Newcastle Falcons to Remain a “Selling Club,” Says Director Diamond

Newcastle Falcons’ consultant director of rugby, Steve Diamond, has indicated that the club will need to function as a “selling club” during its efforts to reverse its current situation. This statement comes as Newcastle has achieved four wins in its last five games across all competitions. This announcement follows last week’s revelation by Bristol Bears that Pedro Rubiolo, Newcastle’s 21-year-old Argentina lock, will transfer to their team starting next season. Rubiolo, who became a Falcon in January 2023 shortly after his 20th birthday, participated as a starter in all three of the Pumas’ November international matches. Diamond commented, “It’s frustrating to lose Pedro but people won’t like me saying this – for the next three or four years while we build this place, we are going to be a selling club.” Diamond is managing operations at Kingston Park with a constrained budget and a compact squad of 38 players. While his long-range objective involves establishing a robust talent pipeline from the club’s academy, Newcastle remains susceptible to losing its top players to more affluent competitors in the interim. He stated, “We find people like Pedro and Mateo Carreras and various other Argentinian lads who have been great for Newcastle over the years, but when the big dogs come paying the big dollars, we can’t compete.” He continued, “Newcastle can take credit for identifying youth and bringing them through but there is always parasitical behaviour where the bigger clubs come in and nick your players so we just have to put up with it. “It’s not nice, it doesn’t leave the best taste in your mouth, but that’s the way it is unfortunately.” Newcastle is preparing to resume its Premiership campaign from the bottom of the league standings, with the recent victory over Exeter Chiefs last month—which concluded a streak of 25 consecutive league losses—still a prominent memory. The team has achieved wins in its last three games at Kingston Park. Additionally, they have secured victories in all three of their Premiership Rugby Cup matches this month, including a one-point win against Sale Sharks, which has contributed to building belief and confidence within the squad. On Friday, they are scheduled to host Saracens at Kingston Park at 19:45 GMT, where Diamond anticipates that playing on home ground will yield positive results. He expressed, “I’m delighted with the run in the Prem Cup.” He added, “It’s not the Premiership obviously, but from where we were to where we’re trying to get to, the momentum is good to effectively win four out of five games.” Diamond further commented, “With the weather changing considerably across the country, it does give the feeling that we know what we’re doing a bit more up here on a Friday night. “The teams are in the hotel from Thursday lunchtime, coming out here in the howling wind and sleet and snow. “Confidence is good and there is no reason why we can’t come out on Friday night and play the game plan that we’ve put in place and believe that works because it has worked over the last three or four weeks.”