Newcastle Falcons vs Bristol Bears Programme

NEWCASTLE FALCONS V BRISTOL BEARS - FRIDAY SEPT 30TH, 2022

STELRAD 

HELPING 

TO HEAT 

HOMES 

SUSTAINABLY 

Not just any rad. Stelrad. 

Proudly supporting

FALCONS VS BRISTOL LINE-UPS 

TOM PENNY 15 

ADAM RADWAN 14 

MATIAS MORONI 13 

MATIAS ORLANDO 12 

MATEO CARRERAS 11 

BRETT CONNON 10 

SAM STUART 9 

ADAM BROCKLEBANK 1 

GEORGE MCGUIGAN 2 

TREVOR DAVISON 3 

GREG PETERSON 4 

SEAN ROBINSON 5 

WILL WELCH (CAPTAIN) 6 

CONNOR COLLETT 7 

CALLUM CHICK 8 

REPLACEMENTS 

CHARLIE MADDISON 16 

LOGOVI’I MULIPOLA 17 

RICHARD PALFRAMAN 18 

SEBASTIAN DE CHAVES 19 

JAMIE BLAMIRE 20 

JOSH BARTON 21 

TIAN SCHOEMAN 22 

PETE LUCOCK 23 

REFEREE: 

ASSISTANT REFEREES: 

TELEVISION MATCH OFFICIAL: 

CITING OFFICER: 

15 RICH LANE 

14 LUKE MORAHAN 

13 JACK BATES 

12 PIERS O'CONOR 

11 HENRY PURDY 

10 AJ MACGINTY 

9 ANDY UREN 

1 JAKE WOOLMORE 

2 WILL CAPON 

3 KYLE SINCKLER 

4 ED HOLMES 

5 JOE JOYCE 

6 CHRIS VUI 

7 JAKE HEENAN (CAPTAIN) 

8 MAGNUS BRADBURY 

LUKE PEARCE. 

ADAM LEAL, JOHN MEREDITH. 

ANDREW JACKSON. 

GREG GARNER. 

REPLACEMENTS 

16 HARRY THACKER 

17 YANN THOMAS 

18 MAX LAHIFF 

19 JOHN HAWKINS 

20 DAN THOMAS 

21 HARRY RANDALL 

22 CALLUM SHEEDY 

23 SAM BEDLOW

DAVE WALDER 

“I believe in strengthening 

the connection between us as 

a club and the people who pay 

to come and watch us.”

Good evening and thank you all for attending tonight’s game as we welcome 

the league leaders Bristol Bears to Kingston Park Stadium. 

It’s always great to have Pat Lam back here having been remembered 

so fondly from his two spells as a Falcons player, and it should be a great 

test tonight against a Bristol side who have won all three of their Gallagher 

Premiership games so far. 

There have been a couple of tight ones along the way for them, beating Bath 

by two points and London Irish by four, but with the way they look to move 

the ball it should hopefully be an enjoyable game for the supporters here in 

the stadium and those watching at home on BT Sport. 

From our own perspective I know you will all share our frustration regarding 

the continued search for our first win of the season, and after two competitive 

showings against recent champions in Leicester and Harlequins it was 

disappointing to lose so heavily down at Worcester last weekend. We have 

obviously spent time since addressing the reasons for that performance 

and looking to put things right for this evening, because we are a much 

better team than we showed at Sixways. 

It was an emotional afternoon down there with everything going on around 

Worcester Warriors, and the subsequent news that the club is now in administration. 

You have to have sympathy for all the staff there who have done such a 

good job in exceptionally difficult circumstances, and most of us here at 

Newcastle will know people within the club there who have been directly affected. 

Likewise with those at Wasps, who themselves recently announced 

their intention to appoint an administrator. 

As awful as the situation must be for those affected, you would hope that 

these events serve as a reality check regarding the finances of the game. 

Here at Newcastle we have a strict budget which we have to stick to, and 

our chairman Semore Kurdi said from day one that the long-term sustainability 

of the club was his key objective. As a head coach that can sometimes 

be frustrating when you miss out on a player or you can’t upgrade certain 

infrastructure in and around the squad, but it’s for the right reasons and I 

totally understand it. 

Without directly knowing what goes on at other clubs you’d have to question 

whether that same restraint has been shown across the board, but I am 

sure recent events will have given cause for serious thought to most clubs 

about the importance of trying to live within your means. 

We of course wish staff and supporters of all affected clubs a positive outcome 

regarding their longer-term prospects, because rugby is so important 

to communities. 

As well as hopefully entertaining you with a great contest tonight we also 

want to give you greater access to our players, and have recently added elements 

to our match-day experience like players signing autographs around 

the East Stand touchline 15 minutes after the final whistle, and joining supporters 

for a pint in the West Concourse bar after the game. These seemingly 

little things are really important I believe in strengthening the connection 

between us as a club and the people who pay to come and watch us, and 

hopefully they will be well received. 

We also had the bonus this week of our two Argentina centres landing at 

the club following their international exploits, in Matias Orlando and Matias 

Moroni. We obviously know Tosti [Orlando] well already, but it’s great being 

able to welcome such talented players and great characters into the fold. 

Likewise, Freddie Lockwood has been recalled early from his season loan at 

Jersey to try and help us with the raft of injuries we have had in the back 

row. In a run of five games in 13 days your playing resources are severely 

tested, but tonight is a great opportunity to put in a big home performance 

and really kick-start our season. 

Once again thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy the game. 

DAVE WALDER 

Head coach 

5

CLUB NEWS 

HELPING ONE OF OUR OWN! 

Falcons family – one of your own needs you. 

Tonight’s match against Bristol Bears is dedicated to the 

amazing Lulu Blundell. 

The club recently received the incredibly sad news that 

20-year-old Lulu, who works in our ticket office and club 

shop, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. 

Despite the news, Lulu’s attitude and approach to life has 

been inspirational. 

She has been raising funds for the Teenage Cancer 

Trust who have been with her through every step of her 

courageous battle. They have done and continue to do 

amazing work to help people going through some of the 

toughest times of their lives. 

Her passion and love for rugby is one of the reasons she 

began to work for the Falcons, and as Lulu has shown 

huge commitment to not only rugby but the club as well, 

it’s time we return the favour and show her our support. 

Please donate to Lulu’s JustGiving page to help raise funds 

for the Teenage Cancer Trust, a charity so close to her 

heart. 

Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/lulu-blundell1 or scan the 

QR code. 

Newcastle Falcons are also holding an online auction in 

support of Lulu, with some incredible items up for grabs. 

Visit auctions.newcastlefalcons.co.uk to see what items 

you can bid on. 

Lulu is an amazing person and a true credit to the Falcons 

family. 

Every donation is massively appreciated. 

7

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9

PROJECT RUGBY 

Project Rugby is a joint initiative between Premiership Rugby and 

England Rugby, designed to increase participation in the game 

between people from traditionally under-represented groups. 

MATCH-DAY FESTIVALS 

The Gallagher Premiership is off to a great start, and our matchday 

festivals are just around the corner. We can’t wait to welcome 

all our local rugby clubs from across Northumberland, Durham, 

Cumbia, and North Yorkshire to Kingston Park this season. 

Our match-day festivals will kick off with under-9s and 10s 

age categories. We have over 75 teams already signed up, 

and there is still time for your club to get involved. Please 

contact falconscommunity@newcastle-falcons.co.uk for more 

information. 

Rugby is a sport for everyone no matter what their background 

or ability, and has a unique ability to change lives. For more 

information on project rugby, please contact falconscommunity@ 

newcastle-falcons.co.uk. 

This September, our project rugby sessions will begin at 

Novocastrians RFC, inviting participants 14 and over who have 

never experienced rugby before, to get them engaged with the 

sport. 

OCTOBER COACHING 

CAMPS 

We are delighted to announce the launch of our October half-term 

coaching camp across the North East and Cumbria. 

Boys and girls of all abilities aged 6 to 14 are welcome, with our 

camps are designed to help improve rugby skills, techniques, game 

awareness and much more whilst having fun with your friends. 

From just £25, camp participants receive five hours of high-quality 

rugby coaching from DBS-cleared, RFU-qualified community 

development officers, plus a camp T-shirt and £5 credit. 

Dates and locations: 

October 24-25: Kingston Park. 

October 26: Ashington RFC. 

October 27: Hartlepool RFC. 

October 27-28: Penrith RFC. 

To book, please head to www.rugbycamps.co.uk/falcons. 

To find out more about HITZ, please email david.shotton@ 

newcastle-falcons.co.uk 

10

LEVEL 3 HITZ STUDENTS 

TAKE STARBUCKS! 

Last week four of our Level 3 HITZ students had a fantastic afternoon 

opening a new Starbucks drive-through along with Newcastle Falcons 

first team players Alex Tait and George Wacokecoke. 

Our students learnt how to make barista-style coffee, perfecting 

their coffee art. Our students have been kindly invited to take part in 

practice interviews with Starbucks to develop their interview skills, 

interpersonal skills and confidence for the future! 

GREAT NORTH RUN 

SUCCESS 2022 

With summer and GCSE results day behind us, it is approaching that 

time of year where you must start thinking about your educational 

pathway. Weighing up your options can be daunting, but it does not 

have to be when you choose Falcons Community Rugby Excellence 

Programme with Tyne Metropolitan College. 

There is still the opportunity to join our inclusive Falcons Community 

HITZ programme, in partnership with Newcastle College. 

Our award-winning HITZ programme is an education and employability 

course which aims to re-engage young people, using sport as a vehicle. 

To find out more about HITZ please contact david.shotton@newcastlefalcons.co.uk. 

There is still time to enroll onto our course for 2022/23. It is your career, 

and your college. 

Our programme’s ethos focuses on player development, and last 

year we had some exceptional positive rugby pathway progression 

throughout the season. 

Within the boy’s programme, seven players were selected from 

Northumberland U17s, while also having two players selected for 

Cumbria U17S. This led to over a third of our students playing for 

their county. We also had three players being asked to join Newcastle 

Thunder’s academy. 

11

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QUIZ TIME 

Q1 Who were this month crowned men’s 

champions at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 

South Africa? 

Q6 In which year did a try increase in value 

from four points to five points? 1972, 1982 or 

1992? 

Q2 Which Newcastle Falcons player is 

pictured here? 

Q7 True or false, England head coach Eddie 

Jones never played full international rugby? 

Q8 Which Bristol Bears player is pictured 

here? 

Q3 Bristol Bears signed prop-forward Ellis 

Genge from which club over the summer? 

Q4 ‘Short Banjo’ is an anagram of which 

recent arrival at Newcastle Falcons? 

Q5 Who scored Newcastle Falcons’ only try 

when they beat Bristol Bears 13-5 at home 

last October? 

Q9 Which player was the Gallagher Premiership’s 

top points scorer last season? 

10 Which North East rugby club plays its 

home games at Crow Trees? 

13 

ANSWERS: 1 Fiji, 2 Nathan Earle, 3 Leicester Tigers, 4 Josh Barton, 5 Callum Chick, 6 1992, 7 True, 

8 Charles Piutau, 9 George Ford, 10 Blaydon.

TIAN SCHOEMAN 

“It was a hard 

time with a lot 

of rehab and 

a number of 

operations.” 

14

Finally at the end of a long injury road, fly-half Tian Schoeman says 

is relishing his second crack at Premiership rugby. 

Turning 31 last week, the South African fly-half arrived in 

Newcastle from Bath, where his game time was limited to just five 

outings before enduring an 18-month lay-off. 

Ironically it was at Kingston Park where disaster struck for the 

amiable Pretorian, who explains: “Me signing for Newcastle 

completes the full circle, I think! 

“My last game for Bath was at Kingston Park, and then my first 

game back in the Premiership was as well. But all of this could 

have been avoided if I’d just kicked the ball into touch! 

“We got a penalty on our five-metre line and I was meant to kick 

it out, but it didn’t reach the touch-line. Mateo Carreras made a 

line-break, and as I went to tackle him I just felt me knee buckle 

underneath me. I went for the scan and they said I’d ruptured my 

ACL, PCL, damaged my MCL and also my meniscus. That’s pretty 

much the full set, and it was a hard time with a lot of rehab and a 

number of operations. 

“In the end it was something like 18 months between games, and 

towards the back end of last season when I knew I was joining the 

Falcons we actually agreed that I would come to Newcastle early 

and finish my rehab up here. It was a great decision which made 

life so much easier, and aside from everything else it just allowed 

my family and I just to get rolling in terms of living in Newcastle 

and getting used to the city. 

“During the last few months of last season even though I wasn’t 

officially part of the Falcons’ squad I was coming in to work with 

the physios, doing my rehab here and watching a lot of the training 

and games. I think it has given me a head start, and the fact that 

we had a settled family life here by the time I started properly with 

the squad was another massive help.” 

It all seems a far cry from his upbringing in one of South Africa’s 

three official capitals. 

“I’m a city boy from Pretoria and lived all of my life there growing 

up, and in the first part of my rugby career,” he says. 

“I was a Blue Bulls fan growing up, I always went to their games 

and that’s where I started my professional career. When I first 

started watching rugby it was usually Derick Hougaard who was 

playing fly-half for them, who also played for the Springboks and 

came over to spend some time with Leicester Tigers later in his 

career, and then Morne Steyn, who I’m sure people will know. 

There were many legends who passed through the Blue Bulls prior 

to that, and a lot of my time growing up was devoted to following 

them and looking up to them. 

15

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“It was pretty much always rugby for me. I did try cricket, but I 

didn’t find it very interesting. The way our school system worked, 

for the first half of the year in the winter time you play rugby, and 

then in the summer you play cricket. I would just go and play club 

rugby during the summer instead of cricket, because that’s where 

my passion has always been. 

“My school was called HTS John Vorster, which was a technical 

high school, and the club I played for was called Naka Bulle. After 

I’d finished school I played for my university side, TUKS, but from 

Under-21s I had the opportunity to play for the Blue Bulls’ agegroup 

side. We did quite well there, and following my first season 

of Under-21s I was lucky enough to get offered a professional 

contract. 

“I finished my studies, getting a BSC in sports science, and I’d 

hoped to study for a Masters, but with the rugby taking office for 

me I just couldn’t make the two work together.” 

Playing for the Blue Bulls in South Africa’s domestic Currie Cup and 

the Bulls in Super Rugby, Schoeman recalls: “It was quite good, I 

enjoyed a lot of my rugby there but it was obviously a lot of kicking 

and muscle work, which is just the way the Bulls do it. It wasn’t 

that expansive in terms of being a nice style to play, but in terms 

of a rugby education it was great. I was rubbing shoulders with 

really experienced guys who were playing at the top of the game, 

and I enjoyed it in that sense. 

“I was there for about six years in the end before moving to France 

in 2017, when I signed with Bordeaux. I originally signed for two 

seasons, but my family just didn’t like it. We changed it to a oneseason 

deal, and as much as Bordeaux was a nice city, it just 

wasn’t for us. 

“I struggled with the rugby because I couldn’t speak the language, 

and at that time one of the coaches and I just didn’t see eye to 

eye. We’d just had our first boy, and we found it tough. We made a 

family decision to go back to South Africa, and sometimes you just 

have to admit things haven’t worked out. 

“In the end the timing was actually really good, because the 

Cheetahs had just been admitted into the Pro 14, as it was called 

then [now the URC]. They were based in Bloemfontein, which was 

more of a farmers’ town, and I enjoyed my two seasons there.” 

Showing up well for the Cheetahs as they joined the Southern 

Kings in becoming South Africa’s first representatives, he says: 

“At the time I was a little bit scared signing for them because it 

meant dropping out of Super Rugby level, but knowing they were 

going to be playing in the Pro 14 against a lot of really good sides 

made my decision so much easier. 

“We were pretty strong in South Africa where we played really 

good rugby, but coming overseas for the away games in Wales, 

Ireland and Scotland - I think we only won one! 

“In terms of a rugby education, 

the Bulls was great. I was 

rubbing shoulders with really 

experienced guys at the top of 

17

“The team that wins the 

game is normally the 

team which has played 

the smartest rugby, and 

I’ve evolved my game.” 

“A lot of the games were really close, and there were a lot 

of things that we as South Africans still needed to learn 

about coming to Europe and playing that type of rugby. 

We’d gone from playing on hard pitches in the sun to going 

to the UK in mid-winter when it was freezing cold and 

soft under-foot, and it just took some getting used to. 

“I think it improved my rugby, though, and I remember my first 

away game against Leinster in Dublin. It was horrible. We got off 

that plane thinking we’re going to run around these guys, but it 

was just impossible. I really learnt a lot about being a better rugby 

player, and as much as I like to play and run with the ball, I had 

more appreciation of when you can do that and when you can’t. 

“The team that wins the game is normally the team which has 

played the smartest rugby, and I’ve evolved my game because 

of that experience. I’m not just a loose cannon now who will 

run everything, because sometimes when the weather’s bad 

or you’re in a tight spot, you need to kick it down the field.” 

Moving to South-West England for the next stage of his 

rugby journey, Schoeman explains: “The reason I agreed 

to sign for Bath was because the Cheetahs had been 

kicked out of the Pro 14, and I didn’t just want to be playing 

domestic games for them outside of any real competition. 

“Bath looked like a nice city, which it is, but it was a difficult time 

because it was during Covid. That meant I had to come over on 

my own and quarantine in isolation for a couple of weeks, and my 

family were back home for the first eight weeks without me. It was 

a struggle, despite the Bath management doing their best to make 

it easier, and it was just things like the stress of my wife being back 

home on her own with the kids, organising them to switch schools, 

not speaking the language when they arrived, and it was tough. 

“We had a lot of help from Bath, which was appreciated, and for the 

first five games it was improving. Things were starting to look up, but 

as we now know there was a serious injury just around the corner.” 

Putting a long recovery in the rear-view mirror, he adds: “I was 

really nervous coming off the bench for my comeback down at 

Doncaster because 18 months between games is a very long time, 

but after my first tackle, my first kick, it all came back to me. 

“I could feel there was still a little bit of rust on me, which is only 

natural in the circumstances, but then with getting on from 

the bench in the last few games since then I’m getting back 

to where I need to be. Kev McShane, our S&C lead, is working 

really hard with me and I’m happy with my improvement so far. 

“It’s an unreal feeling to be back out there, because for a 

year and a half I’ve been hoping and working towards doing 

the thing that I love, which is being out on the field playing 

rugby. I just want to enjoy my rugby, because having it taken 

away for so long means you can’t ever take it for granted.” 

Reporting nothing but positive vibes from his time so far on 

Tyneside, the fly-half knows he has made the right move. 

18

“We’re really happy in Newcastle, on and off the field. Both my 

kids are in school here, absolutely loving it, and already they 

are picking up some of the Geordie accent. As a family we 

think it’s great. Bath is a very picturesque city but it feels like 

everything is squashed into a really small space, so just things 

like parking, getting around and feeling a bit claustrophobic 

weren’t ideal. There’s none of that in Newcastle, and especially 

with having young kids it’s a fantastic city. We’ll do things like 

going round the museums, markets, parks, soft plays and all 

the rest of it, and to be honest it just feels a lot more like home. 

“In terms of the rugby, with all the changes going on at the Falcons 

over the summer, I think that has actually helped me. 

“Rather than being the new guy coming into a well-established 

system where everyone knows the script apart from me, it’s been 

a case of everyone learning together. As a fly-half you’re the guy 

calling the shots a lot of the time, so it’s easier coming in when 

everything is relatively new to everyone, and we can feel our way 

through it together. 

“On the rugby side, I really enjoy it here with the way Dave, Marko 

and the rest of the coaches run things. Training is great, it’s a fun 

environment and the guys work hard for one another. Everyone 

has the same frustrations in terms of the early results not quite 

coming through, but I don’t think we’re far off everything clicking 

together. Once it does, we’ll be off. 

“Before coming to Newcaslte, the reputation I’d seen and heard 

about them was that they had a big, tough pack of forwards 

who are good at scrummaging and mauling, and contesting for 

the ball. As a fly-half it’s always great to be playing behind a pack 

like that, but also this season I feel like the backs can match up 

with the forwards. We’ve got a lot of flair and pace which is really 

exciting, and I genuinely believe we have a chance of really getting 

up there this season.” 

Hopeful that tonight’s game can provide an entertaining evening 

for the home supporters, he says: “Bristol are an interesting team 

with a lot of flair and a lot of individuals who are good. 

“They like to play an expansive game, and between them and us 

I don’t think it’s going to be your typical English game of rugby. 

Both sides like to have the ball in hand, and despite the fact they 

concede a lot of turnovers Bristol are also a team who create a lot 

of attacking opportunities. 

“It’s always a spectacle when Bristol play, and I think the fans will 

enjoy this one.” 

19

TONIGHT 

PREMIERSHIP PREVIEWS 

NEWCASTLE FALCONS V BRISTOL BEARS 

Top-of-the-table Bristol Bears are one of only two teams 

who have started their Gallagher Premiership Rugby season 

with three wins, the other being Exeter. Bears’ most recent 

defeat in the competition was 19-42 at Sale in Round 26 last 

season. 

Bristol won their only other away game this season at 

Wasps in Round 2 and have not won successive matches on 

the road since May 2021. Bristol’s only defeat in their last six 

fixtures against Newcastle was 5-13 at Kingston Park last 

October. 

London Irish fly-half Paddy Jackson 

TOMORROW 

LONDON IRISH V 

BATH 

London Irish have 

won just one of their 

last five Gallagher 

Premiership Rugby 

fixtures: 45-14 at 

home to Worcester 

in Round 1. The 

Exiles have lost just two of their last nine home fixtures 

in Premiership Rugby, to Northampton in March and 

Harlequins in April. 

Bath have lost their last four Gallagher Premiership 

Rugby matches since beating London Irish 27-24 at the 

Recreation Ground in Round 25 last season. Bath’s most 

recent away success in Premiership Rugby was 30-25 

at Newcastle at the end of February. 

20

SALE SHARKS V EXETER CHIEFS 

Exeter Chiefs scrum-half Stu Townsend 

recent away game at Northampton last weekend and 

have not won successive matches on their travels in 

Premiership Rugby since last December. 

Saracens’ Elliot Daly 

Sale Sharks have won their last five Gallagher 

Premiership Rugby matches since their 12-18 reversal 

at home to Saracens on April 1. The Sharks have won 

their last four home games in all competitions since 

losing 9-10 to Bristol at Salford City Stadium in last 

season’s European Champions Cup. 

Exeter Chiefs have won their last four Gallagher 

Premiership Rugby encounters since their 33-40 

loss to Bristol at Ashton Gate in May. The Chiefs won 

their only other away game in Premiership Rugby 

this season, beating Worcester in Round 2, and have 

not won successive matches on their travels since 

February. The Chiefs have won on six of their last seven 

visits to Salford in all tournaments. 

SARACENS V LEICESTER TIGERS 

Saracens have narrowly won both of their fixtures 

this season, at Harlequins in Round 2 and at home to 

Gloucester last weekend. Saracens have lost just once 

at home in Premiership Rugby since September 2020, 

and that was by a single point to Gloucester in January 

2022. 

Leicester Tigers’ only defeat in their last eight Gallagher 

Premiership Rugby matches was 20-24 at Exeter in the 

opening round this season. The Tigers won their most 

SUNDAY 

HARLEQUINS V NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 

Harlequins lost 27-30 to Saracens in their only home 

game in Premiership Rugby so far this season, and 

have not lost successive fixtures at the Twickenham 

Stoop in the tournament since last November. 

Northampton Saints have won just two of their last 

six Gallagher Premiership Rugby encounters, both 

at Franklin’s Gardens, against Newcastle in June 

and London Irish in September. Northampton have 

slipped to three successive defeats away from home 

in Premiership Rugby, their worst run on their travels 

since December 2020. 

Northampton’s 32-31 victory over Harlequins at 

Franklin’s Gardens in April ended a four-game losing 

streak to the Londoners in Premiership Rugby. The 

Saints have lost on their last three visits to the Stoop in 

all tournaments since beating London Irish there 27-3 

in August 2020, whilst their only victory there against 

Harlequins since 2016 was by a solitary point in April 

2019. 

21

22 

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EXECUTIVE BOXES 

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PREMIER CLUB 

Geoff Penrice 

Stelrad 

Countryside Civils 

TyneMet College 

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FIFTEEN AT THE FALCONS 

Northumbria University - Jennie Barton 

Alan Taylor 

Gosforth Estates - Sheila Barnes 

Kai Whiting 

INTERNATIONAL SUITE 

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100 CLUB 

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OFFICIAL CLUB PARTNERS

FIRST TEAM SQUAD 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

JOSH BARTON 

Scrum-half 

15/12/1997 

Height: 1.75m (5ft 8) 

Weight: 85kg (13st 5) 

JAMIE BLAMIRE 

Hooker 

22/12/1997 

Height: 1.85m (6ft) 


Honours: England 

ADAM BROCKLEBANK 

Prop 

06/09/1995 



Honours: England Students 

CONRAD CADE 

Prop 

27/01/1997 




1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

MATEO CARRERAS 

Wing 

17/12/1999 



Honours: Argentina 

CALLUM CHICK 

Back row 

25/11/1996 




Geoff & Marie 

Penrice 

CONNOR COLLETT 

Back row 

05/02/1996 



BRETT CONNON 

Fly-half 

29/08/1996 


Weight: 89kg (14st) 

Honours: Ireland U20 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

MATTHEW DALTON 

Lock 

16/11/1998 




TREVOR DAVISON 

Prop 

20/08/1992 




SEBASTIAN DE CHAVES 

Lock 

30/10/1990 



Honours: South Africa U20 

NATHAN EARLE 

Wing 

25/09/1994 



Honours: England XV 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

24 

CARL FEARNS 

Back row 

28/05/1989 



Honours: England A 

GARY GRAHAM 

Back row 

29/08/1992 



Honours: Scotland 

CONOR KENNY 

Prop 

25/07/1996 




FREDDIE LOCKWOOD 

Back row 

31/12/2000 



Honours: England U19

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

PETE LUCOCK 

Centre 

27/11/1992 



CHARLIE MADDISON 

Hooker 

24/06/1991 



TOM MARSHALL 

Back row 

20/10/1999 



Honours: Scotland U20 

GEORGE MCGUIGAN 

Hooker 

30/03/1993 




1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

GEORGE MERRICK 

Lock 

04/10/1992 



Honours: England U20 

MATIAS MORONI 

Centre 

10/07/1991 




LOGOVI’I MULIPOLA 

Prop 

11/03/1987 



Honours: Samoa 

CAMERON NORDLI-KELEMETI 

Scrum-half 

20/09/1999 




1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

MATIAS ORLANDO 

Centre 

14/11/1991 




RICHARD PALFRAMAN 

Prop 

20/12/1993 



TOM PENNY 

Full-back 

13/10/1994 



JOSH PETERS 

Lock 

10/12/1995 



Honours: Spain 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

GREG PETERSON 

Lock 

26/03/1991 



Honours: USA 

VEREIMI QOROWALE 

Wing/centre 

27/01/1995 



ADAM RADWAN 

Wing 

30/12/1997 




SEAN ROBINSON 

Lock 

08/02/1991 


The 


Blackbirds Honours: England Students 25

MOTOR GROUP 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

TIAN SCHOEMAN 

Fly-half 

23/09/1991 

Height: 1.82m (5ft 10) 


IWAN STEPHENS 

Wing 

24/03/2002 




BEN STEVENSON 

Wing/centre 

19/07/1998 




SAM STUART 

Scrum-half 

27/09/1991 




1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

ALEX TAIT 

Full-back 

18/03/1988 




Jack & Jonquil 

Stewart 

MARK TAMPIN 

Prop 

20/01/1992 



JOSH THOMAS 

Fly-half 

30/06/2000 



Honours: Wales U20 

PHILIP VAN DER WALT 

Back-row 

14/07/1989 



1. 

1. 

1. 1. 

GEORGE WACOKECOKE 

Centre 

23/10/1995 




WILL WELCH 

Back row 

03/04/1990 




MICHAEL YOUNG 

Scrum-half 

31/12/1988 




ELLIOTT OBATOYINBO 

Full-back/wing 

9/10/1998 




FIRST TEAM STAFF 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

DAVE WALDER 

Head coach 

MARK LAYCOCK 

Coach 

MICKY WARD 

Coach 

MARK WILSON 

Coach 

26

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

SCOTT MACLEOD 

Coach 

JOHN STOKOE 

Team manager 

KEVIN MCSHANE 

Head of athletic performance 

LEWIS WILLIAMS 

Strength and conditioning coach 

Geoff & Marie 

Penrice 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

TIM PAYNE 

Strength and conditioning coach 

STEVE BREMNER 

Opposition and recruitment 

analyst 

MATT HODKINSON 

Tactical analyst 

RHYS GRIFFITHS 

Head physio 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

ANDY SHEA 

Physio 

DERMOT AUSTIN 

Physio 

TOBY TREMLETT 

Physio 

RACHEL SCURFIELD 

Lead doctor 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

DEAN SHIPSEY 

Match-day doctor 

ANDY RAMSHAW 

Match-day doctor 

ANDREW CRUICKSHANK 

Psychologist 

ALAN BASKERVILLE 

Kit manager 

27

SENIOR ACADEMY SQU 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

JAMES BLACKETT 

Scrum-half 

22/10/2001 




PHIL BRANTINGHAM 

Prop 

02/10/2001 




JEREMY CIVIL 

Centre 

02/05/2004 



LUKE COULSTON 

Lock 

17/07/2004 

Height: 2m (6ft 6) 



1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

MATT DEEHAN 

Back row 

04/10/2002 



Honours: Scotland U20 

MARK DORMER 

Prop 

16/09/2002 




BEN DOUGLAS 

Scrum-half 

16/01/2004 




Joan 

Milne 

OLLIE FLETCHER 

Hooker 

09/09/2002 




1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

EWAN GREENLAW 

Centre 

14/03/2003 




NATHAN GREENWOOD 

Wing 

20/11/2003 



Honours: England 7s 

LOUIE JOHNSON 

Fly-half 

13/06/2003 




ZACH KERR 

Centre/wing 

13/12/1999 



1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

28 

CHIDERA OBONNA 

Centre/wing 

18/10/2000 




GUY PEPPER 

Back row 

15/04/2003 




MIKE REWCASTLE 

Prop 

17/05/2004 




CHARLIE SMITH 

Hooker 

19/01/2004 



Honours: England U18

AD & ACADEMY STAFF 

1. 1. 1. 

MARCUS TIFFEN 

Back row 

03/09/2002 



SAM CLARK 

Prop 

31/1/2004 

Height: 1.84m (6 ft) 


OLIVER SPENCER 

Full-back 

22/2/2004 




1. 1. 

1. 

1. 

JAMES PONTON 

Head of academy 

PJ BUTLER 

Academy coach 

JACK HAYES 

Academy coach 

KEITH ROBINSON 

Academy DPP manager 

1. 

1. 

1. 

1. 

MICHAEL FERGUSON 

Head academy strength and 

conditioning coach 

SHAUN MCLAREN 

Junior academy strength and 

conditioning coach 

NICK TODD 

Academy performance analyst 

FRAZER BELL 

Senior academy physio 

1. 1. 

TO SPONSOR A PLAYER EMAIL 

CORPORATESALES@NEWCASTLE-FALCONS.CO.UK 

CAIN WILKINSON 

Junior academy physio 

29

FROM THE PRESS BOX 

By Mark Smith 

Newcastle Falcons media manager 

What makes a good post-match interview? 

After 20-odd years working in and around professional rugby as both media 

manager and journalist, I’ve seen both sides of it. 

My first few years at the Falcons were with Rob Andrew who was generally 

excellent with the media, but he was prone to flying off the handle in the 

immediate moments after a defeat – especially when he felt a perceived 

injustice had been committed. 

Many’s the time I’d come to the tunnel straight after the final whistle, and I’d 

hear: “Right Smithy, let’s go straight into it,” to which I would reply that the 

opposition coach had just gone into the press conference, and we’d have to 

wait 10 minutes. 

They hadn’t, of course, but this cooling-off period was generally enough to 

save Rob a touchline ban and the club a few grand. In his heart of hearts, he 

must have known I was telling porkies for his own good. 

Those moments straight after the contest are when emotions are running 

highest. Think Kevin Keegan’s “I’d love it we beat them” and Anthony 

Joshua’s recent outburst after his heavyweight boxing defeat to Oleksandr 

Usyk. 

We keep being told that people want to hear the authentic voice and for 

interviewees to say what they really think, but all too often when that 

happens the result is ridicule, criticism, fines and suspensions. 

Dean Richards found that to his cost last season when he was asked about 

a controversial decision two or three minutes after the final whistle in a live 

TV game, and offered up the opinion that the officials were either biased or 

didn’t know what they were doing. 

“I won’t get done for that, will I?” he asked me as we walked away from the 

scene of the crime. 

Cue a three-game touchline ban, but if we’re going to thrust a microphone 

in someone’s face when feelings are at their most visceral, what do we 

honestly expect? 

As media manager I’m the man tasked to go and fetch players or coaches 

for their post-match interviews, and there have been some good ones down 

the years. 

Sky Sports asked me to get Geoff Parling after a man-of-the-match 

performance, and when I went into the changing room he was in the shower. 

No sooner had I told him he was needed to go live on Sky than he was walking 

out to the tunnel, dripping wet with not a stitch to cover his modesty! 

“No, go and put some clothes on first, Geoff!” 

Or the time when Sky wanted Matt Burke, again after a man-of-the-match 

showing. But this was a mid-winter game, and as I went to fetch Burkey the 

legendary Australian full-back was lying on the floor of the shower in his 

full match kit, boots and all, curled up into a ball, shaking with hypothermia 

under a stream of hot water. 

“Matt’s unfortunately not available at the moment,” was my discreet reply, 

because what goes in the changing room stays in the changing room. 

I’ve been asked to go and fetch a player, only to find them crying or having 

a mental episode. Of course an excuse was subtly made on their behalf, and 

to the credit of the TV companies they would never force someone in front 

of the cameras in those circumstances. 

But when you see or hear someone saying something you disagree with in 

the immediate aftermath of a game, it’s always worth trying to put yourself 

in their shoes. 

When feelings are running high, your job is potentially at stake and a 

microphone is thrust in front of you - what would you say? 

31

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Richard Arnold 

ALL OUR YESTERDAYS 

Kingsley Hyland continues his historical journey through 

the club archives, picking out some key moments from this 

week throughout the years. 

30 YEARS AGO – SEPTEMBER 26, 1992 

The 1992-93 season witnessed Newcastle Gosforth enjoy 

their last success as an amateur club when they secured 

promotion to what is now the Premiership. 

It was also the last season when teams only played each 

other once, with just 11 games overall, so that the margins 

of error were extremely tight. This might explain the rather 

cautions nature of the early-season matches. 

Newcastle opened the league season with a home game 

against Sale, who, along with Newcastle, Waterloo and Nottingham 

were the pre-season favourites. 

The game was not helped by the persistent interventions of 

the referee, and a turgid first half ended score-less as the 

two sides cancelled each other out. 

The first points did not come until the 53rd minute when Sale 

went ahead with a penalty from fly-half Paul Turner, now the 

director of rugby at Ampthill. 

This seemed to galvanise the home side, and they responded 

immediately as Ross Wilkinson received the ball from a 

ruck and ran a fine line. Full-back John Murray and flanker 

Graham Clark were up in support, with the latter kicking 

ahead for the former to score in the corner. David Johnson 

converted from the touchline. 

Newcastle looked to have scored a second but the grounding 

was just about the only thing the referee failed to see all 

afternoon, and so 7-3 remained the final score. 

As a ‘reward’ for their win the players each received a bottle 

of Lansons Black Label champagne from club sponsor Brian 

Reed, a gesture he repeated on each occasion the team won 

a league game. 

Waterloo and Nottingham were next up, and both were 

safely dispatched as the team reached the turn of the year 

unbeaten in the league. 

38

The teams that day were: 

Newcastle Gosforth: J.Murray; I.Williams; R.Wilkinson; 

A.Campbell; M.White; D.Johnson; S.Douglas; R.Fuller; N. 

Frankland (capt); P.Thompson; S.Bainbridge; F.Mitchell; G. 

Clark; A.Meadows; R.Arnold. 

Sale: P.Jee; J.Powell; P.Stansfield; G.Stocks; K.Young; P.Turner; 

P.Smith; S.Diamond; M.Whitcombe (capt); D.Baldwin; D.Erskine; 

M.Kendrick; A.MacFarlane; M.Dobson. 

Referee: A.Reay 


A Friday evening crowd of 6,478 saw the Falcons outscore 

Harlequins three tries to none to end the visitors’ 100% start 

to the season. 

Quins led 6-0 midway through the first half thanks to two 

Chris Malone penalties but the Falcons, with Matt Burke in 

outstanding form, gradually gained the ascendancy. 

Taking advantage of a one-man advantage after second-row 

Jim Evans had been yellow carded for tackling Burke in the 

air, Geoff Parling crashed over on the half-hour mark from 

a pick-and-go on the blindside. Burke converted to put the 

home side 7-6 ahead. 

Two minutes later Lee Dickson hoisted a box kick which was 

fumbled on the 22, enabling Tom May to secure possession 

and race over in the corner. Burke converted from the 

touchline for a 14-6 half-time lead. 

May was replaced at half-time due to a back injury with Joe 

Shaw moving out to the wing and Adam Dehaty coming into 

the centre, whilst lapses of discipline enabled Quins to reduce 

the deficit to two (14-12) through two further Malone 

penalties. 

The crucial score came just after the hour when fly-half 

Steve Jones made a break from the 22, offloaded to skipper 

Phil Dowson who in turn fed Russell Winter. The ruck ball 

was quickly recycled and moved along the line to Burke, 

who dummied over to cap a fine individual performance 

and team try. 

His conversion attempt hit the post for a final score of 19-12 

as the Falcons saw out a nervy final 15 minutes. 


Newcastle: M.Burke; T.May (rep. A.Dehaty 40); T.Dillon; 

J.Shaw; J.Rudd; S.Jones; L.Dickson (rep. J.Grindal 69); 

J.McDonnell (rep. J.Golding 65); A.Long (rep.M.Thompson 

49); M.Ward (rep. D.Wilson 40); J.Oakes (rep.B.Wilson 51); 

G.Parling; P.Dowson (capt); R.Winter. 

Harlequins: M.Brown; T.Williams; H.Luscombe (rep. T.Masson 

40); J.Turner-Hall; S.Keogh; C.Malone; B.Fulton (rep. S.Stegmann 

61); C.Jones; A.Croall (rep. C.Laurent 64); M.Ross; 

O.Kohn (rep. N.Spanghero 69); J.Evans; C.Robshaw (rep. 

W.Skinner 64); P.Volley (capt); T.Guest. 

Referee: M.Fox 

Matt Burke 

39

Jimmy Gopperth 


The Falcons had settled quickly into the Dean Richards era 

and their sabbatical in the Championship with opening wins 

at Bristol (37-20), London Scottish (49-32), Cornish Pirates 

(25-3) and at home to Doncaster (37-3), and so confidence 

was high when they entertained Leeds Carnegie at Kingston 

Park. 

Following a sluggish start Jon Golding was driven over after 

after lock James Hudson had charged down and regathered 

Craig Hampson’s attempted clearance. Jimmy Gopperth, 

who was to miss just once off the tee all afternoon, converted. 

Leeds struck back with a penalty from Joe Ford after 18 minutes, 

but this was cancelled out within two minutes with a 

similar effort from Gopperth. 

As half-time approached the visitors put the Falcons under 

intense pressure from an attacking line-out, and after 

a series of carries from the forwards the ball was moved 

wide only for full-back Steve McColl to knock-on in the act 

of scoring. 

The Falcons took advantage of this reprieve to extend the 

lead to 17-3 with a try from Hudson after Gopperth had made 

the initial break in midfield. Tom Catterick and Rory Lawson 

were also involved before Hudson broke through three tackles 

for the score, with Gopperth converting. 

Six minutes into the second half Gopperth made it 20-3 with 

his second penalty after Luke Fielden had been held up over 

the line, and from then on it was largely one-way traffic. On 

49 minutes Gopperth eschewed a penalty kick at goal to go 

for the corner. Following good work from Carlo del Fava, Oliver 

Tomaszczyk and Mark Wilson, hooker Rob Vickers went 

over for what was to become a trademark try. 

Gopperth converted for 27-3, and within ten minutes the 

bonus point was secured following a flowing cross-field 

move initiated by Joel Hodgson and involving Catterick, and 

ending with Gopperth himself going over for the first of his 

two tries. He missed the conversion but by now the lead was 

32-3, and a further seven were added within four minutes 

after Lawson secured breakdown ball to send in Fielden for 

the try which Gopperth converted. 

To their credit Leeds did not capitulate and got their reward 

when McColl went over in the corner, Ford converting for 39- 

10. 

The Falcons responded immediately as an attacking 

five-metre scrum resulted in referee Luke Pearce going under 

the posts to signal the penalty try, converted inevitably 

by Gopperth. 

It was Gopperth who ended the scoring in the final minute 

when he crossed for his second try following a break and 

offload from Alex Crockett. Gopperth’s conversion made the 

final score 53-10 and took his personal points tally to 28. 


Newcastle Falcons: J.Gopperth; L.fielden; A.Crockett; T.Tu’ipulotu; 

T.Catterick; J.Hodgson; R.Lawson; J.Golding; R.Vickers; 

O.Tomaszczjyk; C.del Fava; J.Hudson; M.Wilson; R.Mayhew; 

A.Hogg (capt). 

Leeds Carnegie: S.McColl; C.Wilson; J.Griffin; F.Burdon; 

J.Chisholm; J.Ford; C.Hampson; S.Lockwood; P.Nilsen; D.Tussac; 

C.Green; D.Hemmingway; J.Rowan (capt); C.Walker; 

R.Baldwin. 

Referee: L.Pearce 

From that Leeds side Sam Lockwood, Calum Green and, to a 

lesser extent, Fred Burdon would become familiar figures to 

Falcons followers. 

40

The home of 

domestic rugby

FIXTURES & RESULTS 

AUGUST 

F: Fri Aug 26 v Leicester Tigers (7pm) 

SEPTEMBER 

F: Fri Sep 2 v Doncaster Knights (W 29-33) 

GP: SAT SEP 10 V HARLEQUINS (L 31-40) 

GP: Sat Sep 17 v Leicester Tigers (L 36-21) 

PRC: Tue Sep 20 v Wasps (L 35-21) 

GP: Sat Sep 24 v Worcester Warriors (L 39-5) 

PRC: TUE SEP 27 V SALE SHARKS (L 21-29) 

GP: FRI SEP 30 V BRISTOL BEARS (7.45PM) 

OCTOBER 

GP: SUN OCT 9 V SARACENS (3pm) 

GP: Sat Oct 15 v Northampton Saints (3pm) 

PRC: Wed Oct 19 v Leicester Tigers (7pm) 

GP: Sun Oct 30 v Wasps (3pm) 

NOVEMBER 

GP: SAT NOV 5 V BATH RUGBY (3pm) 

GP: Sat Nov 12 v Gloucester Rugby (3pm) 

PRC: SAT NOV 19 V NORTHAMPTON SAINTS (3.30 pm) 

GP: FRI NOV 25 V EXETER CHIEFS (7.45PM) 

DECEMBER 

GP: Sat Dec 3 v London Irish (3pm) 

ECC: Dec 9/10/11 v Connacht 

ECC: DEC 16/17/18 v CARDIFF 

GP: DEC 23/24/26 V SALE SHARKS 

GP: Dec 30/31/Jan 1 v Bath Rugby 

JANUARY 

GP: Jan 6/7/8 v Saracens 

ECC: Jan 13/14/15 v Cardiff 

ECC: JAN 20/21/22 v CONNACHT 

GP: JAN 27/28/29 V NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 

FEBRUARY 

GP: Feb 3/4/5 v Bristol Bears 

GP: FEB 10/11/12 V LEICESTER TIGERS 

GP: Feb 17/18/19 v Harlequins 

PRC: Feb 24/25/26: Semi-finals 

MARCH 

GP: MAR 3/4/5 V GLOUCESTER RUGBY 

GP: MAR 17/18/19 V LONDON IRISH 

GP: Mar 24/25/26 v Exeter Chiefs 

APRIL 

ECC: Mar 31/Apr 1/2: Round of 16 

ECC: Apr 7/8/9: Quarter-final 

GP: APR 14/15/16 V WORCESTER WARRIORS 

GP: APR 21/22/23 V WASPS 

ECC: Apr 28/29/30: Semi-final 

MAY 

PRC: May 2/3: Final 

GP: SAT MAY 6 v Sale Sharks 

GP: SAT MAY 13: Semi-final 

ECC: Fri May 19: Final 

GP: Sat May 27: Final 

NEXT TIME AT KP 

V SARACENS 

Sun October 9th 

Gallagher Premiership 

Kick-off: 3pm 

42 

KEY: GP = Gallagher Premiership, ECC = EPCR Challenge Cup, PRC = Premiership Rugby Cup, F = Friendly. 

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IN OPPOSITION 

Callum Sheedy 

Piers O’Conor 

48 

Charles Piutau

- BRISTOL BEARS 

Bristol Bears embarked on this season looking to bounce back 

from what they themselves will admit was a disappointing 2021-22 

campaign, but with three wins from three they are well on the way. 

The big-spending West Country outfit ended last season fourthbottom 

of the Premiership pile with just eight wins from 

their 24 games, and were beaten 13-5 on their last 

visit to Kingston Park Stadium in October. 

Former Falcons star Pat Lam remains in 

charge, with the Samoan great now in his 

sixth season at the helm. 

Omar Mouneimne departed as defence 

coach, a role filled by former back-rower 

Jordan Crane, while former Falcons lock 

Glen Townson has recently rejoined the 

Bears as academy transition coach. 

On the playing front there have been a 

number of big-name arrivals at Ashton Gate, 

notably the return of England prop Ellis Genge 

to his home city after captaining Leicester Tigers 

to last season’s Gallagher Premiership title. 

USA fly-half AJ MacGinty has arrived from Sale Sharks, with backrower 

Magnus Bradbury adding ballast following his move down 

from Edinburgh. 

Hot-stepping winger Gabriel Ibitoye joined after a brief spell in 

Israel following his time at Harlequins and in France with Agen 

and Montpellier, while former Doncaster lock Morgan Eames joined 

from French club Beziers. 

Former Worcester flanker Sam Lewis is a recent arrival after 

departing Sixways in the summer, with the Bears’ influx offset by 

some key departures. 

Experienced lock Dave Attwood crossed the divide to join Bath 

during the off-season, and veteran prop John Afoa began a new 

chapter with French club Vannes. Munster was 

the destination for back-line player Antoine Frisch, while England 

back-rower Nathan Hughes headed off to Japan. 

Back-rower Mitch Eadie signed for Hartpury, and hard-hitting wing/ 

centre Alapati Leiua recently completed a move to South African 

side, the Stormers. 

Bristol’s pre-season campaign saw them playing three games, 

losing the first 22-17 against Brive over in France. 

Two friendlies against Welsh opponents drew better results when 

they were 45-28 winners away to Dragons before ending their preseason 

with a 34-28 victory away to Scarlets. 

The momentum continued as the Gallagher Premiership began, the 

Bears’ rescheduled derby at home to Bath seeing a 31-29 home 

victory thanks to a pair of tries from the rampaging Genge. 

A trip to Wasps in round two brought a 23-8 triumph, with tries 

from Magnus Bradbury and Callum Sheedy, the Wales fly-half 

whose goal-kicking added a further 13 points the ledger. 

Last weekend’s visit of London Irish saw the Exiles again tasting 

victory, chalking up a dramatic 40-36 triumph helped by tries from 

Luke Morahan, Ellis Genge, Will Capon, Jake Heenan, Harry Randall 

and Max Lahiff. 

Speaking after the Ashton Gate triumph, Lam said: “We got off to a 

poor start at 10-0 down but then worked our way right through to 

take a commanding lead at half-time. 

“I said to the boys how did we get back in, and they talked about 

trusting our gameplan, working our way through it and we scored 

good tries. I said well that’s the solution for the second half. 

“Unfortunately we put some pressure on, they got an intercept and 

we gave away another soft try for their second one and it brought 

them back into the game. 

“We showed our character to finish it off and ultimately five points 

is what we’ve got which is the most important thing.” 

49

IN OPPOSITION - 

AJ MACGINTY 

The USA international fly-half was one of Bristol’s flagship 

summer signings, with the 32-year-old making the move from 

fellow Gallagher Premiership club Sale Sharks, for whom he 

scored 801 points in 93 appearances. 

The move sees him re-united with Bears boss Pat Lam, who was 

in charge of Connacht when MacGinty helped spearhead their 

shock title win in the 2015-16 URC. 

Despite being born in Dublin MacGinty plays his international 

rugby for America, winning 30 caps and playing in two Rugby 

World Cups for the Eagles. 

KYLE SINCKLER 

The vastly-experienced tight-head prop, 29, joined Bristol from 

Harlequins in the summer of 2020, having played all of his professional 

career at Harlequins up until that point. 

Capped 53 times by England and touring twice with the British and Irish 

Lions, the 121kg scrummager is one of the most recognizable front-row 

forwards in European rugby.

THREE TO WATCH 

HARRY RANDALL 

The 24-year-old scrum-half does not allow his diminutive 

stature to diminish his effectiveness on the field, with the 5 

foot 8 dynamo winning eight caps so far for England. 

Having joined the Bears from Gloucester, Randall was part of 

the squad which won the 2020 European Challenge Cup final 

against Toulon – a game which saw him scoring the fastest try 

in European competition just 15 seconds into the final. 

DIRECTOR OF RUGBY 

PAT LAM 

Bristol boss Pat Lam needs no introduction to Newcastle 

Falcons supporters, having spent two spells as a player at 

Kingston Park. 

Part of the Falcons squad which claimed the 1997-8 

Premiership title at the first attempt, Lam transferred to 

Northampton Saints, with whom he won the 1999-2000 

Heineken Cup. 

Playing a non-cap tour game for New Zealand in 1991, Lam 

opted to play full international rugby for Samoa, winning 34 

caps and playing in three Rugby World Cups. 

Coaching Auckland and the Blues in New Zealand following 

his retirement as a player, Lam led Irish province Connacht 

to the URC title in 2015-16 before joining Bristol, with whom 

he is now in his sixth season. 

51

NORTHUMBERLAND RUGBY UNION 

latest additions to this is Women’s Rugby at Whitley Bay Rockcliff 

RFC. 

After dipping a toe in the water towards the end of 2021/22 

season, WBR RFC has commenced its first full season with a 

women’s team, The Roses. With a membership of 40 players, this 

completes the pathway for female rugby at Rockcliff from Under- 

6s to adult rugby. 

VETS’ RUGBY IS BACK! 

After a hiatus of many years Vets Rugby is back, if not with a bang 

then certainly a gentle wallop, under the new format of “Friday 

Night Lights Rugby.” 

On the September 16 the Northumberland Vets series returned 

with an opening event kindly hosted by Blyth RFC. Ashington RFC 

narrowly won the competition on the night but in the words of an 

unknown sage “rugby was the winner”. 

Avery healthy crowd watched a display of competitive and skilful 

rugby followed a thoroughly enjoyable evening in the clubhouse, 

catching up with old friends and making new ones, all ensuring 

the all-important “rehydration protocol” was fully followed postmatch. 

A bi-monthly schedule of tournaments has been agreed with the 

following dates inked in 

Fri Nov 18: Ashington RFC. 

Fri Jan 20: WB Rockliff RFC. 

Fri Mar 17: Novos RFC. 

Fri Apr 28: Morpeth RFC. 

The Roses are coached by Dougie Hall, Russ Smith, Dan Johnstone, 

Jo Rathbone, and Matty Dunbar and they are led by captain Ann 

Rawlinson and supported by vice captains Emily Wood and Jenna 

Hall. The team is rounded off with support from the team manager 

Jayne Robinson and chair Tracey Leach. 

After playing in 7sand 10 --side tournaments thus far, Saturday 

September 17 was the Roses’ first 15-a-side outing, at home to 

Sunderland Flames. A great defensive effort saw them restrict 

the Flames to two unconverted tries, from Amanda Hilton and 

Jenny Carter. Unfortunately the game was abandoned early in 

the second half as a Rockcliff player was injured and had to be 

taken to hospital. However, the Roses have further fixtures lined 

up against Gateshead, Horden and Peterlee, Durham, and Blaydon 

2nds. 

New players of all abilities are welcome to join this inclusive and 

supportive team. Training is from 6.30pm to 8pm on Mondays 

and Fridays, and interested players can find more information 

via womensrugby@rockcliffrfc.co.uk. Or just turn up on training 

nights to meet the team and join in. 

Meanwhile, the growing strength of female rugby at Rockcliff 

was demonstrated when the Under-16s took part in the Stockton 

Tournament, and came away victorious after winning all their 

games. 

52 

There are five “regular” teams competing - Ashington Colliers, 

Blyth Buccaneers, Morpeth Ranters, Novos Vets and WB Rockliff 

Vets. Individual Vets (age 35+) from other Northumberland clubs 

are welcome too (but please confirm in advance if you want to put 

your boots on and enjoy a trundle). 

ROCKCLIFF WOMEN’S RUGBY 

One thing that has been very noticeable is the coverage, 

participation level and growth in Women’s sport, and one of the

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CLUB NEWS 

ENGLAND WOMEN TO PLAY AT 

KINGSTON PARK 

Kingston Park will host the Red Roses for their opening TikTok 

Women’s Six Nations fixture against Scotland on Saturday 

March 25. 

England Women, who are currently in New Zealand preparing 

for their 2022 World Cup campaign, are the number-oneranked 

side in World Rugby, and recently became the 

first team in history to win 25 consecutive tests through 

hammering Wales 73-7 at Ashton Gate earlier this month. 

They will open their 2023 TikTok Women’s Six Nations 

campaign against Scotland at Kingston Park on Saturday 

March 25, with the game kicking off at 4.45pm. 

Tickets are on sale via the club website priced at £15 for 

adults and £5 for children. 

England Women’s head coach Simon Middleton said: “It’ll be 

fantastic to take a game to the North East. The people of 

Newcastle and the wider region love their sport, are madly 

passionate and always get behind events in their area. 

Hopefully this will be the same.” 

Kingston Park has recently hosted Newcastle United Women 

for three football fixtures across August and September, and 

in October and November the stadium will be hosting three 

games for the upcoming Rugby League World Cup: 

Sun Oct 4: Scotland v Italy (2.30pm). 

Sat Oct 30: Fiji v Italy (2.30pm). 

Sat Nov 6: Fiji v Scotland (5pm). 

Tickets are still available via the club website. 

LOCKWOOD RECALLED FROM 

JERSEY 

Back-five forward Freddie Lockwood has been recalled from 

his loan spall at Jersey Reds. 

The 21-year-old was due to spend the season with the 

unbeaten Championship outfit, but with the Falcons suffering 

a deluge of injuries to their back row the decision has been 

taken for him to return to Tyneside. 

Lockwood missed the Falcons’ pre-season friendlies due to 

injury himself, but is now available to help bolster the club’s 

playing pool. 

55

PLAYER STATS 

Name 

Falcons 

career 

apps 


career 

points 


career 

tries 

Season 

2022-23 

apps 

Season 

2022-23 

points 

Season 

2022-23 

tries 

Name 


career 

apps 


career 

points 


career 

tries 

Season 

2022-23 

apps 

Season 

2022-23 

points 

Season 

2022-23 

tries 

Josh Barton 3 5 1 3 5 1 George McGuigan 158 225 45 3 20 4 

George Bennett-Teare 3 0 0 2 0 0 Oliver Melville 1 0 0 1 0 0 

James Blackett 5 3 0 2 3 0 George Merrick 9 0 0 4 0 0 

Jamie Blamire 66 60 12 3 0 0 Matias Moroni 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Phil Brantingham 5 0 0 3 0 0 Logovi'i Mulipola 62 20 4 1 5 1 

Adam Brocklebank 77 0 0 1 0 0 Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti 31 15 3 3 0 0 

Conrad Cade 7 0 0 3 0 0 Elliott Obatoyinbo 2 5 1 2 5 1 

Mateo Carreras 19 15 3 2 5 1 Chidera Obonna 5 5 1 0 0 0 

Callum Chick 107 85 17 1 0 0 Matias Orlando 21 10 2 0 0 0 

Jeremy Civil 2 0 0 2 0 0 Richard Palframan 9 0 0 1 0 0 

Sam Clark 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tom Penny 74 40 8 1 0 0 

Connor Collett 21 5 1 2 0 0 Guy Pepper 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Brett Connon 71 298 2 3 14 0 Josh Peters 2 5 1 2 5 1 

Luke Coulston 0 0 0 0 0 0 Greg Peterson 59 15 3 3 0 0 

Matthew Dalton 3 0 0 1 0 0 Vereimi Qorowale 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Trevor Davison 96 20 4 3 0 0 Adam Radwan 73 220 44 3 5 1 

Sebastien de Chaves 18 0 0 3 0 0 Mike Rewcastle 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Matt Deehan 2 0 0 1 0 0 Sean Robinson 129 65 13 3 0 0 

Mark Dormer 2 0 0 2 0 0 Tian Schoeman 3 0 0 3 0 0 

Ben Douglas 3 0 0 2 0 0 Charlie Smith 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Nathan Earle 13 20 4 2 5 1 Oliver Spencer 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Carl Fearns 19 5 1 0 0 0 Iwan Stephens 8 20 4 2 5 1 

Ollie Fletcher 3 0 0 2 0 0 Ben Stevenson 51 80 18 2 0 0 

Gary Graham 88 80 16 0 0 0 Sam Stuart 62 30 6 0 0 0 

Ewan Greenlaw 1 0 0 1 0 0 Alex Tait 263 190 38 3 0 0 

Nathan Greenwood 1 5 1 1 5 1 Mark Tampin 57 0 0 4 0 0 

Will Hopes 2 0 0 2 0 0 Josh Thomas 2 8 0 2 8 0 

Louie Johnson 3 6 0 2 6 0 Marcus Tiffen 3 10 2 2 5 1 

Conor Kenny 3 0 0 2 0 0 Philip van der Walt 35 10 2 0 0 0 

Zach Kerr 8 5 1 2 0 0 George Wacokecoke 60 75 15 3 0 0 

Freddie Lockwood 10 0 0 0 0 0 Rory Ward 2 0 0 2 0 0 

Pete Lucock 28 5 1 2 0 0 Will Welch 273 90 18 2 0 0 

Charlie Maddison 21 5 1 4 0 0 Michael Young 182 100 20 0 0 0 

Tom Marshall 9 5 1 2 0 0

GLOBAL 

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business at ajg.com/uk 

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7th Floor, 55 Blythswood Street, Glasgow, G2 7AT. Registered in Scotland. Company Number: SC108909. FP1160-2021 Exp 06.09.2022 | ARTUK-4318

Newcastle Falcons vs Bristol Bears Programme

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