it into the England side, but his move to Kingston Park has rejuvenated the front rower.
awesome
"It's brilliant, I absolutely love it here," he said. "I feel I've served a long and hard apprenticeship with a lot of time on the bench at Bath with guys like Ronnie Regan and Federico Mendez, but I'm enjoying my rugby like at no other time in my career.
"Moving to the North East has been like a breath of fresh air because the people are so nice and the place is just awesome.
"The supporters always have a friendly word for you and I just can't stress how fulfilling it is to be a part of it.
"I love the way the club operates, the whole culture of professionalism within the players, the management and the behind-the-scenes staff.
"I really enjoy it and it was the right move for me at 27 last year, at a time when I'm just coming up to my peak as a front rower."
Long will pack down alongside Aussie Grant Anderson and Italian Tino Paoletti in an otherwise unchanged Falcons side, while Scotland scrum-half Chris Cusiter has recovered from a calf strain and is in the Borders line-up.
Hooker Ross Ford and openside flanker Andy Miller start as Borders also implement their rotation policy.
