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. 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

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

and four domestic cups in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. Newcastle was the only English club of Jonny Wilkinson, where he played from 1997 to 2009, and as well as Wilkinson in

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

Newcastle saw three players in the

2007 Rugby World Cup Final The 2007 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match, played on Saturday, 20 October 2007 at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris, to determine the winner of the 2007 Rugby World Cup. South Africa beat England 15–6. Having also won the 19 ...

with Mathew Tait starting and Toby Flood appearing from the bench. Mark Wilson played in the

2019 Rugby World Cup Final The 2019 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match played on 2 November 2019 at the International Stadium Yokohama in Yokohama, Japan. It marked the culmination of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and was played between England and South Africa, a re ...

while at the club.

History

Name changes

* Gosforth Football Club (1877–1882) * Northumberland Football Club (1882–1887); Merged with Northumberland FC and assumed their name. * 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. * Newcastle Falcons (1997–present)

Early years (1877–1990s)

The original Gosforth Football Club was founded in 1877 by a group of Old Boys of Durham School, in whose colours of green and white hoops the club played until the mid-1990s. The name Gosforth came from one of the suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1955, the club moved to a new ground at North Road which was to be its home until 1990. During that time and particularly in the late 1970s Gosforth enjoyed tremendous success both on and off the field winning the John Player Cup in seasons 1975–76 and 1976–77. Gosforth supplied innumerable players to all counties over the years, to the North of England sides and to the full international and British Lions teams. These include Arthur Smith, Ray McLoughlin,

Malcolm Young Malcolm Mitchell Young (6 January 1953 – 18 November 2017) was an Australian musician who was the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter of AC/DC. Except for a brief absence in 1988, he was with the band from its beginn ...

, Roger Uttley,

Peter Dixon Peter John Dixon (born 30 April 1944) is a former England international rugby union player. Dixon played for Oxford University RFC in four consecutive Varsity Matches from 1967 to 1970. He played for Cumberland at county level alongside Da ...

Duncan Madsen Duncan Madsen is a former Scottish rugby union footballer. He was capped by Scotland and was part of the 1976 & 1977 Gosforth team that won the 1975–76 John Player Cup The 1975–76 John Player Cup was the fifth edition of England's premi ...

, Dave Robinson,

Richard Breakey Richard Breakey (born 14 November 1956) is a former Scotland national rugby union team, Scotland international rugby union player. He played for Scotland national rugby union team, Scotland in the 1978 Five Nations Championship, 1978 Five Natio ...

Jim Pollock James Ivan Pollock (July 8, 1930 – October 28, 2021) was a politician in Ontario, Canada.Colin White. In 1990 the club name was changed to Newcastle Gosforth and they moved to Kingston Park. Gosforth Rugby Football Club continued as an amateur side working in partnership with

Northumbria University , mottoeng = A lifetime of learning , established = 1877 - Rutherford College of Technology1969 - Newcastle Polytechnic1992 - gained university status , type = Public , budget = � ...

and currently play at Broadway West.

Professional era

For the 1996–97 season the new name of Newcastle Falcons and new black-and-white colours were adopted, after local businessman Sir John Hall took control and attempted to create a sporting club in Newcastle that would emulate the success of the Barcelona model. The four teams that made up that sporting club were the

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team, nicknamed the Magpies, the Newcastle Eagles basketball team, the Newcastle Cobras (later Riverkings, Jesters, Vipers) ice hockey team and the Newcastle Falcons rugby union team. Newcastle was the first fully "professional" club in the world. In 1995, Hall installed former Wasps captain

Rob Andrew Christopher Robert Andrew (born 18 February 1963) is a former English Rugby Union player and was, until April 2016, Professional Rugby Director at the RFU. He was formerly the Director of Rugby of Newcastle Falcons and has been Chief Executiv ...

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 Inga Tuigamala, Scotland legends Doddie Weir and Gary Armstrong, England star

Tony Underwood Tony Underwood (born 17 February 1969 in Ipoh, Malaysia) is a former English rugby union footballer who played as a wing three-quarter back. He is of Malaysian-English parentage. Rugby career His rugby talent was first nurtured at Barnard Castl ...

, British and Irish Lions stars

Alan Tait Alan Victor Tait (born 2 November 1964) is a former Scottish dual-code rugby footballer, and now coach. He is a Defence Coach at the Super 6 side Southern Knights. He was previously head coach at Newcastle Falcons and a former rugby union ...

and John Bentley and youngster Jonny Wilkinson. 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,

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 Powergen Cups: in 2001 the Falcons beat

Harlequins FC Harlequins (officially Harlequin Football Club) is a professional rugby union club that plays in Premiership Rugby, the top level of English rugby union. Their home ground is the Twickenham Stoop, located in Twickenham, south-west London. Foun ...

30–27; and in 2004 the Falcons beat 37–33 against

Sale Sharks Sale Sharks is a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Originally founded in 1861 as Sale Football Club, now a distinct amateur club, they adopted the n ...

. In 2004, legendary Wallabies full-back Matt Burke signed for the Falcons. For the Falcons, Burke played alongside former English rival Jonny Wilkinson (his opposite kicker in the 2001 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia). In Wilkinson, Burke, England international

Dave Walder David John Hume Walder (born 7 May 1978 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is a former rugby union footballer who is currently head coach at Newcastle Falcons from the 2017–18 season onwards, having been attack coach since 2015. Early life He was educ ...

and emerging future England number 10 Toby Flood the Falcons had adequate competition for kicking duties over the coming seasons, despite long-term injuries to Jonny Wilkinson. During the 2004–05 season the Falcons recorded their best ever

Heineken Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...

performance to date by winning their pool and progressing to a quarter-final tie against

Stade Français Stade Français Paris Rugby () is a French professional rugby union club based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The club plays in the Top 14 domestic league in France and is one of the most successful French clubs of the modern era. The ...

in the

Parc des Princes Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...

. In August 2005 Falcons toured Japan pre-season. They beat NEC Green Rockets easily but lost to a fired-up Toyota Verblitz.Falcons fall to narrow defeat in Japan
Guinness Premiership, 23 August 2005. In August 2006

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.Falcons pay tribute to Andrew
, Newcastle-Falcons.co.uk, 18 August 2006 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 All-Black prop

Carl Hayman Carl Joseph Hayman (born 14 November 1979) is a retired New Zealand rugby union footballer who played at tighthead prop. Hayman has previously played for the Highlanders in Super Rugby, Otago in the NPC, and Newcastle Falcons in the English P ...

signed for the Falcons, reportedly as the highest paid Rugby Union player in the world. Unfortunately, the season was the beginning of a downward spiral for the Falcons. On 11 March 2008, Fletcher and Walton left the club, officially by mutual consent,Boss Fletcher Leaves Newcastle
BBC Sport, 11 March 2008 following Black who had left a couple of months earlier.

Steve Bates Steve Bates (born 4 March 1963) is a rugby coach and retired from former rugby union player. He played at scrum-half for London Wasps and was capped once for the England national rugby union team. He twice worked as a coach at Newcastle Falcon ...

took over as interim director of rugby until summer 2008 when the post was reviewed. Dave Thompson stated at that time that nine years of underachievement were the reason for the departure of John Fletcher and Peter Walton. Having said this, Bates guided the Falcons to a record-equalling run of seven consecutive Premiership defeats by April 2008 with home games against Leicester Tigers and London Wasps plus a season-concluding away trip to Worcester Warriors yet to come. Defeat in the European Challenge Cup semi-final against Worcester Warriors on 25 April 2008 may well have sounded the death knell for Steve Bates' tenure as interim DoR. However, on Tuesday 20 May 2008

was confirmed as Newcastle's Director of Rugby on a full-time basis.Steve Bates given Newcastle Falcons job
''Telegraph'', 20 May 2008 At the end of the season, fly-half Toby Flood left for

Leicester Tigers Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...

and full-back Mathew Tait signed for

, as the struggling Falcons failed to hold onto young English international talent. England Saxons scrum-half Lee Dickson would also depart for Northampton Saints, where he would go on to earn full international honours. Legendary Australia full back Matt Burke retired due to injury at the end of the campaign.

2008–09 season

In November 2008 Chairman Dave Thompson put an end to speculation of a takeover of the club after rejecting three bids. He held talks with a number of different consortia and reportedly turned down one offer of a full take over as the bidding consortium wanted to relocate the club to

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

. Furthermore, he said the speculation had led to instability in the club which was unsettling players and fans alike. On the pitch the Falcons reached another

European Challenge Cup The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception i ...

quarter-final going down to

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

away from home and finished 10th in the Premiership. This season marked the end of an era as legendary fly-half Jonny Wilkinson left the club for RC Toulonnais. England under-20s fly-half

Rory Clegg Rory Clegg (born 6 January 1990) is a former rugby union player. He played as a Fly-half. Early life Clegg was born on 6 January 1990 at the British Military Hospital in Hanover, Germany; his father was serving in the army. He attended Barnard ...

also left for Harlequins as

Jimmy Gopperth James Gopperth (born 29 June 1983) is a New Zealand professional rugby union player who plays for Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby, England's top tier. His regular playing positions are Centre and fly-half and he has played over 400 profe ...

was signed as replacement fly-half. The loss of Wilkinson was compounded by the departure of future British and Irish Lions star

Geoff Parling Geoff Parling (born 28 October 1983) is an English rugby union coach and former player. His usual playing position was lock. Parling played for Newcastle Falcons, Leicester Tigers and Exeter Chiefs in Premiership Rugby, he won three English t ...

who continued the outflow of talent, leaving for

. Another trio who would go on to achieve England honours in

Phil Dowson Phil Dowson (born 1 October 1981) is director of rugby at Northampton Saints. He is a former English rugby union player. He played for Worcester Warriors, Northampton Saints and Newcastle Falcons in the Aviva Premiership. Dowson's position of ...

, Dave Wilson and Tom May also left for Northampton Saints,

Bath Rugby Bath Rugby is a professional rugby union club in Bath, Somerset, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Founded in 1865 as Bath Football Club, since 1894 the club has played at the Recreation Ground in the c ...

and RC Toulonnais respectively.

2009–10 season

The Falcons failed to replace the character and quality which had departed, with imports Gcobani Bobo and

Filipo Levi Filipo Levi is the former International Rugby Captain for Manu Samoa and has captained teams from a local and international stage since 2000 until 2013. Filipo experience and knowledge is understanding business leaders unique challenges from a ...

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

. The decision came after Newcastle went on an unbeaten run to quash any doubts of relegation largely due to an inspirational

. But a crushing home

Quarter Final defeat by

Cardiff Blues Cardiff Rugby ( cy, Rygbi Caerdydd) are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby competitions. Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms ...

signalled the end of the Bates era. Following the loss of England talent Flood, Tait and Wilkinson in previous seasons, the last remaining England international at the club,

Jamie Noon Jamie Darren Noon (born 9 May 1979 in Goole) is a retired rugby union footballer who played at centre. Career Hard-running centre Noon joined the Newcastle Falcons for the 1998-99 Allied Dunbar Premiership, after a letter from one of his sch ...

, departed for

CA Brive Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin, also referred to as CA Brive, Brive () or CAB, is a French professional rugby union club based in Brive-la-Gaillarde, in the Corrèze department. They compete in the first-tier Top 14 competition. Briv ...

. The front line was also notably weakened when club captain Hayman left the Falcons once his lucrative contract expired, to join former teammate Wilkinson at RC Toulonnais.

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 Nationalisation of Northern Rock, the club's main sponsor. After months of speculation, it was announced that local businessman Semore Kurdi had purchased a 40% stake in the club in September 2010, easing the club's financial difficulties. Scotland number 8 Ally Hogg was signed, while Scotland and Lions prop

Euan Murray Euan Murray (born 7 August 1980) is a retired Scottish rugby union footballer, whose last club was Pau in the French Top 14. He started his career with Glasgow Warriors before playing for a number of clubs including Northampton Saints, Newc ...

also arrived to plug the gap left by Hayman. On the pitch in Alan Tait's first season the Falcons reached the Anglo-Welsh Cup final, losing to Gloucester 34–7. Despite this relative success the Falcons finished their worst ever Premiership season with just 23 points (four wins), only escaping relegation thanks to the inferior points difference of

Leeds Carnegie Leeds Carnegie was a brand name used by several sports teams associated with the Carnegie School of Physical Education, now part of Leeds Beckett University. These include: Current * Leeds Carnegie Handball Club Changed name * Leeds Carnegie (ba ...

. England Saxons pair, scrum-half

Micky Young Michael Young (born 31 December 1988) is a Scrum half for Rugby Union team Newcastle Falcons in the Aviva Premiership. He is a product of West Hartlepool Rugby Club junior academy. Club career He played for the Newcastle Falcons Middlesex ...

and prop

Kieran Brookes Kieran Brookes (born 29 August 1990) is an English rugby union player who plays for Toulon and England. He usually plays as a tighthead prop, but can also cover as a loosehead prop. He was educated at Kirkham Grammar School. Club career Brook ...

, would both depart for

at the end of the campaign.

2011–12 season: Relegation to Championship

The huge outflow of talent from 2008 onwards, and lack of suitable reinforcements, would come to bear during this campaign. Samoa international centre

Jamie Helleur Jamie Helleur (born 21 November 1983)
Scrum.com is a former New Zealand-born Samoan

was a rare quality signing. The 2011–12 season saw Newcastle Falcons relegated from the Premiership. The Falcons started the season badly but rallied midway through as Gary Gold took over. After changing the set up at Kingston Park, the club nearly escaped relegation, but

London Wasps Wasps Rugby Football Club is a professional rugby union team. They last played in Premiership Rugby, the top division of English rugby until being suspended on 12 October 2022. On 17 October 2022 the club entered administration, resulting in r ...

held on to secure their Premiership status by a point. Despite finishing with a higher points total than the year before (32) it was not enough to keep them up. The Falcons still had a small hope that London Welsh may be refused Premiership status, however Welsh were promoted after an appeal. Many players, including

, subsequently left the club.

2012–13 season: Repromotion to Premiership

The Falcons' season in the Championship sees the much changed side coached by director of rugby Dean Richards who appointed

Will Welch William Welch (born 3 April 1990) is an English retired rugby union player and former captain for Newcastle Falcons in the Gallagher Premiership; his position of choice is at Openside Flanker. He is a product of the Newcastle Falcons Junior A ...

as club captain, while experienced international locks Scott MacLeod and

Carlo Del Fava Carlo Antonio Del Fava (born 1 July 1981) is a South African-born Italian former rugby union player. His preferred position was Lock. After hanging his boots up he then decided to take up coaching. Del Fava was born in Mthatha, South Africa to ...

were signed. The Falcons won their first game of the season 37–20 against Bristol 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 Bedford Blues are a rugby union club in the town of Bedford, England, currently playing in The RFU Championship. Bedford is one of the few towns in England where the rugby club is better supported than the football team. The Blues are a semi-pro ...

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

Aviva Premiership Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition. The Premiership has consisted of thirteen clubs since 2021, and is the ...

, star fly-half

departed for

Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby ( ga, Rugbaí Laighean) is one of the four professional provincial rugby union teams from the island of Ireland and the most successful Irish team domestically. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby ...

. To replace Gopperth, former Falcon

was signed by Dean Richards for the second time, with Richards having previously signed Clegg for Harlequins when Clegg was just 19. Four years later, the return of Clegg, alongside the returning

from

, provided evidence that talent was coming back to the Falcons. The signings of former Scotland and Lions scrum-half

Mike Blair Michael Robert Leighton Blair (born 20 April 1981) is a Scottish rugby union coach who was formerly a professional player. He is the head coach of Edinburgh. He played at scrum-half for Glasgow Warriors, Newcastle Falcons, CA Brive and Edin ...

from

flanker

Andy Saull Andy Saull (born 27 September 1988 in London) is a rugby union player who plays at flanker. Early life He was educated at Bancroft's School and Birkbeck, University of London. He formative years were spent playing for Woodford R.F.C. in Red ...

, Scotland hooker

Scott Lawson Scott Lawson (born 28 September 1981 in Lanark) is a Scottish rugby union player who plays club rugby for Newcastle Falcons. Lawson started playing rugby with Biggar RFC he went through the youth system and all the way to the first XV. He then ...

from London Irish, former Scotland fly half

Phil Godman Phil Godman (born 20 May 1982) is an ex rugby union player, who played for Edinburgh Rugby and Newcastle Falcons as well as representing Scottish rugby union side. Early life He was educated at Merchiston Castle School, where he played for the ...

and one time France prop

Franck Montanella Franck Montanella (born 26 March 1982) is a French rugby union footballer. He played for FC Auch in the 2006-07 Pro Rugby D2, which Auch won. His usual position is as a prop. He was also included in France's mid-year Test squad for 2007 in the two ...

showed the desire of the club to compete upon return to the top flight. Samoa wing Sinoti Sinoti and Argentina centre

Gonzalo Tiesi Gonzalo Tiesi (born 24 April 1985 in Buenos Aires) is a retired Argentine rugby union player. Tiesi played for the London Irish, Harlequin F.C., Harlequins, Stade Français, London Welsh and Newcastle Falcons, as for 31 December 2012 won 32 full ca ...

were later added to the squad. Despite a difficult season, which saw a number of retirements through injury, including

, the Falcons secured their place in the Aviva Premiership for 2014–15.

2014–15 season

The Falcons made a statement ahead of the 2014–15 season with the signing of 2010–11 Premiership top try scorer and three time Premiership winner

Alesana Tuilagi Alesana "Alex" Tuilagi (born 24 February 1981) is a former Samoan rugby player. He is a retired footballer, currently residing in Fogapoa Savaii and has appeared numerous times for his national team Samoa. He previously played for Parma in Ital ...

. One of Alesana's six rugby playing brothers,

Andy Tuilagi Anitelea "Andy" Tuilagi (born 5 June 1986) is a Samoan international rugby union player. His position is either Centre (rugby union), centre or Wing (rugby union), wing. He is part of the famous Tuilagi rugby family, with his older brothers Henry ...

also signed for the Falcons. Another notable signing was Italy lock Joshua Furno, while Samoa lock

Kane Thompson Kane Gregory Thompson (born 9 January 1982) is a New Zealand-born Samoan rugby union player. He played for Taranaki in the Mitre 10 Cup. He currently plays for NOLA Gold in Major League Rugby (MLR). Professional rugby career He debuted for th ...

was another new addition.

Rotherham Titans Rotherham Rugby Union Football Club, or Rotherham Titans is a professional rugby union team from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, currently playing in the fourth tier of the English rugby union league system, following their relegation from the Nat ...

duo, Juan Pablo Socino and

Ruki Tipuna Ruki Tipuna (born 11 May 1983) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who has played for Aviva Premiership side Bristol Rugby, Bay of Plenty Steamers, the Hurricanes, Portadown RFC and Scarlets. His position is at scrum-half. Tipuna has al ...

also joined the club. The Falcons finished the season in 11th place, with a points total of 34.

2015–16 season

Ahead of the 2015–16 campaign, England international prop

and England under-20 lock

Dominic Barrow Dominic Edward Barrow (born 19 March 1993) is an English rugby union lock who plays for Sale Sharks . Barrow previously played for Yorkshire Carnegie in the RFU Championship, Newcastle Falcons and Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby and La Ro ...

departed for Northampton Saints and

respectively. Fly halves

and

, wing Noah Cato, flanker

, scrum halves

and Warren Fury along with centre

Jamie Helleur Jamie Helleur (born 21 November 1983)
Scrum.com is a former New Zealand-born Samoan

were among those released. A host of

2015 Rugby World Cup The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was onl ...

stars were signed in Tonga flanker and captain

Nili Latu Nili Latu, playing name of Otenili Langilangi (born 19 February 1982) is a Tongan rugby union footballer. In 2018, Latu left Newcastle Falcons after helping Falcons achieve 4th in the Aviva Premiership, the highest finish in 20 years. He moved to J ...

, Tonga scrum half Sonatane Takulua, Italy wing Giovanbattista Venditti and Scotland prop

Jon Welsh Jon Welsh (born 13 October 1986) is a Scotland national rugby union team, Scotland international rugby union player most recently with Newcastle Falcons. Welsh was previously at Glasgow Warriors. Welsh is a former Junior boxing champion, in t ...

. The return of former star scrum half

was also a coup for the Falcons, alongside one time All Black cap, fly half

Mike Delany Mike Peter Delany (born 15 June 1982) is a retired New Zealand rugby union player who last played for the in Super Rugby and in the Mitre 10 Cup. Delany plays at fly-half but can also cover fullback. Prior to playing for the , he played for ...

and former England lock Mouritz Botha.

2016–17 season

Following seven years in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, England prop Dave Wilson returned to the Falcons. Classy France international centre Maxime Mermoz also joined mid-season. Winger Vereniki Goneva had most metres in the Premiership with 1,615 while Mark Wilson received his first England caps.

2017–18 season: ''The Big One'', Doddie Weir and a New Era

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. 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 Sandy Park is a rugby union stadium and conference and banqueting centre in Exeter, England. It is the home ground of Exeter Chiefs, who from the 2010–11 season have been playing in the Gallagher Premiership, the top flight of the English rug ...

in the semi-finals, where they lost 36–5..

Rob Vickers Rob Vickers (born 2 November 1981 in Yorkshire, England) is a former rugby union player. He represented Newcastle Falcons in the Aviva Premiership, playing as a hooker. Vickers played rugby for Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations ...

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.

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 Logovi'i Mulipola (born 11 March 1987) is a Samoan rugby player currently playing for Newcastle Falcons in Premiership Rugby. Club career Mulipola joined Leicester Tigers on trial in November 2011 and made his debut as a replacement on 7 Januar ...

, John Hardie,

Nemani Nagusa Nemani Nagusi (born 21 July 1988) is a Fiji rugby union player. His usual position is as a Flanker, and he currently plays for Fijian Drua in Super Rugby Pacific. Early Life Nagusa attended the prestigious all boys boarding school Ratu Kadavul ...

and George McGuigan. Falcons returned to the

Heineken Champions Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...

after a 13-year absence. They were drawn to play against Toulon,

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

and Edinburgh in Pool 5. On 14 October, Falcons started their European Campaign against Toulon at Stade Felix Mayol. Less than 30 seconds into the game and Toulon were already on the board after Romain Taofifénua charged down the kick off and scored a try, one of the quickest tries scored in the history of the competition. In the fourth quarter of the game, three of Toulon's players were sin-binned and they were forced to make a decision after being awarded a penalty within kicking distance. However, instead of going for the posts they elected for a five-metre line-out which failed to result in a try. The final score came to 25–26 as Falcons become the second team in a European competition to beat Toulon at home, an accolade that only

had achieved before. Mark Wilson was announced in

Eddie Jones Edward, Eddie, or Ed Jones may refer to: Architecture * Edward Vason Jones (1909–1980), American neoclassical architect * Edward Jones (English architect) (born 1939), English architect who designed the Saïd Business School * Edward Jones (Wel ...

Autumn International Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( S ...

s Squad following players being injured at the time. He started against England's 12–11 win over South Africa and won Quilter Internationals player of the series. He became a regular starter for England in the 2019 Six Nations along with

Gary Graham Gary Graham (born June 6, 1950) is an American actor, musician, and author. He may be best known for his starring role as Detective Matthew Sikes in the television series ''Alien Nation'' (1989–1990) and five subsequent ''Alien Nation'' televi ...

making his debut for Scotland. Following the success of the previous ''"The Big One"'', Falcons announced on 4 December that their match against northern rivals

would be played at

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

St. James' Park St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England. St James' Park ...

. The match would be held as a Charity Event in aid of Doddie Weir and the My Name’5 Doddie foundation. ISC incorporated the ‘Doddie’5 Tartan’ into the shoulders of the Charity Jersey along with the Famous Black and White stripes representing the iconic colours worn by

. The match was a success with 27,284 spectators present as Newcastle beat Sale 22–17. Falcons confirmed the signing of United States international Greg Peterson in mid-March with Darren Barry,

Josh Basham Joshua William R. Basham (born 17 April 1999) is a professional rugby player who plays as a flanker for London Irish in Premiership Rugby Basham made his professional debut for London Irish during the 2017-18 season, eventually making 3 more ...

, Gareth Owen and

Toby Salmon Toby Salmon (born 26 March 1993) is a professional rugby union player who plays for RFU Championship side Saracens F.C., Saracens as a lock forward. He is on loan from Premiership Rugby side Newcastle Falcons. He was signed in the summer of 201 ...

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 Simon Hammersley (born 20 March 1993) is a former English rugby union player who played as a fullback. He has been nicknamed "Lord Hammer of Hammershire" by BT Sport commentator Nick Mullins. Club career Hammersley started his career at his lo ...

and Chris Harris both evoked relegation release clauses held within their contracts and signed for

and Gloucester Rugby respectively.

Wasps A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. T ...

picked up

Zach Kibirige Zach Kibirige (born 28 October 1994) is a rugby union player. Biography Born in Middlesbrough, Kibirige grew up as the youngest of five children in Yarm. Zach attended Yarm School in Yarm, Teesside, where he gained 3 A's at A Level. He is cu ...

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

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 Tevita ‘Tex’ Cavubati (born 12 August 1987) is a Fijian Rugby Union player who currently plays as a lock for Harlequins in the Premiership and for Fiji. Club career Cavubati comes from a strong rugby family, with brother Bill turning ou ...

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

on 14 March 2020. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confir ...

, the

RFU The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It pro ...

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 Dominic Waldouck (born 26 September 1987) is an English rugby union coach and former player. His playing position was centre. Early life and education Waldouck grew up in Shepherd's Bush, London. He attended Kew College Primary School. He the ...

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 Luther Burrell (born 6 December 1989) is a professional rugby union footballer who last played as a for the Newcastle Falcons in the Premiership Rugby. He played rugby union for Leeds Carnegie (2006–2011), Sale Sharks (2011–2012) and Nort ...

following a cross-code switch from Warrington Wolves. Home grown talent

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".

2021–22 season: RFU Investigation into Institutionalised Racism

On 25 June 2022 the

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

interviewed player

highlighting racism in his rugby playing career, specifically mentioning how it had become commonplace in the Newcastle Falcons team. 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 The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the Sports governing body, national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby ...

announced on 24 July that they would conduct a full independent investigation into the allegations made by Burrell. Newcastle finished the

2021-22 Premiership Rugby Increment or incremental may refer to: *Incrementalism, a theory (also used in politics as a synonym for gradualism) *Increment and decrement operators, the operators ++ and -- in computer programming *Incremental computing *Incremental backup, wh ...

season in 12th place, entitling them to play in the

2022-23 European Rugby Challenge Cup The hyphen-minus is the most commonly used type of hyphen, widely used in digital documents. It is the only character that looks like a minus sign or a dash in many character sets such as ASCII or on most keyboards, so it is also used as such. ...

Club information

Stadium

Newcastle Falcons play at Kingston Park which holds 10,250.Kingston Park Stadium (Newcastle Falcons)
RugbyStadiums.co.uk 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. 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 United States when they faced

at the Talen Energy Stadium in Philadelphia. 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

. 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

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 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since th ...

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, 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 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

British and Irish Cup The British and Irish Cup was an annual rugby union competition for second tier, semi-professional clubs and the reserves or developing teams from professional clubs from Great Britain and Ireland. It took place for the first time in the 2009 ...

**Runners–Up: (1)

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 Selkirk Sevens is an annual rugby sevens event held by Selkirk RFC, in Selkirk, Scotland. This was one of a group of Sevens tournaments instated after the First World War extending the original Borders Spring Circuit. The Selkirk Sevens began ...

**Champions: (1) 2004 *

Peebles Sevens Peebles Sevens is an annual rugby sevens event held by Peebles RFC, in Peebles, Scotland. This was one of a group of Sevens tournaments instated after the First World War extending the original Borders Spring Circuit. The Peebles Sevens began i ...

**Champions: (1) 2004 * Middlesex Sevens **Champions: (1) 2007

Current squad

The Newcastle Falcons squad ahead of the 2024–25 season is:

Academy squad

The Newcastle Falcons academy squad is:

Current coaching staff

* Director Of Rugby : Steve Diamond * Performance Manager : Mark Laycock * Head Of Rugby Operations : John Stokoe * Senior Coach :

Alan Dickens Alan William Dickens (born 3 September 1964) is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League as a midfielder. He played the majority of his football at West Ham United and Chelsea, and later played non-league foot ...

* Senior Coach : Micky Ward * Attack & Backs Coach: Tom Williams * Lineout Coach: Scott MacLeod * Head Of Analysis : Steve Bremner * Head of Athletic Performance: Kevin McShane *Head Of Medical Services : Rhys Griffiths

Notable former players

Lions Tourists

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

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

: Jonny Wilkinson *

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

Tim Stimpson Timothy Richard George Stimpson (born 10 September 1973 in Liverpool) is a former rugby union international full back (and occasional wing). During his career he played for Wakefield, West Hartlepool, Newcastle Falcons, Leicester Tigers, Perp ...

, John Bentley,

, Doddie Weir * 1989 - Gary Armstrong *

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

: Roger Uttley *

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

: Ray McLoughlin

Rugby World Cup

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

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

* {{Authority control Rugby clubs established in 1877 Rugby union teams in England Sport in Newcastle upon Tyne 1877 establishments in England 1999 mergers and acquisitions Rugby union in Tyne and Wear