Why Red Bull takeover of Newcastle has started so badly

May 27, 2026 No Comments

Why Red Bull takeover of Newcastle has started so badlyImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Newcastle Red Bulls have won only three of their last 55 Prem fixtures stretching back to March 2023 ByAdam LaniganBBC Sport, North East & Cumbria Published1 hour agoWith two rounds of the regular Prem season to go, there is a familiar sight at the bottom of the table.For the fourth straight year, Newcastle Red Bulls are marooned in last place, struggling to cope against teams with more quality and depth.Newcastle are certain to finish last, 19 points behind ninth-placed Gloucester, with The Prem’s most northerly outfit six points shy of the total they managed last season and with one fewer win. They are conceding an average of 47.75 points per game and scoring just 16.18, demonstrating just how far behind the rest they are. The Red Bull revolution arrived with much fanfare as the energy drink giant took over the north-east club last August, but it has been a season of struggle again on the field.Nine months on, it feels like the project is waiting for take-off, as Red Bulls await their rugby wings. Newcastle release 26 players in summer clear-out

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Red Bull arriving on the scene was a huge moment for Newcastle and English rugby in general.

It saved the Falcons from potentially going the same way as Worcester Warriors, London Irish and Wasps had previously and, at the same time, it was bringing to the domestic game the expertise and marketing ability already seen in football, Formula 1 and other sports.

But in sport, timing is everything. And in rugby, taking over a club team in August leaves you well behind the eight-ball.

Most clubs are busy recruiting players for the new season between January and April, so the best players are signed up long before teams start returning for pre-season training.

So when Red Bull arrived in August, it was a race against time for Newcastle to bring in new faces for the start of the campaign, while they had lost key players from the previous campaign like captain Callum Chick and hooker Jamie Blamire.

The players they did manage to recruit were mostly handed one-year contracts, suggesting a holding pattern, while more strategic thinking went into what would happen next season and beyond.

Left: Steve Diamond watching on glumly
Centre: Alan Dickens shouting (wearing a Red Bulls woolly hat)
Right: Stephen Jones also shouting an instruction while having an earpiece in his right ear — Image caption,

Steve Diamond was in charge for one Prem game this season and Alan Dickens for nine, while Stephen Jones has managed six so far

One club, three coaches

Steve Diamond held the fort between January 2024 and October 2025 as consultant director of rugby, acting as the club’s public face during a testing period on and off the pitch.

Diamond and a corporate machine like Red Bull never felt like a long-term match but it was still a shock when he left Kingston Park just one game into the season.

Alan Dickens stepped up to become head coach and led the team to their only Prem win of the campaign, so far, at home to Gloucester in January.

There was also a solid performance in the European Challenge Cup as they reached the knockout stages for the first time in four years.

But as the early weeks of January were heralded by the announcements of some new players, the silence around Dickens’ future was deafening.

He unveiled in February that he would be leaving at the end of the season but a month later, his exit was mutually brought forward.

Former Wales fly-half Stephen Jones was then promoted from his role as attack coach to take the reins on an interim basis and, with each passing week, it has felt like Newcastle are counting down the days to a new season and a clean slate, especially since losing to La Rochelle in the last 16 of the Challenge Cup.

In the four Prem games that have followed, Newcastle have lost by an aggregate score of 259-51.

Englishman Dan McFarland is arriving from Japan to take over as head coach this summer and he will have a lot of work to do.

A graphic containing 15 new Newcastle signings with a picture of Raffi Quirke in a Sale kit holding the ball in his right hand — Image caption,

Sale and England scrum-half Raffi Quirke is the headline arrival for Newcastle next season

New arrivals

For a period in January, there was the daily Newcastle. Each morning would see the announcement of a new player for 2026-27 season as the club looked to strengthen its ranks.

Every position from one to 15 has been addressed and overall 23 players have been signed, enough to cover a matchday squad, with Sale Sharks and England scrum-half Raffi Quirke probably the headline arrival.

But to offset that, 26 players are leaving after the final match at Gloucester on 6 June, while two have retired during this campaign, meaning there is set to be a huge churn at Kingston Park this summer.

It will be a big challenge for McFarland and his staff to integrate so many new faces, create a team dynamic off the field and bridge a gap with clubs that have largely settled squads and ways of playing.

Backs: Benjamin Elizalde (Bristol Bears), Joji Nasova (Fijian Drua), Josh Hodge, Will Rigg (Exeter Chiefs), Chris Harris (Bath), Brandon Jackson (Saracens), Fehi Fineanganofo (Wellington Hurricanes), Zack Henry (Stade Francais), Raffi Quirke, Obi Ene (Sale Sharks)

Forwards: Pouri Rakete-Stones (Wellington Hurricanes), George Turner (Harlequins), Elliot Millar Mills, Tom West, Sam Graham (Northampton Saints), James Harper (Sale), Samson Adejimi (Saracens), Max Hicks (Perpignan), Cam Jordan (Gloucester), Franco Molina (Western Force), Rusi Tuima (Exeter), Allan Ferrie (Coventry), Hoskins Sotutu (Auckland Blues)

Gregor Townsend speaking into a mouthpiece while he is wearing an earpiece with wiring hanging down — Image caption,

Gregor Townsend has a 30-day per year role as a rugby consultant for Red Bull

Waiting for Gregor?

One thing that is evident at Kingston Park is the Scottish influence that is shaping the future.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has a role as a rugby consultant for Red Bull, while his former international team-mate Jonny Petrie is the club’s managing director.

Fellow Scot Neil McIlroy was brought in as Newcastle’s sporting general manager and he has been heavily involved in their busy recruitment, which has included no fewer than four Scots, headed by former British and Irish Lion Chris Harris.

John Fletcher may be a Newcastle native but he returned to the club as their academy and pathways director, a role he had previously undertaken for Scottish Rugby.

McFarland worked as Scotland’s assistant coach for a season under Townsend in 2017-18 before beginning life as a number one.

The Englishman will be in charge for 2026-27, but is he merely keeping the seat warm for the Scotland head coach to take over after the World Cup in Australia in the autumn of 2027?

Brett Connon (left) is spoken to by Christian Wade (centre) with Alex Hearle (right), while Wade has an arm round each of them after Newcastle's win over Gloucester — Image caption,

Newcastle will hope to be celebrating more wins in the 2026-27 season

‘Everyone in sport wants quick fix’

Jones will be in charge for the final two games of this season, at home to Sale Sharks on Saturday (19:45 BST) and then a trip to Gloucester on 6 June.

After that, he will revert to a more familiar role as the attack coach when McFarland arrives.

The former Wales number 10 has faced the challenge of dealing with this transitional period as a large number of his current squad gear up to say their goodbyes but he believes better times are on their way to Kingston Park.

“If we’re thinking about the future, it’s hugely exciting,” Jones told BBC Sport. “Things are progressing at great speed.

“I know in sport you want a quick fix but that doesn’t always happen. What I do know is what’s going on in the background and the hard work that is going in.

“For Newcastle Red Bulls fans, it’s an incredibly exciting time. What’s on the horizon for us is great.”

Since Red Bull got involved at Newcastle, there has been increased investment at Bath and an American takeover of Exeter Chiefs, hinting at a brighter future for The Prem and domestic rugby.

“It’s an exciting time for the league, an exciting time for the players,” Jones added. “It’s really good for the game.”

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