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Newcastle Red Bulls sprang into life on Friday with their first competitive outing, against Harlequins in the Prem Cup and they marked the start of a new era with a 26-14 victory.
Newcastle Red Bulls sprang into life on Friday with their first competitive outing, against Harlequins in the Prem Cup and they marked the start of a new era with a 26-14 victory.
The new investors will be pleased with the result, and the crowd of 9,089 at Kingston Park who were enlivened from the start.
The era began with fanfare and fireworks, but will we see them kick on when the Gallagher Prem season starts on 26 September, or will familiar problems resurface?
STARTING FROM THE FRONT
While the energy drink specialists talk about giving the team wings, it was the bullish performance of the forwards that laid the foundation.
Newcastle’s problems in recent years have been many, but ultimately, they start with the lack of a competitive pack. On last night’s showing they appear to have a pack that will at least give them a chance.
As a hooker that gave the word grizzled new meaning, Steve Diamond will be pleased that the first two tries came from hooker and captain George McGuigan, and loosehead prop Murray McCallum.
Behind them number 8 Amanaki Mafi gave the team direction, with his direct running and power of the back of the scrum.
The real boost came from second-rows Oscar Usher and Scotland’s Jamie Hodgson, who worked tirelessly and were part of the build-up to the fourth try.
However, while they were good in the lineout, Diamond will work to improve their return of 13 from 15.
BACKLINE BALANCE
If the forward pack got the scoring going, it was the backline that took them out of reach from a young Harlequins team.
Wing Oli Spencer grabbed the third, and fullback Alex Hearle rounded off a counter-attacking move for their fourth to show what they could do with the ball in hand.
At scrumhalf, Sam Stuart enjoyed the greater time he had to choose his options, and he was consistent with the pace and width of his delivery, helping Diamond’s side go wide quicker than they’ve been able to over the last few seasons.
Max Clark in the centres was another plus. He gave the side directness and a platform to build on once the move went wide. The 29-year-old also filled in at flanker late on, a role he appeared to relish.
MORE TO COME
If Red Bull fans didn’t have plenty to smile about, the thought of those who will soon be making their debuts will certainly get them grinning.
Argentina scrumhalf Simón Benítez Cruz will give Stuart plenty of competition, and Tom Christie and Fergus Lee-Warner will add their Super Rugby experience to the pack.
Then of course there is Christian Wade, a man who has already stated his intention to score the nine tries he needs to become the Prem’s all-time leading try scorer, and to do so in Newcastle colours.
IRONING OUT THE ISSUES
It wasn’t totally smooth sailing on the Tyne. The two tries they conceded showed that there is still work for the defensive team to work on.
The first came when centre Sammy Arnold rushed out of the line and left a huge gap that Bryn Bradley exploited.
The second came when the pack switched off, and failed to protect the edge of a ruck, which Sam Riley raced through.
Callum Hancock’s yellow card late on might have let in better teams for a comeback, but it is a mark of the team that they didn’t capitulate.
NOD TO THE PAST
Rob Andrew was the man who started the Newcastle Falcons revolution in the mid-1990s, and there he was in the Kingston Park boxes thoroughly enjoying himself.
He was the one who took the Falcons, Jonny Wilkinson and a host of famous names, to the Premiership title, and a couple of domestic cups.
His return is a call to those days, and the embodiment that the path to them is once again opening.