90-443: 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 professional rugby league footballer. He played outside centre for Scotland (RU), and the British and Irish Lions . He played club rugby union for Kelso , Edinburgh and
180-807: A Wallaby , Messenger, who was born in Australia, toured Great Britain at the invitation of the New Zealand All Golds in 1907. He made his international rugby league debut on that tour representing New Zealand. His Australian international Test debut was made in Sydney in Australia's inaugural rugby league Test v the Kiwis on 9 May 1908. He made six further international rugby league appearances for Australia. Emosi Koloto Koloto grew up in New Zealand playing rugby union and represented Tonga in
270-459: 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 . Keen to start
360-473: 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
450-767: 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 Newcastle United . 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 , Gareth Owen and Toby Salmon following shortly after. Tongan international Cooper Vuna later signed
540-458: A high proportion of Australia and New Zealand's dual-code rugby internationals played in rugby league's formative years in those countries. From 1910 to 1995, dual-code internationals were infrequent and with the single exception of Karl Ifwersen , the player had always first appeared as a union international before shifting to league, due to strict bans applied by administrators in rugby union, which remained amateur, to those players who crossed to
630-546: A nine-year absence in 1997 and went on to represent the British & Irish Lions in South Africa also in the summer of that year. Surprising many Tait was selected to start the first two Tests on the wing, even though his favoured and more recognised position was at centre. This was due to coach Ian McGeechan believing that Tait would add extra defensive capabilities to the backline over the other wingers, in what would be
720-501: 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
810-634: A second time and was again selected for the All Blacks. Michael Horak Horak was born in South Africa and represented South Africa in rugby league. He switched to rugby union in 1998 moving to England to play with the Leicester Tigers . He qualifies to represent England via his English mother and did so in 2002. Lesley Vainikolo Vainikolo was born in Tonga but raised in New Zealand playing rugby league at school. His league club career
900-627: A successful eleven year Australian rugby league career from 1996 to 2007 with the Penrith Panthers , during which he made five State of Origin appearances for New South Wales and twenty-three Test appearances for Australia (5 for the Super League team and 18 for the ARL team), Gower moved to Europe, switched codes and signed with French rugby union side Bayonne from 2008. He is eligible to play for Italy through his Italian grandfather. He
990-668: A tight test series. He famously scored a try in the first match as the Lions won 25–16 in Cape Town. He also played in the second match which saw the Lions clinch the series after a dramatic 18–15 victory in Durban. Injured before the 3rd Test he did not play as the Lions lost the last match 35–16. For Scotland Tait developed a devastating partnership with John Leslie . Many saw their pairing as instrumental in Scotland's good performances of
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#17327837041081080-469: Is a rugby footballer who has played at the senior international level in both codes of rugby, 13-a-side rugby league and 15-a-side rugby union . Rugby league started as a breakaway version of rugby in Northern England in 1895 and in New Zealand and Australia in 1908, and consequently a number of early top-class rugby league players had been star players in the rugby union code. Accordingly,
1170-734: 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
1260-399: Is an exceptional record especially when considering that the bulk of these games were played after his return from League at the age of 32. Partly because of this it is why Tait is still regarded in high esteem by Scotland supporters to this day. Following his retirement from playing he then moved into coaching, initially working with Scotland as a defence coach. Although he was dismissed from
1350-427: The 1988–89 John Player Special Trophy Final during the 1988–89 season at Burnden Park , Bolton on Saturday 7 January 1989, and played fullback , and scored a try in the 24-0 victory over Leeds in the 1991–92 Regal Trophy Final during the 1991–92 season at Central Park , Wigan on Saturday 11 January 1992. In the 1992 World Cup Final at Wembley Stadium Tait was selected to play for Great Britain from
1440-613: The 1989–90 season , Tait played for defending champions Widnes at fullback in their 1989 World Club Challenge victory against the visiting Canberra Raiders . Tait won the Harry Sunderland Trophy in both 1989 and 1990. Alan Tait played fullback in Widnes ' 24–18 victory over Salford in the 1990 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1990–91 season at Central Park , Wigan on Saturday 29 September 1990. Alan Tait played fullback in Widnes ' 6-12 defeat by Wigan in
1530-400: The 2007 Rugby World Cup Final with Mathew Tait starting and Toby Flood appearing from the bench. Mark Wilson played in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final while at the club. 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
1620-572: 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. Burrell had been the target of racist remarks between teammates who brushed it off as wikt:" 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
1710-590: The Heineken Champions Cup after a 13-year absence. They were drawn to play against Toulon , Montpellier 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
1800-515: The Hong Kong rugby league team played their first ever international match in November 2017. There have been 36 New Zealand dual-code internationals. Only four people became dual-code internationals after first representing New Zealand in rugby league: Karl Ifwersen , Sonny Bill Williams , Matt Duffie and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck . The 1907 Professional All Blacks (derisively referred to by
1890-604: The Newcastle Falcons ; and club rugby league for Widnes and Leeds . Tait changed codes twice in his life, once going from rugby union to rugby league, and then going the other way after union became professional during the mid-1990s. Unlike many other cross-code converts of the period, Tait had the benefit of growing up in Cumbria , where his father, Alan Senior, was playing for Workington Town . However, Tait played Union first and made his Test début for Scotland in
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#17327837041081980-619: The Super League split year. When the code reunited in 1998 he also played for Australia . In 2001 he moved to New Zealand and switched to rugby union. He appeared in twelve Tests for New Zealand (the All Blacks) from 2003. For 2005–06 he returned to the National Rugby League in Australia, winning a premiership with the Brisbane Broncos and playing at state level again. In 2008 he switched to rugby union for
2070-504: The 1908 Anglo-Welsh Lions. However, during the tour he was accused of professionalism and recalled to England by the Rugby Football Union . Jackson left the touring party but failed to return to England to face the accusations. In 1910 Jackson played rugby league in New Zealand and represented both Auckland and New Zealand against the touring Great Britain side. England's Anthony Starks and Wales' Jack Rhapps took
2160-634: 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 team, nicknamed the Magpies , the Newcastle Eagles basketball team,
2250-407: The 2008 Rugby League World Cup Bill Hardcastle A New Zealander and an 1897 All Black, Hardcastle journeyed to Sydney in 1899 on hearing that the visiting British rugby union team would be not be travelling to New Zealand. Australian rugby in those days had no residential rules and once he joined Sydney's Glebe RU club he qualified for Australian national selection. He was chosen for Australia in
2340-587: 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 in the semi-finals, where they lost 36–5.. Rob Vickers , Scott Lawson and Ally Hogg all retired following
2430-537: 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 , British and Irish Lions stars Alan Tait 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
2520-474: 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
2610-450: The Falcons beat 37–33 against Sale Sharks . 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 and emerging future England number 10 Toby Flood the Falcons had adequate competition for kicking duties over
2700-624: 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. 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. The season began with high hopes as All-Black prop Carl Hayman signed for
2790-477: 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, following Black who had left a couple of months earlier. Steve Bates 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
Alan Tait - Misplaced Pages Continue
2880-585: The New Zealand press as the All Golds ) left New Zealand in August 1907 for their ground-breaking tour of Britain via Sydney. The squad contained eight former All Blacks in George Smith , Thomas Cross , William Mackrell , Herbert Turtill , Duncan McGregor , Eric Watkins , Massa Johnston and Edgar Wrigley . These men became New Zealand's first dual-code internationals at the point they first played on
2970-610: 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 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,
3060-419: 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". On 25 June 2022
3150-485: 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 Powergen Cups : in 2001 the Falcons beat Harlequins FC 30–27; and in 2004
3240-699: 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 Saracens 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
3330-471: The club and the Rugby Union community condemning the claims stated in the article. The Rugby Football Union 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 season in 12th place, entitling them to play in the 2022-23 European Rugby Challenge Cup . Newcastle Falcons finished bottom of
3420-416: The club. 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 and went on to win their second 49–32 against London Scottish . At the halfway point of
3510-489: The code before switching to league and moving to England. He was called up into the Kiwis in 1991 from the Widnes club and played five tests that year. John Schuster Schuster first played rugby union, representing both Samoa and New Zealand. Later he switched to rugby league and captained Western Samoa in two pool games at the 1995 World Cup. Henry Paul Paul was born in New Zealand. His senior club rugby league career
3600-496: The coming seasons, despite long-term injuries to Jonny Wilkinson . During the 2004–05 season the Falcons recorded their best ever Heineken Cup performance to date by winning their pool and progressing to a quarter-final tie against Stade Français in the Parc des Princes . In August 2005 Falcons toured Japan pre-season. They beat NEC Green Rockets easily but lost to a fired-up Toyota Verblitz . In August 2006 Rob Andrew left
3690-460: 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
Alan Tait - Misplaced Pages Continue
3780-596: The death knell for Steve Bates' tenure as interim DoR. However, on Tuesday 20 May 2008 Steve Bates was confirmed as Newcastle's Director of Rugby on a full-time basis. At the end of the season, fly-half Toby Flood left for Leicester Tigers and full-back Mathew Tait signed for Sale Sharks , 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
3870-468: The desire of the club to compete upon return to the top flight. Samoa wing Sinoti Sinoti and Argentina centre Gonzalo Tiesi were later added to the squad. Despite a difficult season, which saw a number of retirements through injury, including Carlo Del Fava , the Falcons secured their place in the Aviva Premiership for 2014–15. The Falcons made a statement ahead of the 2014–15 season with
3960-504: 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 , departed for CA Brive . 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 . Towards the end of
4050-404: The end of the campaign. 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 . Furthermore, he said the speculation had led to instability in the club which
4140-399: The end of the campaign. 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 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
4230-488: 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. 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
4320-728: The field in the inaugural rugby league international of 5 April 1904 between England and Other Nationalities Starks had made two rugby union Test appearances for England in 1896, and Rhapps had made a single rugby union Test appearance for Wales in 1897, and thus in April 1904 they became the world's first dual rugby code internationals. The first tour matches played by the New Zealand All Golds in Britain in Nov & Dec 1907 would have seen international cross-code debuts by some of
4410-685: The fourth test of 1899 against Great Britain. In rugby league he made two Test appearances for Australia and six minor appearances on the 1908 Kangaroo tour . Va'aiga Tuigamala Tuigamala was nicknamed 'Inga the Winger' and initially represented New Zealand in rugby union. He then switched codes, joining Wigan in 1993. While playing league he represented Western Samoa at the 1995 World Cup . When rugby union turned professional he returned to his original code. Between 1996 and 2000 he represented Samoa in rugby union. Lote Tuqiri Born in Fiji, Tuqiri
4500-526: The full international and British Lions teams. These include Arthur Smith , Ray McLoughlin , Malcolm Young , Roger Uttley , Peter Dixon , Duncan Madsen , Dave Robinson, Richard Breakey , Jim Pollock and 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 and currently play at Broadway West. For
4590-588: 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 . England Saxons pair, scrum-half Micky Young and prop Kieran Brookes , would both depart for Leicester Tigers at
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#17327837041084680-498: 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 Saracens had achieved before. Mark Wilson
4770-459: The homeward leg before the All Golds arrived home in June 1908 having played 48 games (tour matches and Tests) as internationals. With 99, Wales have more than twice the number of dual-code rugby internationals than any other country. Dally Messenger Messenger played for Australia in rugby union, and for both New Zealand and Australia in rugby league. One week after his final Test appearance as
4860-577: The inaugural 1987 World Cup held in New Zealand where, he came on after seven minutes as a replacement in a 20–20 draw with France in Christchurch. Tait played for the Reds Trial side in their match against Blues Trial on 3 January 1987 . The following year Tait switched codes to rugby league where he was to spend the next eight years playing club rugby for Widnes and Leeds , as well as representing Great Britain and Scotland . During
4950-572: 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
5040-406: The players here listed are backs, although pre-1995 many notable forwards moved from union to league. Since 1995 nearly 90% of the league to union converts who went on to play internationally have been backs. The following is an incomplete list of dual-code internationals, listed by country. Qualifying on residency, New Zealand-born Jack Nielsen became Hong Kong's first dual-code international when
5130-542: The post by Matt Williams he was later restored to that role by Williams successor Frank Hadden . In 2004 he joined the Borders as a defensive coach. Tait then moved back to the Falcons as an assistant before assuming the top job at the Premiership club as part of a restructuring process in the wake of Steve Bates' departure from the post of director of rugby in 2009. He held the position of Head Coach of Newcastle from 2009 to 2012 until club owner, Semore Kurdi announced Tait
5220-587: 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 also arrived to plug
5310-408: The professional code. In 1995 rugby union itself turned professional and the tide of switches began to reverse. Since then the vast majority of cross-code representatives have debuted internationally in league before moving to union where there is now a larger audience and more money available. Backs have more often been successful at the highest level of both games than forwards – approximately 65% of
5400-506: 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
5490-538: The reserve bench in their defeat by Australia. He also made appearances in the Challenge Cup Finals in 1994 and 1995 With the advent of Rugby Union turning professional Tait along with many other converts switched codes back to union in 1996 signing for the Newcastle Falcons with whom he won the Premiership in 1998, making 19 appearances that season. At first he was ignored by the Scotland selectors but eventually made his return for Scotland after
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#17327837041085580-536: The same match. Michael Cleary represented Australia in track & field at the Commonwealth Games making him an international at the senior level in three sports. Dick Thornett achieved the same distinction having also represented for Australia in water polo at the 1960 Rome Olympics . Dai Bishop represented Wales in British Baseball . Newcastle Falcons Newcastle Falcons
5670-791: The season in 11th place, with a points total of 34. 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
5760-487: 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
5850-437: The set up at Kingston Park, the club nearly escaped relegation, but London Wasps 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 Euan Murray , subsequently left
5940-680: The seven touring former All Blacks. At this stage of the tour the New Zealanders were still familiarising themselves with the new Northern Union rules which they had not seen until they arrived in Leeds in October. The first full international of the tour against Wales on New Year's Day 1908 saw confirmed appearances by Mackrell, Turtill, Wrigley, Johnston & Cross for New Zealand and David Jones for Wales. Thus New Zealand's first five dual-code rugby internationals all achieved that feat in
6030-413: The signing of 2010–11 Premiership top try scorer and three time Premiership winner Alesana Tuilagi . One of Alesana's six rugby playing brothers, Andy Tuilagi also signed for the Falcons. Another notable signing was Italy lock Joshua Furno , while Samoa lock Kane Thompson was another new addition. Rotherham Titans duo, Juan Pablo Socino and Ruki Tipuna also joined the club. The Falcons finished
6120-460: 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 . The decision came after Newcastle went on an unbeaten run to quash any doubts of relegation largely due to an inspirational Carl Hayman . But a crushing home European Challenge Cup Quarter Final defeat by Cardiff Blues signalled
6210-413: 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 and four domestic cups in 1976 , 1977 , 2001 and 2004 . Newcastle was the only English club of Jonny Wilkinson , where he played from 1997 to 2009, and as well as Wilkinson in 2003 Newcastle saw three players in
6300-530: 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
6390-465: The table in the 2022-23 season , 10 points behind Gloucester. Newcastle Falcons finished bottom of the table in the 2023-24 season , without winning a single match. On 18 October 2024, Newcastle Falcons ended their 25-match losing streak in the 2024–25 Premiership Rugby season with a victory over Exeter Chiefs , with this being their first league victory since March 2023. Newcastle Falcons play at Kingston Park which holds 10,250. Kingston Park
6480-472: 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. After a wait of 8 months, Rugby Union restarted across England with teams cautiously returning to some level of normality. Newcastle, back in
6570-585: The ten-month tour. The three matches in Sydney between 17 and 24 August against professional New South Wales rugby rebels were played under rugby union rules so do not qualify as international rugby league appearances. But full internationals under "Northern Union" (rugby league) rules were played against Wales in Aberdare on 1 Januard 1908 and three Tests against Great Britain in Leeds on 25 January 1907, Chelsea on 8 February 1907 and Cheltenham on 15 February 1908. Three Test matches were played in Australia on
6660-519: The time and allowing stand-off Gregor Townsend to exploit gaps in the opposition defence. This was no more apparent that in the 1999 Five Nations Championship where Townsend would become the fifth and last player in history to score a try against each of the other countries in the five nations tournament. The championship culminated in Scotland narrowly finished ahead of England on points difference thanks to Wales' last minute victory over England at Wembley. Tait scored two tries in Scotland's last match of
6750-489: The tournament as they put in an historic performance to beat France 36–22. Later that year he represented Scotland for the last time at the 1999 World Cup finishing with a defeat by the All Blacks. He scored a try against South Africa in the pool stages at Murrayfield in a 46–29 reverse to the holders. In 2000 Tait retired from professional rugby finishing his last game playing for his last club Edinburgh Reivers . In all Tait played 27 times, scoring 17 tries, for Scotland, this
6840-647: Was 'taking a break from rugby' following a series of poor results. On 7 July 2022 he was appointed the Defence Coach to the Southern Knights . Tait has a son, Michael, who was also a professional rugby union player. Michael appeared for the Scotland national under-20 rugby union team in 2010 and signed for Edinburgh in 2014 before retiring later the same year due to injury. Dual-code rugby internationals A dual-code rugby international
6930-444: Was a junior Australian rugby league international at age 19 in 1998. When he missed selection for Australia's 2000 Rugby League World Cup squad he opted to play for Fiji and captained the side in their three pool match appearances. He later played four rugby league Tests for Australia in 2001 before his 2003 switch to union and a long international representative career in that code. Fred Jackson Jackson toured Australasia with
7020-512: Was already eligible to represent England on residency grounds, having lived there for well over the three years required to qualify. Hape made his union Test debut for England in 2010 against Australia . Maurie Fa'asavalu Maurie Fa'asavalu is a Samoan rugby union player who formerly played rugby league for St Helens. He was picked in the Great Britain rugby league squad after living in England for 4 years. He also played for England in
7110-478: Was also a coup for the Falcons, alongside one time All Black cap, fly half Mike Delany and former England lock Mouritz Botha . Following seven years in Bath , 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. Ahead of
7200-409: 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. During the years known as Gosforth the club played in green and white hoops, colours that are still retained by
7290-633: Was announced in Eddie Jones ' Autumn Internationals 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 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 Sale Sharks would be played at Newcastle United 's St. James' Park . The match would be held as
7380-558: Was compounded by the departure of future British and Irish Lions star Geoff Parling who continued the outflow of talent, leaving for Leicester Tigers . Another trio who would go on to achieve England honours in Phil Dowson , Dave Wilson and Tom May also left for Northampton Saints , Bath Rugby and RC Toulonnais respectively. The Falcons failed to replace the character and quality which had departed, with imports Gcobani Bobo and Filipo Levi flattering to deceive, Gopperth
7470-527: 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. Prior to the beginning of the Falcons' return to the Aviva Premiership , star fly-half Jimmy Gopperth departed for Leinster Rugby . To replace Gopperth, former Falcon Rory Clegg
7560-518: 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
7650-539: Was played in England but between 1995 and 2001 he regularly returned to New Zealand to make international appearances for the Kiwis . When he switched to union in 2002 he became eligible to represent England by ancestry of his grandfather and he did so in 2002. Brad Thorn Thorn was born in Mosgiel, New Zealand . From age eight he played rugby league in Queensland and aged twenty-two he played for Australia during
7740-842: Was played with the Canberra Raiders in Australia and the Bradford Bulls in England. During that period he made twelve national representative appearances for New Zealand (the Kiwis). He took up rugby union with Gloucester Rugby in 2007. He was eligible to play for Tonga by birth, New Zealand by parentage or England by residence. He had previously declined to play for Tonga in the 2007 Rugby World Cup so that he could play for his adopted nation. He made his international rugby union debut for England v Wales in February 2008 and played in five tests that season. Craig Gower After
7830-666: Was selected for Italy on their mid-season tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2009. Shontayne Hape Hape, a New Zealand Mãori, had a very successful rugby league career in both hemispheres, first with the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL (1999–2002) and then with the Bradford Bulls in the Super League (2003–2008). He made his Test debut for New Zealand in the 2004 Tri-Nations , and eventually appeared in 14 Tests for New Zealand. Hape switched codes in 2008, signing with Bath , for whom he still plays. Under IRB rules, he
7920-568: 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 Kieran Brookes from Leicester Tigers , provided evidence that talent was coming back to the Falcons. The signings of former Scotland and Lions scrum-half Mike Blair from CA Brive , Saracens flanker Andy Saull , Scotland hooker Scott Lawson from London Irish , former Scotland fly half Phil Godman and one time France prop Franck Montanella showed
8010-425: 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,
8100-456: Was unsettling players and fans alike. On the pitch the Falcons reached another European Challenge Cup quarter-final going down to Saracens 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 also left for Harlequins as Jimmy Gopperth was signed as replacement fly-half. The loss of Wilkinson
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