Newcastle open Challenge Cup at Scarlets in reunion tie
Newcastle Red Bulls will begin their EPCR Challenge Cup season away to Scarlets this Saturday. Fixture listings from tournament organisers EPCR put the pool-stage tie at Parc y Scarlets, with kick-off at 12:00 on 17 October EPCR. The Challenge Cup is European club rugby's second-tier competition, one step below the Champions Cup.
Head coach Dan McFarland has warned his players to expect a fierce examination. "It will be a big challenge for us, but one we relish," the Englishman said BBC. McFarland knows this rugby landscape well after previous head-coach spells with Connacht, Glasgow Warriors and Ulster.
He took the Newcastle job after working as forwards coach, leading the pack at scrums, lineouts and mauls, with Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan Yahoo Sports. Newcastle reached the last 16 of the Challenge Cup last season. They head to Wales still chasing a first league win after three defeats from three in the Prem, England's top division.
There is encouragement in the detail. Newcastle have collected four bonus points, the extras awarded for scoring four or more tries or losing by seven points or fewer. The latest evidence came in a narrow defeat to Exeter Chiefs on Sunday, just before the switch to European action.
Saturday also brings reunions. McFarland worked alongside Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel at Ulster. Peel is also close friends with Newcastle attack coach Stephen Jones, the man in charge of their attacking shape. The pair were former half-back partners, the scrum-half and fly-half combination that directs a team, and Peel has said he is relishing facing Jones again in Europe BBC.
EPCR confirmed the 2026/27 Challenge Cup pool-stage fixtures earlier this autumn, setting up this opening-round trip. For newcomers, the format is straightforward. Clubs play a short series of pool matches and the best-placed sides go through to the spring knockouts.
For fans, this means an early read on Newcastle's progress under new leadership. They are competitive without reward so far. A result in Wales would lift pressure and give their European pool real early momentum. Win or lose, it is the start of a long European story that will shape Newcastle's season.
