Newcastle Falcons Aim to Harness Football Fever in Rugby Union Showdown

Newcastle Falcons' consultant director of rugby, Steve Diamond, is calling on his players to embrace the positive energy that's currently engulfing the city, thanks to Newcastle United's recent Carabao Cup triumph. With the football team ending a 56-year trophy drought, the Falcons are set to host Sale Sharks at Kingston Park this Friday at 19:45 GMT.

Despite the Falcons sitting at the bottom of the Premiership table and facing an uncertain future with the club up for sale, Diamond sees this match as a golden opportunity to win over local supporters and attract potential investors. "It's a great time to have a game because the Six Nations has just finished, so rugby has been in the shop window," explained Diamond. "And Newcastle as a city is buzzing after the football team won the League Cup last weekend. It's a great opportunity for us to latch onto that feelgood factor."

While football reigns supreme in Newcastle, Diamond believes that rugby union can still capture the public's imagination, especially if the Falcons can improve their on-field performance. This Friday's match against Sale Sharks, who boast five of the seven players from the England squad that competed in the Six Nations, promises to be a thrilling encounter.

Diamond drew an interesting comparison, stating, "Like in Manchester, football and rugby it's like Hollywood compared to Coronation Street. We're soap actors and they're Hollywood stars. You can't really compare the two." However, he added, "But there is a fair swing of supporters who come to Kingston Park who also watch Newcastle United, so this is an ideal location to generate a crowd. But we've got to be winning games. You can't just do that by being competitive, you have to be winning."

Newcastle have managed only two wins from their 11 Premiership games this season, leaving them six points behind Exeter in ninth place. However, the news that Ealing Trailfinders, the runaway leaders of the Championship, do not meet the Premiership entry criteria, means there will be no play-off with them at the end of the season, providing a slight reprieve for the Falcons.

Off the field, Newcastle has implemented a recruitment freeze for the next season as they seek financial assistance, either through a short-term loan or new ownership. This period of uncertainty has raised concerns that the club could follow in the footsteps of Worcester Warriors, Wasps, and London Irish.

Prop Murray McCallum, who was at Worcester when they went under, has recently signed a new two-year contract with the Falcons. The 29-year-old Scot is confident that the situation at Newcastle is far from the crisis that befell Worcester. "We genuinely saw the bailiffs turning up," he recalled. "It's nowhere near that here." McCallum emphasized the importance of maintaining focus, saying, "Job security is job security. The rugby world post-Covid is an interesting place. But we just need to turn up to work every day, put a smile on our face and put our head in the spokes."