Newcastle Falcons

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If you are looking for the Australian basketball team of the same name, see Newcastle Falcons (Australia).

The Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team currently playing in the Guinness Premiership. The team plays at Kingston Park in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Contents

1 History
2 Club honours
3 Current England elite squad
4 Other Internationals

4.1 Present
4.2 Past

5 External links

History

The original Gosforth Club was founded in 1877, playing the green and white hoops of Durham School as many members were ex-pupils. In 1955 when they moved to the new ground at the North Road which was to be their 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 76/77.

Gosforth supplied innumerable players to all counties over the years, to the North of England sides and to 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. Gosforth Rugby Club continued as an amateur side working in partnership with Northumbria University.

The "Falcons" title was taken on board during the 1990s when local businessman Sir John Hall took control and attempted to emulate the success of the Barcelona sporting club in Newcastle upon Tyne. The four teams that made up the sporting club were the football team, nicknamed the Magpies, the Newcastle Eagles basketball team, the Newcastle Wasps (later Riverkings, Jokers, Vipers etc.) ice hockey team and the Newcastle Falcons rugby union team.

Newcastle was the first of the “professional” rugby union clubs in England. They became English champions in 1998. In 1996. Sir John Hall installed former Wasps’ captain, Rob Andrew, as his salaried Director of Rugby and quickly saw the Newcastle club earn promotion from the national Second Division to the top flight for the 1998 season, Newcastle then win the national title at their first attempt.

In August 2005 Falcons toured Japan pre-season. They beat NEC Green Rockets easily, but lost to a fired-up Toyota Verblitz.

Club honours

Allied Dunbar Premiership 1997/98
John Player Cup / Powergen Cup 1976 1977 2001 2004

Current England elite squad

Jamie Noon

Other Internationals

Present

Matt Burke (Australia)
Colin Charvis (Wales)
Owen Finegan (Australia)
Stuart Grimes (Scotland)
Mathew Tait (England)
Jonny Wilkinsonplayed in the 2003 world cup[England]

Past

External links

	Rugby union in England	[http://encycl.opentopia.com/ edit ]
Federation Rugby Football Union
Competitions Guinness Premiership \| National Division One \| Heineken Cup \| European Challenge Cup \| European Shield \| Powergen Cup
National team English national team
Guinness Premiership teams Bath \| Bristol \| Gloucester \| Harlequins \| Leicester Tigers \| London Irish \| Newcastle Falcons \| Northampton Saints \| Sale Sharks \| Saracens \| London Wasps \| Worcester Warriors
National Division One teams Bedford \| Cornish Pirates \| Coventry \| Doncaster \| Exeter \| Leeds Tykes \| London Welsh \| Newbury \| Nottingham \| Otley \| Pertemps Bees \| Plymouth Albion \| Rotherham \| Sedgley Park

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