Newcastle Red Bulls bet on fresh start after four seasons at the bottom

Newcastle Red Bulls start the new Premiership season with a new owner, a new head coach and 25 new players.

They open away to champions Northampton Saints. Then they host Leicester Tigers and travel to Exeter Chiefs to complete the first three-week block.

It is a full reset. Red Bull took over the club at Kingston Park in August 2025 BBC. The Premiership is England's top division of rugby union, and Newcastle need a lift.

They finished bottom for a fourth season in a row last time. Two wins in 18 games told the story. Three different men led the team during that campaign: Steve Diamond, Alan Dickens and Stephen Jones BBC.

Dan McFarland is the man asked to change it. The 54-year-old is the new head coach. He previously led Ulster in Ireland and later worked as forwards coach — the specialist in charge of the scrum and lineout — with Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan.

McFarland has 25 new signings to weld into a team. That is more than a whole matchday squad. Pre-season included a trip to Red Bull's headquarters in Salzburg, Austria, designed to help the group gel BBC.

He described the job as building something from scratch, like a start-up. Red Bull, he said, told the club: "we've deliberately chosen you, Newcastle, because we believe we can do special things with you".

For fans, this means patience as well as hope. New combinations take time. The set-piece, the defence system and the attack patterns all have to be learned under pressure.

The start is tough. Northampton away is the hardest opener on paper. Leicester at home will test the new-look pack in front of their own supporters before the trip to Exeter.