Newcastle Red Bulls lay out Gallagher PREM, European ambitions - ‘Create something special here’

That was on August 12, 2025, when struggling Newcastle Falcons became Newcastle Red Bulls and the significant riches that come with them.

Since then, it has hardly been the season of miraculous change that fans had hoped for at Kingston Park, the side still dead last in the Gallagher PREM and having won just one match all season.

But this summer they have already secured deals to bring in All Black back row Hoskins Sotutu, as well as Josh Hodge returning to his boyhood club from Exeter Chiefs and bringing with him Rus Tuima.

Argentina's Franco Molina is also heading to Tyneside, while exciting England scrum-half Raffi Quirke is making the move from Sale Sharks.

In total, the club are set to sign more than 20 players this summer.

But with all those signings, come exits - and that is something that Neil McIlroy, the club's sporting general manager, hopes never to have to do again.

”It is [a lot of turnover] and it is something I have never done before and certainly hope never to do again,” he told David Flatman on The Breakdown.

”We are highly respectful of what has gone before, players and staff and everyone that has been here. But Red Bull have given us a challenge and while having 30 players out of contract wasn’t nice, wasn’t comfortable, we tried to do the right thing with those guys that we decided not to retain and let them know as soon as possible.

”But we will probably bring in around about 25 new players, which is a lot.

”The coaching staff will change, as will other members of staff. We have already made some changes, Dan McFarland will join us as head coach.

”Stephen Jones is already here and doing our interim head coach job, so Stephen will continue to do attack and Callum McCrae will join us from Benetton to do defence.”

With the quality of player that the Red Bulls are bringing in this summer, it is no surprise that McIlroy has set major goals for the side over the next five seasons, including off the pitch with changes to Kingston Park.

”Our objective is that within three years, we want to be in the top table of the Premiership,” he added.

”They know it will take time for us to create something special here and create a club that can rival the Baths and Northamptons. And then three to five years in Europe.

”Kingston Park will change over the next few years, we need a training centre and Red Bull understand that.

”They are all about performance, so we need to try and get a training facility built and when we are speaking to players, as we have been doing on recruitment, it is one of the first questions they ask. 'Are you going to get a training centre?'”

One of the players who is not leaving this summer is Christian Wade, the prolific winger.

At 35, his days at the top level are numbered but he makes it clear that he is going for the top try scorer record held by Chris Ashton.

Ashton scored 101 tries in the Gallagher PREM for Northampton Saints, Saracens, Worcester Warriors, Harlequins, Sale Sharks and Leicester Tigers.

Wade began the season on 93 tries with two tries to end the 2024/25 season seeing him overtake Tom Varndell into second. This season he has scored two further tries, leaving him within striking range of Ashton.

And the two met at Kingston Park, with Ashton trying to strike ”a deal.”

He asked Wade if he was happy to settle for 100, to which the response was: ”Yeah no deal, I am trying to get that record.”

It was something that Wade has had on his mind since the age of 27 when still playing for Wasps before their off-field troubles.

He has since gone to both the NFL and rugby league, before returning to the PREM with Newcastle, and he makes it clear that he is going for the record.

”I would say in 2018 [I began thinking about the record], I was 27 at the time and I think I was fifth. I was at 85 [tries], top five. 'Oh I can go for it.'

”Then obviously I decided to retire from rugby, left, and then obviously the record changed. You [Ashton] took the record and when I came back, I was still in the running, so maybe there was the opportunity to go for it.

”I’m going to get to 101, then 102, 103, 104…”

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