NEWCASTLE FALCONS

LAST SEASON: 4th. COACH: Dean Richards

KEY INS: Tom Arscott (Rouen), George McGuigan (Leicester), Logovi’i Mulipola (Leicester), Johnny Williams (London Irish).

KEY OUTS: Ally Hogg (retired), Nili Latu (Hino), Scott Lawson (retired), Maxime Mermoz (Toulouse), Juan Pablo Socino (Edinburgh). STAR MAN: Vereniki Goneva. The Fiji winger propelled the Falcons to a semi-final spot last season, and despite being 34 he has still got it. BOSS’S BOLTER — Dean Richards: ‘Adam Radwan. He is young at 21 and is a winger with gas and great feet. Adam still has a lot to learn and is very raw but he’s getting better year on year.’ FAN VERDICT — Geoff Kay: ‘We have a well-drilled team who are going places. Flanker Callum Chick has been the find of the last two seasons and will fill the void of Ally Hogg.’ SPORTSMAIL’S VERDICT: 9th. You would expect at least three of the teams who finished below them last season to improve greatly.