Argentina prop Francisco Moreno joins Newcastle Red Bulls as 25th signing of ambitious rebuild
Newcastle Red Bulls have signed Argentina tight-head prop Francisco Moreno on a one-year deal, making him the club's 25th arrival of a radical off-season rebuild (BBC Sport).
Moreno, 24, made his Test debut for Los Pumas against world champions South Africa earlier this month and is currently with the national squad preparing for Saturday's match against Australia. He will link up with Newcastle on Tyneside once his international commitments are finished.
A tight-head prop — the cornerstone of a rugby union scrum, anchoring the right-hand side of the front row and bearing the brunt of the opposing pack's drive — is among the most physically demanding positions in the sport. Moreno brings genuine pedigree to that role. RugbyPass reported the Argentina front-rower tips the scales at 147 kg, a substantial presence in any set-piece (RugbyPass).
He will not be short of familiar faces in the north-east of England. Franco Molina and Simon Benitez Cruz, both Pumas team-mates, are already on Newcastle's books and will be waiting for him (BBC Sport).
Newcastle's need for fresh blood is stark. The Red Bulls finished bottom of the Premiership table in 2025-26, managing just two wins all season. In May, the club confirmed that 26 players would depart at the end of their contracts in a sweeping clearout that left head coach Dan McFarland with a near-blank canvas.
McFarland, tasked with assembling a competitive squad almost from scratch, sees genuine promise in his newest arrival. "Francisco is a relatively young tight-head who has already taken his first steps in international rugby, and shows a lot of promise," he said (Newcastle Red Bulls).
For Newcastle fans, 25 signings in one window signals a club determined to wipe the slate clean and start over. Whether a squad assembled at such speed can gel quickly enough to climb the Premiership table is the question that will define McFarland's season. Moreno's arrival adds a player with recent exposure to top-level Test rugby to a pack that desperately needed it.
