NEWCASTLE

Head of Rugby: Dean Richards

Captain: Mark Wilson

Ground: Kingston Park

Capacity: 10,200

It has been a while since Newcastle were regarded as title contenders, back in the day when Jonny Wilkinson graced Kingston Park, but something is stirring in the north-east under the stewardship of the longserving Dean Richards. The Falcons finished 10th last season despite winning their first three matches, which included trips to Bath and Wasps. They were submerged by Covid’s second wave: three matches were called off and the roll they were on reached the shore. Yet they supplied four players to the England squad this summer, Jamie Blamire, Trevor Davison, Callum Chick and Adam Radwan: they all made their Test debuts with the hooker Blamire and the wing Radwan both scoring try hat-tricks.

With the former England fullback

Mike Brown and his erstwhile colleague at Harlequins Nathan Earle among the arrivals for the new season, the Falcons are developing the depth needed to mount a challenge beyond not finishing bottom. Their game has evolved from the days when teams would get bogged down on a sticky surface, or blown away, thanks to the artificial surface which has been laid, and without the spectre of the drop, Newcastle will not be weighed down by inhibition. Improving away from the north-east will be key to their progress having lost their last seven on the road, but they showed at Bristol they have a durability to go with their flair. They will again be fancied to win a few games and nothing more, but this is the year for them to move beyond the chrysalis stage.