Newcastle Falcons

Newcastle Falcons

Full name	Newcastle Falcons
Union	Northumberland RFU
Nickname(s)	The Falcons
Founded	1877; 147 years ago (1877) [1]
Location	Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England
Ground(s)	Kingston Park (Capacity: 10,200[2])
Chairman	Semore Kurdi
CEO	Mick Hogan (MD)
Director of Rugby	Matt Thompson
Coach(es)	Steve Diamond
Captain(s)	Callum Chick
Most caps	Tom May (193)
Top scorer	Jonny Wilkinson (1,489)
Most tries	Tom May (47)
League(s)	Premiership Rugby
2021–22	12th
1st kit 2nd kit
Largest win
Newcastle Falcons 156–5 Rugby Lions (1996)
Largest defeat
Leicester Tigers 83–10 Newcastle Falcons (2004)
Official website
www.newcastlefalcons.co.uk

Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby, England's highest division of rugby union.

The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Club and briefly assumed their name until 1887.^[1] In 1990, the name was changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in Kingston Park, Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1996, following the start of professionalism the club briefly adopted the name Newcastle Rugby Club before adopting its current name.

Newcastle has won 5 major titles. They won the Premiership in

• Gosforth Football Club (1877–1882)
• Northumberland Football Club (1882–1887); Merged with Northumberland FC and assumed their name.[1]
• Gosforth Football Club (1887–1990); Reverted name back to Gosforth FC.
• Newcastle Gosforth (1990–1995)
• Newcastle Rugby Club (1996); Turned professional; Junior players let go and formed
  Gosforth Rugby Football Club.^[3]
• Newcastle Falcons (1997–present)

Newcastle was the first fully "professional" club in the world.^[citation needed] In 1995, Sir John Hall installed former Wasps captain Rob Andrew as his salaried Director of Rugby and saw the club earn promotion from the national Second Division to the Premiership.

The following season, Newcastle became English Premiership champions at their first attempt in 1997–98. Alongside Andrew, the Championship winning side starred cross-code All Black, Samoa and Rugby League legend

During the following 1998–99 season Newcastle didn't play in Europe, as English teams did not take part, but the Falcons did go on to the Tetley's Bitter Cup final against Wasps, which was lost 29–19. In 1999, Rob Andrew retired allowing for 20-year-old international Jonny Wilkinson to assume the fly half role full-time. Andrew would remain as Director of Rugby.

Hall sold the Falcons for a 'nominal' sum in 1999 to local businessman Dave Thompson, under whom the Falcons won two

In August 2006 Rob Andrew left the Falcons to take charge of the England set-up ahead of the 2007 World Cup in a wide-ranging role that encompasses all aspects of the professional representative game in England.^[6] John Fletcher succeeded Rob Andrew as director of rugby at Newcastle Falcons with immediate effect. Fletcher, a former England A centre, had been the club's academy boss and he headed up a team of Peter Walton, Steve Black and Bob Morton, with ex-Falcons prop Ian Peel taking over as acting academy manager.

2007–08 season

The season began with high hopes as

The Falcons failed to replace the character and quality which had departed, with imports Gcobani Bobo and Filipo Levi flattering to deceive, Gopperth the sole bright spot. After a disappointing season the pressure mounted on Steve Bates and on 4 May 2010, the club announced that Bates' contract had been terminated and he was being replaced by first team coach Alan Tait.^[10] The decision came after Newcastle went on an unbeaten run to quash any doubts of relegation largely due to an inspirational

2010–11 season

Towards the end of the previous season Chairman Dave Thompson had to seek investment for the club due to increasing debts following the

The Falcons' season in the Championship sees the much changed side coached by director of rugby Dean Richards who appointed Will Welch as club captain, while experienced international locks Scott MacLeod and Carlo Del Fava were signed. The Falcons won their first game of the season 37–20 against Bristol ^[12] and went on to win their second 49–32 against London Scottish. At the halfway point of the season the Falcons were maintaining their unbeaten run, including a 24–13 score against a touring Tongan national side during the first international game to be held at Kingston Park since 1990. Former England Saxons wing Noah Cato signed from Northampton Saints to assist in the promotion push.

The Falcons confirmed their place in the Championship play off semi-final with a bonus point win at home to Cornish Pirates on 22 February 2013 and their position as league leaders was confirmed early the following month. At the conclusion of the season, the Falcons defeated the Bedford Blues 49–33 on aggregate in the final to win promotion back to the Premiership for the 2013–14 season.

2013–14 season

Prior to the beginning of the Falcons' return to the

Ahead of the 2015–16 campaign, England international prop Kieran Brookes and England under-20 lock Dominic Barrow departed for Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers respectively. Fly halves Rory Clegg and Phil Godman, wing Noah Cato, flanker Andy Saull, scrum halves Mike Blair and Warren Fury along with centre Jamie Helleur were among those released.

A host of 2015 Rugby World Cup stars were signed in Tonga flanker and captain Nili Latu, Tonga scrum half Sonatane Takulua, Italy wing Giovanbattista Venditti and Scotland prop Jon Welsh. The return of former star scrum half Micky Young was also a coup for the Falcons, alongside one time All Black cap, fly half Mike Delany and former England lock Mouritz Botha.

2016–17 season

Following seven years in

Ahead of the 2017–18 campaign, former England fly-half Toby Flood returned after nine years in Leicester and Toulouse.

On 17 January 2018, the Falcons were presented with a winding up petition by HMRC.^[13]

Falcons ended the 2017–18 season in fourth place in the Premiership Rugby table, their highest placing in 20 years. Falcons played Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park in the semi-finals, where they lost 36–5.. Rob Vickers, Scott Lawson and Ally Hogg all retired following the end of the season after upholding exceptional careers over a decade. Scott Wilson, aged 24 at the time, was forced to retire due to a neck injury he sustained in the semi-final against Exeter. A benefit dinner was held in early 2019 to raise funds for Wilson's chosen charity.^{[citation needed]}

2018–19 season: Second Relegation

Newcastle keen to follow on from the success of last season expanded their squad with key players such as Logovi'i Mulipola, John Hardie, Nemani Nagusa and George McGuigan.

Falcons returned to the

Falcons confirmed the signing of United States international Greg Peterson in mid-March with Darren Barry, Josh Basham, Gareth Owen and Toby Salmon following shortly after. Tongan international Cooper Vuna later signed a 2-year deal with the club. They also announced a 5-year deal with sportswear brand Macron to provide official kits and leisurewear as their official supplier.

On 4 May, it was confirmed that Newcastle Falcons would be relegated to the RFU Championship after failing to beat Gloucester away. After this, many prominent players elected to leave the club to further pursue top-flight rugby. Following the confirmation of relegation into the Championship, Simon Hammersley and Chris Harris both evoked relegation release clauses held within their contracts and signed for Sale Sharks and Gloucester Rugby respectively. Wasps picked up Zach Kibirige with Director of Rugby Dai Young saying Kibirige was "simply too good an opportunity to miss". England International Mark Wilson signed a 1-year loan agreement with Sale Sharks which would ultimately allow him to still play for his country despite being registered to a Championship team. Finally on 3 July, it was announced that fan favourite Vereniki Goneva had signed for Harlequins following rumours and speculation on where he would go following Falcons' demotion. He signed along with fellow Fijian international Tevita Cavubati and Newcastle teammate Glen Young.

2019–20 season: Greene King Championship and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Keen to start the new season in the right direction, Falcons bolstered their Premiership side against every team they faced in the competition winning every match both home and away, their largest win being 41-0 against Bedford Blues on 14 March 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the RFU officially cancelled the season on 20 March 2020, after initially postponing all rugby in England. As a result, Newcastle Falcons were declared champions for the season and promoted back into the Premiership on the basis of their playing record having been undefeated and at the top of the table when the league was suspended. The club made a series of salary reductions for players and off-field staff to ensure the survival of the company during an unprecedented time, this included all branches of the club including Newcastle Thunder and the team's charity branch, Newcastle Falcons Foundation.

It was also at this time that Johnny Williams announced he would be moving to Scarlets at the official conclusion of the season with Dominic Waldouck joining Gloucester Rugby as their Defence Coach. Nick Easter also joined Falcons' coaching squad shortly after.

2020–21 season: Post-Pandemic revival

After a wait of 8 months, Rugby Union restarted across England with teams cautiously returning to some level of normality. Newcastle, back in the Premiership, expanded and strengthened its squad with the flagship signing of Luther Burrell following a cross-code switch from Warrington Wolves. Home grown talent Gary Graham and Jamie Blamire both signed 3-year contract extensions respectively. Sinoti Sinoti, a fan favourite at the club who was a key asset in the Falcons' previous seasons left the club owing to "Personal Reasons".^[15]

2021–22 season: RFU Investigation into Institutionalised Racism

On 25 June 2022 the Daily Mail interviewed player Luther Burrell highlighting racism in his rugby playing career, specifically mentioning how it had become commonplace in the Newcastle Falcons team.^[16] Burrell had been the target of racist remarks between teammates who brushed it off as "locker room talk". The club launched an internal investigation following the story breaking with Luther receiving public support for his actions with many fans of the club and the Rugby Union community condemning the claims stated in the article. The Rugby Football Union announced on July 24 that they would conduct a full independent investigation into the allegations made by Burrell.^[17]

Newcastle finished the

Club information

Stadium

Newcastle Falcons play at Kingston Park which holds 10,250.^[2] Kingston Park was the second smallest stadium in the Premiership Rugby with the club's average attendance currently sitting at approximately 10,000, a 42.5% increase from the 2016–17 season and a 96.8% increase from the 2013–14 season. The stadium has three modern stands; the open air North standing Terrace, the enclosed South Stand Terrace – where the loudest fans traditionally stand and sing, and the all-seated West Stand. However, the Falcons also retain the original Gosforth East stand complete with green and white seating (Gosforth colours). The pitch at Kingston Park recently went under renovation, replacing the former grass surface with a 3G Synthetic pitch with the aim of reducing the matches lost to the North East weather.^[18] In June 2015, the Falcons bought Kingston Park back from Northumbria University, which was a bold statement by the club ahead of the 2015–16 season.

On 16 September 2017 the Falcons played a home game away from Kingston Park and become the second English team to host a game in the

On 24 March 2018 Newcastle Falcons hosted "The Big One", their Premiership fixture against Northampton Saints. It was originally booked to be played at Kingston Park but after an agreement came together with Newcastle United F.C., it was moved to St James' Park, Newcastle United's home ground. The goal was to promote rugby union in North East England while also being the Falcons' biggest home crowd to date. The bar was set at 20,000 attendees which would beat their previous record of 11,595 set in 1999 when a match was held at Gateshead International Stadium. For the match, Falcons wore a unique black and white striped shirt similar to that worn by Newcastle United. It was announced after "The Big One" game that 30,174 people attended the game as Falcons beat Northampton Saints 25–22. It was the first Premiership Rugby match to be played at St James' Park, and the success of the initiative led to Newcastle Falcons doing the same in the 2018–2019 season.

Kits

Gosforth Rugby Strip.

During the years known as Gosforth the club played in green and white hoops, colours that are still retained by the existing Gosforth Rugby Club.

Season summaries

Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runners-up
Pink background denotes relegated

Club honours

National

• Premiership Rugby
  • Champions: (1) 1997–98
• Championship (2nd division)
  • Champions: (3) 1992–93, 2012–13, 2019–20
  • Runners–Up: (1) 1996–97
• RFU Knockout Cup
  • Champions: (4)
    1975–76, 1976–77, 2000–01, 2003–04
  • Runners–Up: (2) 1998–99, 2010–11
• British and Irish Cup
  • Runners–Up: (1) 2012–13

Local

• Northumberland Senior Cup
  • Champions: (30) 1927–28, 1955–56, 1959–60, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94

Sevens

• Melrose Sevens
  • Champions: (1) 2006
• Hawick Sevens
  • Champions: (3) 2005, 2006, 2007
• Langholm Sevens
  • Champions: (4) 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
• Selkirk Sevens
  • Champions: (1) 2004
• Peebles Sevens
  • Champions: (1) 2004
• Middlesex Sevens
  • Champions: (1) 2007

Current squad

The Newcastle Falcons squad for the 2023–24 season is:^{[19] [20]}

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Jamie Blamire Hooker England Bryan Byrne Hooker Ireland Charlie Maddison Hooker England Michael van Vuuren Hooker South Africa Eduardo Bello Prop Argentina Phil Brantingham Prop England Adam Brocklebank Prop England Murray McCallum Prop Scotland Richard Palframan Prop South Africa Mark Tampin Prop England Tim Cardall Lock England Sebastian de Chaves Lock South Africa John Hawkins Lock England Kiran McDonald Lock Scotland Pedro Rubiolo Lock Argentina Josh Bainbridge Back row England Callum Chick Back row England Sam Cross Back row Wales John Kelly Back row England Ollie Leatherbrow Back row Scotland Freddie Lockwood Back row England Guy Pepper Back row England Philip van der Walt Back row South Africa

Player Position Union Josh Barton Scrum-half England James Elliott Scrum-half England Hugh O'Sullivan Scrum-half Ireland Sam Stuart Scrum-half England Brett Connon Fly-half Ireland Rory Jennings Fly-half England Josh Thomas Fly-half Wales Jordan Holgate Centre South Africa Cameron Hutchison Centre Scotland Zach Kerr Centre Ireland Matias Moroni Centre Argentina Matías Orlando Centre Argentina George Wacokecoke Centre Fiji Vereimi Qorowale Wing Fiji Adam Radwan Wing England Iwan Stephens Wing England Ben Stevenson Wing England Louis Brown Fullback England Elliott Obatoyinbo Fullback England Tom Penny Fullback England

Academy squad

The Newcastle Falcons academy squad is:^[21]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Ollie Fletcher Hooker England Jacob Oliver Hooker England Sam Clark Prop England Mark Dormer Prop England Isaac Keller Prop England Mike Rewcastle Prop England Finn Baker Lock England Luke Coulston Lock England Adam Scott Lock England Marcus Tiffen Back row England

Player Position Union Ben Douglas Scrum-half England Louie Johnson Fly-half England Ben Redshaw Centre England Nathan Greenwood Wing England Oliver Spencer Fullback England

Current coaching staff

• Head Coach: Steve Diamond
• Defence & Breakdown Coach: Scott Baldwin
• Lineout Coach: Scott MacLeod
• Scrum Coach: Micky Ward
• Head of Field Conditioning: Kevin McShane
• Strength & Conditioning Co-ordinator: Andy Smith
• Academy Coach: Mark Laycock
• Team Manager: John Stokoe

Notable former players

Lions Tourists

The following Newcastle players have been selected for the Lions tours while at the club:

• 2001 & 2005: Jonny Wilkinson
• John Bentley, Tony Underwood, Alan Tait, Doddie Weir
• 1989 - Gary Armstrong
• 1974: Roger Uttley
• 1966: Ray McLoughlin

Rugby World Cup

The following are players which have represented their countries at the Rugby World Cup, whilst playing for Newcastle:

Tournament	Players selected	England players	Other national team players
1999	8	Jonny Wilkinson	George Graham, Stuart Grimes, Doddie Weir, Peter Walton, Gary Armstrong , Va'aiga Tuigamala , Ross Nesdale
2003	2	Jonny Wilkinson	Stuart Grimes
2007	4	Jonny Wilkinson, Toby Flood, Jamie Noon, Mathew Tait
2011	3		Suka Hufanga , Euan Murray , Taiasina Tuifu'a
2015	9		Alesana Tuilagi, Kane Thompson , Jon Welsh , Eric Fry , Juan Pablo Socino , Nili Latu, Sonatane Takulua , Joshua Furno, Giovanbattista Venditti
2019	6	Mark Wilson	Logovi'i Mulipola , Sonatane Takulua, Cooper Vuna , Greg Peterson , Josh Matavesi
2023	4		Eduardo Bello, Pedro Rubiolo, Matías Moroni, Mateo Carreras

Records

Team records

• Record Win: 156–5 vs Rugby Lions (Courage League 1996)
• Record Loss: 10–83 vs Leicester Tigers (Zurich Premiership 2004–05)
• Best League Position: 1st (Premiership, 1997–98)
• Worst League Position: 12th (Division Two, 1989–90)

Player records

• Most Premiership Appearances: Tom May – 193
• Top Premiership Try Scorer: Tom May – 47
• Top Premiership Points Scorer: Jonny Wilkinson – 1,489

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Newcastle Falcons.

• Official website