Newcastle Falcons vs Bath Rugby Programme

MATCH-DAY PROGRAMME
NEWCASTLE
FALCONS VS
BATH RUGBY
FRI 10.05.24
KO 19:45

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HOME
STARTING XV
1
15 LOUIS BROWN 2345678
14 ADAM RADWAN
13 MATIAS MORONI
12 CAMERON HUTCHISON
11 BEN REDSHAW
10 BRETT CONNON
9 SAM STUART
REPLACEMENTS
ADAM BROCKLEBANK
JAMIE BLAMIRE
EDUARDO BELLO
TIM CARDALL
SEBASTIAN DE CHAVES
SAM CROSS
GUY PEPPER
CALLUM CHICK (C)
16 BRYAN BYRNE 17 MARK DORMER 18 RICHARD PALFRAMAN 19 JOHN HAWKINS
20 FREDDIE LOCKWOOD 21 JAMES ELLIOTT 22 RORY JENNINGS 23 OLI SPENCER
STARTING XV 1 BENO OBANO
15 MATT GALLAGHER 2345678 TOM DUNN
14 JOE COKANASIGA THOMAS DU TOIT
13 OLLIE LAWRENCE QUINN ROUX
12 CAMERON REDPATH CHARLIE EWELS
11 WILL MUIR
TED HILL
10 FINN RUSSELL SAM UNDERHILL
9 BEN SPENCER (C) ALFIE BARBEARY
REPLACEMENTS
16 NIALL ANNETT 17 JUAN SCHOEMAN 18 WILL STUART 19 JACQUES DU PLESSIS
20 MILES REID 21 LOUIS SCHREUDER 22 ORLANDO BAILEY 23 JOSH BAYLISS
AWAY
REFEREE: TOM FOLEY
ASSISTANT REFEREES: SARA COX, HAMISH SMALES
TELEVISION MATCH OFFICIAL: DEAN RICHARDS
TIME KEEPER: ALAN HUGHES
CITING OFFICER: ANDY BLYTH

NO AWAY TEAM RELISHES
COMING TO KINGSTON
PARK ON A FRIDAY NIGHT

STEVE
DIAMOND
CONSULTANT DIRECTOR OF RUGBY
Thank you all for your attendance tonight as we play our final
home game of the season.
It was great to see so many of you here just under a fortnight
ago when we had more than 8,000 in for our match against Sale
Sharks, and the support has been incredible.
We were really competitive for an hour against a good Sale
side stacked with international players, and although we were
disappointed not to have seen the job through I was encouraged
by the attitude and fighting spirit the lads showed.
We will need the same again tonight, and for 15 minutes longer,
as we play host to a Bath side with ambitions of a home play-off
semi-final.
to the group over the summer. I’ve spoken many times about
running a smaller squad and better utilising our academy, and
I want to put on record my thanks to all the players who are
leaving the club in the off-season.
I can honestly say the attitude from all of them has been
outstanding, even at times when they’ve been left out of the
team or been told their contracts aren’t being renewed. It
would be easy for team cohesion to take a big hit in that kind
of scenario but full credit to the lads, and I wish all the best to
every single person who is moving on from here.
We’ve already started to announce some of our signings for
next season, with a few more in the works, and I’m excited
about the prospects for this club moving forward.
Everyone knows about the star players they will be bringing
but I can assure you no away team relishes coming to Kingston
Park on a Friday night, and we’re massively positive about our
prospects in this evening’s game.
It goes without saying this hasn’t been the year that anybody
wanted, but we’re already starting to lay the groundwork for
next season in terms of game plan and mind-set. It’s a deep and
narrow focus where the emphasis is on ourselves, and I have to
commend the players for the way they’ve bought into it.
For a number of lads this evening will be their last experience
of a Falcons home match day, with a lot of changes being made
I’ll be bringing in some hard-nosed lads with a good body of
experience at a high level, and it won’t be a repeat of this season
when it comes to results.
We’re very lucky to have a great supporter base up here,
and that’s certainly not something we take for granted. The
response for our last couple of home games has been fantastic,
and there’s no greater motivation tonight than doing it for you
guys after the faith you’ve shown in us.
So, thanks for coming along, and I hope we’ll all have something
to celebrate after the final whistle.
DIMES
STEVE DIAMOND - DIRECTOR OF RUGBY NOTES
5

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9

We owe it
to our fans,
ourselves and
each other

Do it for the fans. That is the motivation for Newcastle Falcons
today, as Adam Brocklebank reveals.
Prop-forward Adam Brocklebank has appeared in all but
two of Newcastle Falcons’ 25 games this season, and
despite external perceptions that they have nothing left
to play for the Ormskirk native gives short shrift to such
sentiment.
Being in the month of May still and searching for a first
Gallagher Premiership win of the season is not a situation
anyone ever wants to be in, but even with their league
position already being cemented there is no shortage
of motivation for the loose-head and his charges this
evening.
“It’s absolutely not a dead rubber,” snarls
Brocklebank when confronted by the notion.
“We owe it to our
fans, we owe it
to ourselves
and we owe it to each other to get that win.
“Our supporters in particular have stuck with us
throughout the worst season we’ve had in ages, and the
faith they’ve shown is incredible. We as players are so
thankful and we know we owe them, and we absolutely
need the win.”
With none of the Championship challengers meeting the
minimum standards criteria for entry into next season’s
Premiership the Falcons have been spared the prospect
of relegation. Not that it has affected Brocklebank and
his team-mates.
“I hear the phrase ‘dead rubber’ and makes me angry,
to be honest, because there’s nobody who wants to win
more than us at the moment,” says the 28-year-old, who
has played 123 games for the Falcons since arriving from
Durham University.
ADAM
“This is just my personal opinion and I’m not speaking
for the club or for anybody else, but the fact there’s
no relegation this season - I don’t think it hinders the
competition at all.
BROCKLEBANK
PLAYER INTERVEIW - ADAM BROCKLEBANK
11

“It’s a very united
camp and the
attitude has been
outstanding”
“We’re all professional athletes and we all
want to win. If that’s not the case then
you shouldn’t be here, and I honestly
don’t think the threat of relegation would
have made us perform any better. It’s not
as if we’re sat here going ‘we’d better try
today because we might get relegated’.
We’re just as motivated even though
there’s not that hanging over us, and
that’s the reality.
“I do understand the debate and I
appreciate why the Championship teams
want there to be promotion. All I’m saying
is that it hasn’t affected how hard we’ve
tried or how much we desperately want
to win, and that’s the straightforward
truth.
“It’s no fun getting beat every week,
and losing is the absolute worst. I know
everyone’s fed up with how it’s gone so
far in the league this season. All I can say
them to know what a difference they
“I’ve had lots
make.”
of
opportunities Asked how he and so his team-mates early deal
with the criticism which accompanies
into my career”
a win-less Premiership campaign, he
is we share those frustrations, and we’re
working hard to turn things around.”
Newcastle’s most recent home game
against Sale Sharks a fortnight ago saw
the biggest Falcons crowd at Kingston
Park in five and a half years, and the
home match before that brought
a season-high attendance for the
100-minute thriller against Leicester
Tigers.
“We’re so appreciative of the backing
our supporters have given us,” says
Brocklebank, who has signed a threeyear
contract extension.
“Our last two home games have seen
us having season-high crowds, and it
genuinely makes a massive difference. I
hope the fans know how much it means
to the lads, but when we ran out against
Sale and hit that wall of noise from the
crowd, it felt incredible. Even away from
home we’ve got a good group who follow
us everywhere, despite the fact we’ve
not given them much to shout about.
We’re so lucky to have that, and I want
explains: “Yeah, we’ve took the odd bit
of heat on occasion, which you’d expect
when you’ve not won a league game all
year, but the overriding majority of fans
have been really supportive throughout.
Without them we wouldn’t be here, and
I just want to say thank you to them for
that.
“When you’re in our position it’s only
natural you’re going to get some
criticism, and we all understand that.
“Being a northern team and being a bit of
a geographical outlier, I think we’re kind
of used to not getting that much love
from the national media side of things.
We’ve dealt with that and overcome it in
the past, and the fact we’ve got such a
tight group of lads means we’ve got each
other’s backs when you start to hear a
bit of noise from outside.
“This year hasn’t gone our way, and
at times it would have been easy to
completely implode.
“In those sorts of situations you often
find people going into their shells, doing
their own thing and turning on one

“
What’s giving me full confidence is the
track record Dimes has got
”
another. There’s been none of that here, and I genuinely mean
that, so I think it’s a credit to the boys that we’ve stayed so tight
despite everything that’s been going on. Nobody has thrown
anyone under the bus, it’s a very united camp and the attitude
has been outstanding.”
Newcastle’s last meeting with Bath came on the opening
weekend of the season, with plenty of positives shown in a 34-
26 loss at The Rec.
“We felt like we were a bit unlucky in some regards down there,
to be honest,” says Brocklebank.
“We’d turned up there with a new coaching team, we had a bit
of momentum behind us and we actually produced a decent
performance for most of the game. A couple of bounces of the
PLAYER INTERVEIW - ADAM BROCKLEBANK
14
ball went against us and we ended up missing out, but we’re
looking forward to the chance to put that right at home.
“Bath need a bonus point win for their play-off semi-final
chances, and they’ll want to carry on that journey. We’ve got
a very different motivation as everyone knows, but both teams
will be fired up for their own reasons so it should be a good
game.

“We took a hiding at Bristol three weeks ago but we fronted up
at home to Sale Sharks in our last game, and there were signs
of promise. We just need to take another step forward against
Bath, and hopefully with another good home crowd behind us
we’ll be able to secure that result.
“Bath spend a lot of money and they have plenty of size in their
pack, so you’d expect them to be very direct. They’ll move the
ball and use their superstars which they pay a lot of money for,
but we’ve got plans in place aimed at turning them over.
“There were definitely some positives we could take from the
Sale game, even though we fell away in the last quarter of
an hour. After 65 minutes it was 14-14, we were right in the
game and we’d done pretty much everything we spoke about
beforehand. But one little switch-off saw them taking the lead,
and it kind of spiralled from there.
“It’s all about doing it for 80 minutes rather than just an hour,
and that’s where the focus has been during the week. I think a
lot of it comes down to belief, and since Steve Diamond came
in that’s one thing he has been massive on. We’ve come on
leaps and bounds – Bristol aside – and we’ve shown loads
of improvements.
“Dimes has shown us graphs of where we
were in every part of the game in relation
to the other Premiership clubs, and when he
came in we were ninth or tenth in pretty much
every area. He showed us that same chart last
week and we were vastly improved in virtually
every department, and it’s helping to drive
the belief within the group.
“That Sale game was ours for
the taking because we’d laid
the groundwork, and we
just have to hold on to
that belief for an
extra 15 minutes in terms of getting the job done. I know we
can do it, and as much as we all know it’s been a disappointing
season I think the feeling among the squad is really positive.”
Optimistic that next season will be a different story under the
new regime, he adds: “It’s exciting looking forward to what
Dimes is going to bring, and as a player it’s very simple.
“He’s really black and white in terms of what he expects from
you. If you don’t do it there’ll be consequences, and if you do it
there will be rewards. There are no grey areas, and if you do as
he asks you’ll be fine. I’ve got absolutely no problem with that,
and of course he’ll listen to the players and let them have their
input.
“It’s really simple, and he’s not asking us to do anything
complicated. I think in rugby there’s maybe a bit of a tendency
to make things too complex at times, but he’s all about doing
the simple things well. Training has been all about doing the
basics, and if you do it consistently you’ll get your shot in the
team.
“What’s giving me full confidence that things will be better
around the corner is just the track record that Dimes has
got. He’s done it before, he has a record of improving
every team he goes to and the methods he uses are
proven to work. He has come in mid-season so it
hasn’t been easy for him, but with a full pre-season
and more of his own players to work with I think we’ll
be a much better outfit.
“Pre-season is where you get your
biggest gains, and considering
how much of an impact
he has made in this
short period of
time, I know it
will be even
stronger
next season.”
PLAYER INTERVEIW - ADAM BROCKLEBANK
15

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COMMUNITY
MIXED ABILITY
FESTIVAL
COMMUNITY NEWS
The Falcons Community recently hosted a Mixed Ability festival
as part of the Project Rugby Initiative, which brought together
rugby teams from the North West mixed ability family. The
event showcased inclusivity, as players with diverse abilities,
ages and backgrounds played together on an equal footing.
The North West teams were organised and facilitated by TryIt
Rugby and Lancashire Rugby, and they all travelled to Kingston
Park Stadium for the event. After the festival, everyone
watched the Newcastle Falcons take on the Sale Sharks in a
thrilling fixture. Additionally, all the teams got to play a mini
fixture at half-time in front of a record attendance.
Stephen Parsons, Falcons Community development officer
said: “It was fantastic to welcome everyone from the clubs
in Lancashire and TryIt Rugby to a festival and play some
friendly tag games. The whole day was a great example of
inclusive rugby and Rugby + core values being shown by all the
participants on the day.”
Project Rugby is a grassroots participation programme
delivered by Premiership Rugby in collaboration with England
Rugby and Gallagher, designed to introduce as many people as
possible to rugby.
It aims to increase access opportunities for people from
traditionally underrepresented groups, including those from low
socio-economic backgrounds, ethnically diverse backgrounds,
people with disabilities, women and girls.
For more information about and how
to get involved please contact Stephen
Parsons on
stephen.parsons@newcastle-falcons.co.uk
18

DEFENDER PREMIERSHIP RUGBY CUP
At the end of April we saw the Defender Premiership Rugby Cup
return to Kingston Park Stadium, where over 1,000 aspiring
young players in the U11s and U12s age categories participated
in competitions against teams from the North East and Cumbria.
This event saw rugby clubs from grassroots levels across
Northumberland, Durham, North Yorkshire and Cumbria
gathering at Newcastle Falcons’ home ground for an actionpacked
day of rugby.
Defender has supported UK rugby for 20 years, from grassroots
to elite. The Defender Premiership Rugby Cup is a nationwide
series of rugby festivals for U11 and U12 teams and encourages
young players to develop their skills in line with rugby’s core
values. Over 100,000 youngsters have discovered rugby
through the Defender Premiership Rugby Cup, with some going
on to play for Premiership Rugby clubs.
The Under-11s winners were Ashington RFC and the Under-12s
winners were Whitley Bay Rockcliff RFC. Due to age-grade
rules, the selection of winning teams was based on those that
embodied the rugby core values throughout their participation,
and teams were chosen by opposition coaches and community
staff.
THANK YOU TO OUR
CAST VOLUNTEERS
A huge thank you to the dedicated and hardworking CAST
volunteers who have provided invaluable support and
assistance throughout this season’s Newcastle Falcons
fixtures.
Their tireless efforts have been instrumental in ensuring the
smooth running of all match-day operations, including tasks
such as ticket scanning, wayfinding and running the Foundation
Flutter, which helps raise vital funds for the Newcastle Rugby
Foundation.
The CAST is proudly sponsored by one of our fantastic partners,
Newcastle College, who are also instrumental in supporting our
HITZ Programme. We look forward to their continued support
next season.
If you are interested in being part of the CAST family, please
contact falconscommunity@newcastle-falcons.co.uk
HITZ STUDENT OF
THE MONTH
Our HITZ student of the month for April is awarded to Demi,
who is currently studying on our HITZ programme at Newcastle
College.
David Shotton, social inclusion manager, said: “Demi’s
attendance has been fantastic throughout the year, always
turning up and asking questions to gain more knowledge of the
subjects she is studying. She has been a brilliant member of
HITZ and has shown the determination and confidence needed
to become a success in whatever field she chooses.”
HITZ is an education and employability course that runs in
partnership with Newcastle College and Premiership Rugby. The
programme aims to re-engage young people in education using
sport as a vehicle.
For more information about the HITZ Programme please contact
david.shotton@newcastle-falcons.co.uk .
COMMUNITY NEWS
19

21

CLUB NEWS
CLUB NEWS
22
The early bird window for Newcastle Falcons’ 2024/25 season
tickets has now concluded but there’s still great value to be
had with our general sale seasonal memberships.
Included in your season ticket will be 14 home fixtures at
Kingston Park, granting you access to all our regular-season
home league games and all home cup pool fixtures.
Designed to appeal to all supporters, packages start from just
£185 for adults and from as little as £40 for U18s.
We’ve also brought back concessionary pricing for the new
season, so if you are over 65 or aged between 18 and 23 years
old you can access an additional discount on your membership.
We will also be retaining our FREE junior season ticket for the
new campaign.
Alongside a full paying adult and specific to our North Stand,
South Stand and C & D sections of the West Stand, children
under the age of 12 and club-affiliated under-16s can enjoy live
rugby at Kingston Park at no cost.
Existing season ticket holders will have their seat reserved
until the Sunday May 12, after which all seats will be made
available for general sale, so to keep your seat, make sure you
renew before the deadline.

On top of access to some high-quality top-flight rugby for great
value, all Newcastle Falcons season ticket members can access
a significant number of additional benefits, including:
• 10% discount on retail merchandise.
• 10% discount on additional match tickets.
• 10% discount on Newcastle Rugby Foundation coaching
camps (excludes residential).
• 25% discount at Gaucho restaurants nationally.
• 10% discount at Firestone Artisan Newcastle pizzeria.
• Priority booking for home knock-out fixtures.
• Exclusive access to special season ticket holder
merchandise.
• Exclusive invitation for a season ticket holder and a
friend to two talk-ins per season.
• Entry into international ticket ballot.
• Claim one FREE ticket per season ticket to race meetings
at Hexham Racecourse (subject to availability).
• 10% discount on room hire at Newcastle Falcons.
• Ticket transfer (within 4 weeks and subject to
availability).
Seasonal car parking is also now on sale for supporters, and for
the 2024/25 season we’ve changed the system up slightly.
There will be two seasonal packages for supporters to choose
from.
Limited to 100 spaces, the Preferred package guarantees
supporters a premium parking space on the East Stand tarmac
at Kingston Park for the 14 home fixtures included in the
seasonal membership, whereas the Standard package secures
your place on the East Stand gravel overflow.
Preferred seasonal parking is available for £168 and Standard
for £140, with both packages available to purchase via the club
website.
To renew or purchase a new 2024/25 season ticket please visit
the club website, or contact our ticket office on ticketoffice@
newcastle-falcons.co.uk or 0191 214 2800.
OPENING HOURS:
Mon: 12pm – 5pm
Tue: 12pm – 5pm
Wed: 12pm – 5pm
Thu: 12pm – 5pm
Fri: 12pm – 5pm
Sat: 10am – 4pm
Sun: CLOSED
Details of seasonal hospitality and season ticket distribution for
the 2024/25 season will be issued in due course.
We also wanted to make supporters aware that for the 2024/25
season there will be more thorough ticket checks throughout
the stadium bowl to ensure supporters are seated or standing
in the correct areas.
CLUB NEWS
23

WELCOME TO THE
TRUE NORTH
NEWCASTLE FALCONS 2023 - 24
FIRST TEAM
PLAYERS
1. 1. 1.
1.
SQUAD 2023-24 - FIRST TEAM PLAYERS
JOSH
BAINBRIDGE
JOSH
BARTON
EDUARDO
BELLO
JAMIE
BLAMIRE
BACK ROW
SCRUM-HALF
PROP
HOOKER
BORN: 17/04/96 BORN: 15/12/97 BORN: 27/11/95
BORN: 22/12/97
HEIGHT: 1.83M (6 FT) HEIGHT: 1.85M (6FT)
HEIGHT: 1.90M (6FT 2)
HEIGHT: 1.85M (6FT)
WEIGHT: 103KG (16 ST 3) WEIGHT: 85KG (13ST 5) WEIGHT: 120KG (18ST 12)
WEIGHT: 112KG (17ST 8)
HONOURS: ENGLAND U20S HONOURS: ARGENTINA HONOURS: ENGLAND
SPONSORED BY SPONSORED BY SPONSORED BY
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
26

1.
1.
1.
1.
PHIL
BRANTINGHAM
PROP
BORN: 02/10/01
HEIGHT: 1.83M (6FT)
WEIGHT: 117KG (18ST 5)
HONOURS: ENGLAND U20
SPONSORED BY
ADAM
BROCKLEBANK
PROP
BORN: 06/09/95
HEIGHT: 1.88M (6FT 1)
WEIGHT: 125KG (19ST 9)
HONOURS: ENGLAND STUDENTS
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
LOUIS
BROWN
FULL-BACK
BORN: 17/02/98
HEIGHT: 1.87M (6FT 1)
WEIGHT: 91KG (14ST 5)
HONOURS: ENGLAND
COUNTIES U18
SPONSORED BY
BRYAN
BYRNE
HOOKER
BORN: 09/09/93
HEIGHT: 1.78M (5FT 10)
WEIGHT: 104KG (16ST 5)
HONOURS: IRELAND U20
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
1.
1.
1.
1.
TIM
CARDALL
LOCK
BORN: 13/01/97
HEIGHT: 1.98M (6FT 6)
WEIGHT: 121KG (19ST)
HONOURS: ENGLAND STUDENTS
SPONSORED BY
CALLUM
CHICK
BACK ROW
BORN: 25/11/96
HEIGHT: 1.93M (6FT 3)
WEIGHT: 115KG (18ST 1)
HONOURS: ENGLAND
SPONSORED BY
Geoff & Marie
Penrice
BRETT
CONNON
FLY-HALF
BORN: 29/08/96
HEIGHT: 1.76M (5FT 8)
WEIGHT: 89KG (14ST)
HONOURS: IRELAND U20
SPONSORED BY
SAM
CROSS
BACK ROW
BORN: 28/8/92
HEIGHT: 1.90M (6FT 2)
WEIGHT: 100KG(15ST 10)
HONOURS: WALES
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
SQUAD 2023-24 - FIRST TEAM PLAYERS
27

1. 1.
1.
1.
SEBASTIAN
DE CHAVES
SPONSORED BY
JAMES
ELLIOTT
JOHN
HAWKINS
LOCK
SCRUM-HALF
LOCK
BORN: 30/10/90 BORN: 29/08/98
BORN: 11/11/96
HEIGHT: 2.02M (6FT 6) HEIGHT: 1.77M (5FT 10)
HEIGHT: 1.95M (6FT 5)
WEIGHT: 117KG (18ST 5) WEIGHT: 82KG (12ST 13)
WEIGHT: 117KG (18ST 6)
HONOURS: SOUTH AFRICA U20 HONOURS: ENGLAND STUDENTS
Jacksons Law
Firm
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
OLLIE
LEATHERBARROW
BACK ROW
BORN: 08/04/02
HEIGHT: 1.84M (6FT 1)
WEIGHT: 105KG (16ST 7)
HONOURS: SCOTLAND U20
SPONSORED BY
1. 1.
1.
1.
SQUAD 2023-24 - FIRST TEAM PLAYERS
RORY
JENNINGS
JONH
KELLY
ZACH
KERR
FLY-HALF/CENTRE
LOCK/BACK ROW
CENTRE/WING
BORN: 24/12/95 BORN: 11/10/95
BORN: 13/12/99
HEIGHT: 1.76M (5FT 8) HEIGHT: 1.93M (6FT 4)
HEIGHT: 1.80M (5FT 9)
WEIGHT: 84KG (13ST 3) WEIGHT: 120KG (18ST 12)
WEIGHT: 93KG (14ST 9)
HONOURS: ENGLAND U20S
SPONSORED BY
SPONSORED BY
SPONSORED BY
CAMERON
HUTCHISON
CENTRE
BORN: 01/06/98
HEIGHT: 1.82M (6 FT)
WEIGHT: 102KG (16 ST 1)
HONOURS: SCOTLAND U20
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
28

1. 1.
1.
1.
FREDDIE
LOCKWOOD
CHARLIE
MADDISON
BACK ROW
HOOKER
BORN: 31/12/00 BORN: 24/06/91
HEIGHT: 1.88M (6FT 1) HEIGHT: 1.88M (6FT 1)
WEIGHT: 116KG (18ST 3) WEIGHT: 109KG (17ST 2)
HONOURS: ENGLAND U19
MURRAY
MCCALLUM
PROP
BORN: 16/03/96
HEIGHT: 1.85M (6FT 1)
WEIGHT: 126KG (19ST 12)
HONOURS: SCOTLAND
KIRAN
MCDONALD
LOCK
BORN: 01/11/94
HEIGHT: 2.02M (6FT 7)
WEIGHT: 116KG (18ST 4)
SPONSORED BY
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
SPONSORED BY
The Business
Agility Coach
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
1. 1.
1.
1.
MATIAS
MORONI
ELLIOTT
OBATOYINBO
CENTRE
FULL-BACK
BORN: 10/07/91 BORN: 09/10/98
HEIGHT: 1.85M (6FT) HEIGHT: 1.86M (6FT 1)
WEIGHT: 92KG (14ST 6)
WEIGHT: 89KG (14ST)
HONOURS: ARGENTINA
HONOURS: ENGLAND U20
SPONSORED BY
SPONSORED BY
MATIAS
ORLANDO
CENTRE
BORN: 14/11/91
HEIGHT: 1.83M (6FT)
WEIGHT: 94KG (14ST 11)
HONOURS: ARGENTINA
SPONSORED BY
HUGH
O’SULLIVAN
SCRUM-HALF
BORN: 24/2/98
HEIGHT: 1.78M (5FT 9)
WEIGHT: 84KG (13ST 3)
HONOURS: IRELAND U20
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
SQUAD 2023-24 - FIRST TEAM PLAYERS
29

1. 1.
1.
1.
RICHARD
PALFRAMAN
TOM
PENNY
GUY
PEPPER
PROP
FULL-BACK
BACK ROW
BORN: 20/12/93 BORN: 13/10/94
BORN: 15/04/03
HEIGHT: 1.85M (6FT 1) HEIGHT: 1.79M (5FT 9)
HEIGHT: 1.90M (6FT 2)
WEIGHT: 120KG (18ST 13) WEIGHT: 87KG (13ST 9)
WEIGHT: 105KG (16ST 7)
HONOURS: ENGLAND A
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
SPONSORED BY
SPONSORED BY
VEREIMI
QOROWALE
WING/CENTRE
BORN: 27/01/95
HEIGHT: 1.86M (5FT 11)
WEIGHT: 102KG (16 ST 1)
HONOURS: BRITISH ARMY
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
1. 1.
1.
1.
SQUAD 2023-24 - FIRST TEAM PLAYERS
ADAM
RADWAN
SPONSORED BY
PEDRO
RUBIOLO
WING
BACK ROW/LOCK
BORN: 30/12/97 BORN: 21/12/02
HEIGHT: 1.79M (5FT 9) HEIGHT: 1.91M (6FT 2)
WEIGHT: 89KG (14ST) WEIGHT: 114KG (17ST 13)
HONOURS: ENGLAND
HONOURS: ARGENTINA
The
Blackbirds
SPONSORED BY
IWAN
STEPHENS
WING
BORN: 24/03/02
HEIGHT: 1.70M (5FT 6)
WEIGHT: 83KG (13ST)
HONOURS: ENGLAND U20
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
BEN
STEVENSON
WING/CENTRE
BORN: 19/7/98
HEIGHT: 1.89M (6FT 2)
WEIGHT: 99KG (15ST 8)
HONOURS: ENGLAND STUDENTS
30

1.
1.
1.
1.
SAM
STUART
SCRUM-HALF
BORN: 27/09/91
HEIGHT: 1.73M (5FT 7)
WEIGHT: 83KG (13ST)
HONOURS: ENGLAND U20
MARK
TAMPIN
PROP
BORN: 20/01/92
HEIGHT: 1.85M (6FT)
WEIGHT: 122KG (19ST 2)
JOSH
THOMAS
FLY-HALF
BORN: 30/06/00
HEIGHT: 1.78M (5FT 8)
WEIGHT: 82KG (12ST 12)
HONOURS: WALES U20
PHILIP
VAN DER WALT
LOCK
BORN: 14/07/89
HEIGHT: 1.93M (6FT 3)
WEIGHT: 112KG (17ST 9)
SPONSORED BY
SPONSORED BY
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
1.
1.
MICHAEL
VAN VUUREN
HOOKER
BORN: 28/09/91
HEIGHT: 1.87M (6FT 1)
WEIGHT: 106KG (16ST 10)
HONOURS: SOUTH AFRICA U20
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
GEORGE
WACOKECOKE
CENTRE
BORN: 23/10/95
HEIGHT: 1.80M (5FT 9)
WEIGHT: 94KG (14ST 11)
HONOURS: ENGLAND STUDENTS
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
SQUAD 2023-24 - FIRST TEAM PLAYERS
31

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 2023 - 24
FIRST TEAM
STAFF
1.
STEVE
DIAMOND
CONSULTANT DIRECTOR
OF RUGBY
1. 1. 1.
1. 1.
SQUAD 2023-24 - FIRST TEAM STAFF
32
MICKY
WARD
COACH
TOM
WILLIAMS
SCOTT
BALDWIN
MARK
LAYCOCK
SCOTT
MACLEOD
COACH COACH
COACH COACH

1. 1. 1.
1.
JOHN
STOKOE
TEAM MANAGER
STEVE
BREMNER
PERFORMANCE ANALYST
MATT
HODKINSON
PERFORMANCE ANALYST
KEVIN
MCSHANE
HEAD OF ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
1. 1. 1.
1.
LEWIS
WILLIAMS
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH
SHAUN
MCLAREN
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH
RHYS
GRIFFITHS
HEAD PHYSIO
ANDY
SHEA
PHYSIO
1. 1. 1.
1.
DERMOT
AUSTIN
PHYSIO
RACHEL
SCURFIELD
LEAD DOCTOR
DEAN
SHIPSEY
MATCH-DAY DOCTOR
1. 1. 1.
1.
MATT
GLOVER
KIT CO-ORDINATOR
ALAN
BASKERVILLE
KIT CO-ORDINATOR
ANDREW
CRUICKSHANK
PSYCHOLOGIST
ANDY
RAMSHAW
MATCH-DAY DOCTOR
LINDSAY
MCNAUGHTON
PERFORMANCE NUTRITIONIST
SQUAD 2023-24 - FIRST TEAM STAFF
33

WELCOME TO THE
TRUE NORTH
NEWCASTLE FALCONS 2023 -24
SENIOR
ACADEMY
1. 1. 1.
1.
SQUAD 2023-24 - SENIOR ACADEMY PLAYERS
FINN
BAKER
SAM
CLARK
LUKE
COULSTON
LOCK PROP LOCK
BORN: 17/10/04 BORN: 31/1/04 BORN: 17/07/04
HEIGHT: 2.01M (6FT 7) HEIGHT: 1.84M (6FT) HEIGHT: 2M (6FT 6)
WEIGHT: 100KG (15ST 10) WEIGHT: 120KG (18ST 13) WEIGHT: 95KG (14ST 13)
HONOURS: ENGLAND U18
HONOURS: ENGLAND U18
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
MARK
DORMER
PROP
BORN: 16/09/02
HEIGHT: 1.85M (6FT)
WEIGHT: 110KG (17ST 4)
HONOURS: ENGLAND U20
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
34

1. 1.
1.
1.
BEN
DOUGLAS
SPONSORED BY
OLLIE
FLETCHER
NATHAN
GREENWOOD
SCRUM-HALF
HOOKER
WING
BORN: 16/01/04 BORN: 09/09/02
BORN: 20/11/03
HEIGHT: 1.77M (5FT 8) HEIGHT: 1.83M (6FT)
HEIGHT: 1.75M (5FT 7)
WEIGHT: 75KG (11ST 11) WEIGHT: 106KG (16ST 9)
WEIGHT: 77KG (12ST 1)
HONOURS: ENGLAND U20
HONOURS: ENGLAND U20
HONOURS: GREAT BRITAIN 7S
JOAN MILNE
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
LOUIE
JOHNSON
FLY-HALF
BORN: 13/06/03
HEIGHT: 1.85M (6FT)
WEIGHT: 93KG (14ST 9)
HONOURS: ENGLAND U20
SPONSORED BY
1. 1.
1.
1.
ISAAC
KELLER
JACOB
OLIVER
SPONSORED BY
BEN
REDSHAW
PROP
HOOKER
CENTRE/FULL-BACK
BORN: 30/03/05 BORN: 15/3/05
BORN: 10/1/05
HEIGHT: 1.84M (6FT)
HEIGHT: 1.77M (5FT 10)
HEIGHT: 1.85M (6FT)
WEIGHT: 114KG (17ST 13) WEIGHT: 95KG (14ST 13)
WEIGHT: 80KG (12ST 8)
HONOURS: ENGLAND U18
HONOURS: ENGLAND U20
HONOURS: ENGLAND U20
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
SPONSORED BY
Hodgkinson &
Lawson
MIKE
REWCASTLE
PROP
BORN: 17/05/04
HEIGHT: 1.84M (6FT)
WEIGHT: 113KG (17ST 11)
HONOURS: ENGLAND U18
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
SQUAD 2023-24 - SENIOR ACADEMY PLAYERS
35

1. 1.
1.
ADAM
SCOTT
OLIVER
SPENCER
MARCUS
TIFFEN
LOCK
FULL-BACK
BACK ROW
BORN: 27/11/01 BORN: 22/2/04
BORN: 03/09/02
HEIGHT: 1.99M (6FT 6)
HEIGHT: 1.84M (6FT)
HEIGHT: 1.84M (6FT)
WEIGHT: 110KG (17ST 4) WEIGHT: 94KG (14ST 11)
WEIGHT: 100KG (15ST 10)
HONOURS: ENGLAND U20
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
AVAILABLE TO
SPONSOR
SQUAD 2023-24 - SENIOR ACADEMY PLAYERS + ACADEMY STAFF
36
STAFF
1. 1. 1.
1.
ACADEMY
JAMES
PONTON
HEAD OF ACADEMY
MARK
LAYCOCK
COACH
NEWCASTLE FALCONS 2023 -24
PJ
BUTLER
ACADEMY COACH
JACK
HAYES
ACADEMY COACH

1. 1. 1.
1.
KEITH
ROBINSON
ACADEMY DPP MANAGER
NICK
TODD
ACADEMY PERFORMANCE
MANAGER
MICHAEL
FERGUSON
SENIOR ACADEMY STRENGTH
& CONDITIONING COACH
JOE
MARTIN
JUNIOR ACADEMY ATHLETIC
DEVELOPMENT COACH
1. 1.
1.
CATHERINE
BOAL
ACADEMY PHYSIO
JAKE
GRIFFIN
ACADEMY PHYSIO
CHERYL
ABDUL
ACADEMY ADMINISTRATOR
BE PART OF THE TEAM
TO SPONSOR A PLAYER, EMAIL
corporatesales@newcastle-falcons.co.uk
0191 214 2892
SQUAD 2023-24 - ACADEMY STAFF
37

PLAYER STATS
Name
Falcons
career
apps
Falcons
career
points
Falcons
career
tries
Season
2023-24
apps
Season
2023-24
points
Season
2023-24
tries
Name
Falcons
career
apps
Falcons
career
points
Falcons
career
tries
Season
2023-24
apps
Season
2023-24
points
Season
2023-24
tries
Josh Bainbridge 8 0 0 8 0 0 Charlie Maddison 29 5 1 2 0 0
Finn Baker 1 0 0 1 0 0 Murray McCallum 19 5 1 19 5 1
Josh Barton 16 10 2 7 0 0 Kiran McDonald 13 10 2 13 10 2
Eduardo Bello 14 5 1 14 5 1 Matias Moroni 24 10 2 9 5 1
Jamie Blamire 105 125 25 16 25 5 Elliott Obatoyinbo 34 15 3 16 0 0
Phil Brantingham 27 0 0 19 0 0 Jacob Oliver 0 0 0 0 0 0
Adam Brocklebank 123 0 0 23 0 0 Matias Orlando 45 20 4 10 5 1
Louis Brown 6 15 3 6 15 3 Hugh O'Sullivan 15 5 1 15 5 1
Bryan Byrne 17 10 2 17 10 2 Richard Palframan 35 0 0 7 0 0
Tim Cardall 14 5 1 14 5 1 Tom Penny 102 50 10 16 0 0
Callum Chick 145 105 21 20 10 2 Guy Pepper 24 25 5 16 10 2
Sam Clark 1 0 0 1 0 0 Max Pepper 2 5 1 2 5 1
Brett Connon 105 521 3 17 101 1 Vereimi Qorowale 2 5 1 0 0 0
Luke Coulston 1 0 0 0 0 0 Adam Radwan 114 275 55 20 30 6
Sam Cross 17 0 0 17 0 0 Ben Redshaw 10 10 2 10 10 2
Sebastien de Chaves 59 10 2 20 10 2 Mike Rewcastle 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mark Dormer 8 0 0 5 0 0 Pedro Rubiolo 17 5 1 10 0 0
Ben Douglas 7 5 1 4 5 1 Adam Scott 1 0 0 1 0 0
James Elliott 8 0 0 8 0 0 Oliver Spencer 8 0 0 8 0 0
Ollie Fletcher 12 15 3 4 10 2 Iwan Stephens 24 55 11 12 35 7
Nathan Greenwood 2 5 1 1 0 0 Ben Stevenson 76 95 21 10 15 3
John Hawkins 11 0 0 11 0 0 Sam Stuart 96 40 8 14 0 0
Cameron Hutchison 12 0 0 12 0 0 Mark Tampin 84 0 0 10 0 0
Rory Jennings 16 19 0 16 19 0 Corbin Thunder 0 0 0 0 0 0
Louie Johnson 16 72 1 12 64 1 Josh Thomas 14 21 0 5 4 0
Isaac Keller 0 0 0 0 0 0 Marcus Tiffen 9 10 2 2 0 0
John Kelly 8 0 0 8 0 0 Philip van der Walt 53 15 3 12 0 0
Zach Kerr 17 15 3 6 5 1 Michael van Vuuren 10 5 1 10 5 1
Ollie Leatherbarrow 4 0 0 4 0 0 George Wacokecoke 70 85 17 6 5 1
Freddie Lockwood 42 15 3 17 5 1
PLAYER STATS
39

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THE GALLAGHER WAY. SINCE 1927.
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55, Blythswood Street, Glasgow, G2 7AT. Registered in Scotland. Company Number: SC108909. FP1403-2023 | ARTEMEA6028

ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
Kingsley Hyland’s regular rugby
reminiscences highlights key
moments in the club’s history.
26 YEARS AGO – MAY 11,
1998
NEWCASTLE FALCONS 20-15 BATH
A comparison between the Falcons’ fixture list for the 1997-98
season and this season’s fixtures throws up some remarkable
similarities.
In each the Falcons started the season with a trip to Bath and
ended their home season by hosting Bath, albeit on the former
occasion at the Gateshead International Stadium. Sadly, from
the Falcons’ perspective at least, that’s where the similarities
end. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine two seasons of greater
contrast.
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
At the start of the 1997-98 season the Falcons were new to the
top division which had been rebranded as the Premiership, and
whilst they were expected to do well with their star-studded
line-up, very few pundits felt they were ready to take the title.
RIGHT
Nick Popplewell
46

LEFT
The two separate
programmes in respect
of the one fixture, both of
which went on sale, albeit
only briefly in respect of
the postponed fixture in
January
BELOW
LEFT
Richard Arnold
Bath for their part had been the dominant force in English club
rugby throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, although they
had not won the league title since 1994.
The match at the Rec, televised by Sky, would prove an ideal
litmus test for the visitors. In the event, they passed that test
with flying colours, winning 20-13.
the tide had turned in Saracens’ favour.
Sarries then slipped up themselves, being held to a draw by
Leicester at Welford Road, whilst the Falcons were seeing off
Bristol 43-18 at Kingston Park. This meant that if both clubs won
all their remaining matches the Falcons would top the table by
a single point.
Any lingering doubts as to their title credentials were quickly
eradicated as they reeled off 12 successive wins in the league,
and did not taste defeat until going down 17-30 to Richmond
in mid-March 1998. They rarely hit the top spot due to two
postponed matches but always had games in hand on those
above them, including Saracens, who appeared to be their main
rivals.
They recovered from the defeat at Richmond to return to
winning ways against Leicester, but when they lost 10-12 to
Sarries in a classic at Watford’s Vicarage Road and followed that
three days later with a 17-18 defeat to Wasps at Loftus Road,
In the first of two matches played at Gateshead the Falcons
had comfortably seen off Leicester, aided by a second-half red
card for Will Greenwood. The decision to move two fixtures to
Gateshead was driven entirely by commercial considerations.
The success of the team after three seasons under Rob Andrew
had resulted in a massive increase in the club’s fanbase, with
which ground developments at Kingston Park had been unable
to keep pace.
There was low-level terracing on three sides of the ground but
the only seats were provided by the 400-seater East Stand and
two small temporary stands on the site of the current
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
47

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48
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BELOW
Rob Andrew
At that time the ground had an excellent
drainage system. Not so the multi-use
International Stadium. The Bath game
was originally scheduled for January 18
but heavy overnight rain left the pitch
unfit for the play, and the match was
called off barely two hours before the
scheduled kick-off. By this time some
supporters had been admitted to the
stadium and had got their hands on
the match programme, which became
something of a collectors’ item.
The Leicester match had been played on
the early May bank holiday and attracted
a crowd of 7,210, whilst for the Bath
game every ticket had been sold. The
eventual official attendance of 11,750
would remain the club’s highest home
crowd until the first of the games to be
taken to St James’ Park in 2018.
George Graham
With so much at stake it proved to be
a nerve-shredding affair in which the
Falcons were never behind, but never
more than a score in front.
They scored two tries through Richard
Arnold, one of only two survivors from
the amateur days in the starting line-up,
and Tony Underwood, both converted by
Andrew, who also kicked two penalties.
The Falcons’ defence held firm and their
line was not crossed, but five penalties
from Jon Callard meant that the visitors
remained within reach.
The Falcons’ team was as follows:
S.Legg; J.Naylor; I.Tuigamala; A.Tait;
T.Underwood; R.Andrew; G.Armstrong;
N.Popplewell; R.Nesdale; P.VanZandvliet;
G.Archer; D.Weir; P.Lam; R.Arnold; D.Ryan
(capt).
A rather callow Jonny Wilkinson warmed
the bench, but these were the days
before tactical replacements were
permitted. It was also before the days
when all the matches in the final round
of the Premiership had to kick off at the
same time.
Saracens finished their season on the
Thursday with a comfortable victory
over Northampton to keep the pressure
on the Falcons, whose victory over
Harlequins the following Sunday on a
glorious sunny afternoon in West London
secured their first, and to date only,
Premiership title.
That point dropped by Saracens at
Leicester had indeed proved crucial.
Had they won that day, they would have
taken the title on points difference.
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
49

20 YEARS AGO – MAY 8
2004
ROTHERHAM TITANS 20-26
NEWCASTLE FALCONS
The 2003-4 season was not a stand-out for the Falcons as they
finished the season ninth from 12 teams, with seven wins and
two draws from 22 matches.
The campaign had tailed off badly as the regular season reached
its final week, rescued to some extent by an outstanding
Powergen Cup Final win over Sale which secured Heineken Cup
qualification, and left them with
not much else to play for in the
remaining matches.
Rotherham for their part finished
win-less, with just three losing
bonus points.
Despite their inconsistent form
this match, played at the Don
Valley Stadium in Sheffield,
was seen as a formality for the
Falcons, but in the end they
were grateful to the boot of Dave
Walder, the man of the match in
the cup final, to save them from
the ignominy of being the only
team to suffer defeat at the
hands of the Titans.
With debutant referee Rob
Debney favouring the visitors with
a penalty count of 21-4,
Tom May
Walder kicked four penalties and two conversions, and missed
with just one penalty attempt.
The Titans took an early lead through a Mike Umaga try,
converted by Phil Jones. Walder’s first successful penalty was
followed by tries from Michael Stephenson and Stuart Grimes,
both converted by Walder.
Jones kicked two further penalties and converted his own try
to keep the home side in contention, but three further penalties
from Walder meant that the visitors were never again behind on
the scoreboard.
Director of rugby Rob
Andrew blamed the lethargic
performance on exhaustion
and having nothing to play, for
whilst his opposite number
Ross Reynolds largely confined
himself to labelling the referee a
‘disgrace’.
The Falcons’ team that day was:
M.Stephenson; T.May; J.Noon;
M.Mayerhofler (capt) (rep.
M.Wilkinson 46); B.Gollings;
D.Walder; H.Charlton: I.Peel (rep.
M.Ward 37); J.Isaacson (rep.
M.Thompson 50); M.Hurter (rep.
I.Peel 62); S.Grimes; C.Hamilton;
J.Dunbar; W.Britz; P.Dowson.
The Titans team featured three
future Falcons – Andy Long,
Anthony Elliott and Luke Gross.
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
LEFT
Dave Walder
50

15 YEARS AGO – MAY 10,
2014
NEWCASTLE FALCONS 13-23 EXETER
CHIEFS
Until this season’s campaign, the 2013-14 season was
statistically the club’s worst in the professional era.
Returning to the Premiership following their 2012 relegation and
despite an opening night 0-21 defeat to Bath, the early signs
had been encouraging with wins at Sale (15-14) and what would
turn out to be a crucial win (16-11) at Worcester in the first five
rounds.
A home win against London Irish (13-11) in late October saw the
team comfortably placed in lower mid-table but they did not win
again all season, with this defeat to Exeter representing the 16th
consecutive loss - a run that was extended to 20 before they
won again, ironically against the Chiefs (29-24) at Kingston Park
on October 4, 2014.
Fortunately for the Falcons Worcester Warriors were finding it
even harder to win, but their 17-12 victory at Kingston Park at
the end of March left the Falcons at risk of an immediate return
to the second tier.
In the event the Warriors would not win again until the final day
of the season, and so the Falcons went into this match knowing
they were safe.
A disappointing crowd of 4,555 reflected the supporters’ view
of a season in which the Falcons averaged just a single try per
match. They began well, opening up a 6-0 lead through two Joel
Hodgson penalties, but with the Chiefs as ever playing ‘keep
ball’ and asserting pressure through attacking lineouts, Luke
Cowan-Dickie and Ben White crossed from close range.
Henry Slade, still then deployed as a fly-half, kicked a conversion
and two penalties to open up an 18-6 lead. The rest of the scores
came at the very end of a lacklustre match. Fetu Vainikolo
scored for the Chiefs in the 79th minute, and with the clock in
the red Mark Wilson crossed for a consolation score converted
by Phil Godman.
The Falcons’ team that day was:
A.Tait; N.Cato; G.Tiesi (rep. L.Smith 51); J.Fitzpatrick; S.Sinoti;
J.Hodgson (rep. P.Godman 58); M.Blair (rep. W.Fury 53); G.Strain;
S.Lawson (rep. G.McGuigan 58); O.Tomaszcyk (rep. K.Brookes
48); I.Nagle; D.Barrow (rep.S.Macleod 41); R.Mayhew (rep. A.Saull
44); W.Welch (capt); M.Wilson.
ABOVE
Mark Wilson
51

FIXTURES AND RESULTS
FIXTURES AND RESULTS
SEPTEMBER
PRC Sat Sep 9 Ampthill W 17-40
PRC FRI SEP 15 BEDFORD BLUES W 26-16
PRC FRI SEP 22 SALE SHARKS W 23-10
PRC Sat Sep 30 Leicester Tigers L 60-7
OCTOBER
PRC SUN OCT 8 CALDY W 66-13
GP Sat Oct 14 Bath L 34-26
GP FRI OCT 20 GLOUCESTER (L 14-18)
GP SUN OCT 29 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS (L 14-16)
NOVEMBER
MARCH
F FRI MAR 8 Sale Sharks (W 28-31)
GP Sat Mar 23 Exeter Chiefs (L 25-16)
GP FRI MAR 29 LEICESTER TIGERS (L 13-19)
APRIL
GP Sun Apr 21 Bristol Bears (L 85-14)
GP SUN APR 28 SALE SHARKS (L 14-35)
MAY
GP FRI MAY 10 BATH 7.45PM
GP Sat May 18 Gloucester 3.05pm
GP Sat Nov 4 Harlequins (L 40-12)
GP SUN NOV 12 SARACENS (L 50-12)
GP Fri Nov 17 Sale Sharks (L 40-22)
GP SUN NOV 26 EXETER CHIEFS (L 14-20)
DECEMBER
GP Sun Dec 3 Leicester Tigers (L 3-47)
ECC SUN DEC 10 MONTPELLIER (L 19-24)
FIXTURES AND RESULTS
52
ECC Sat Dec 16 Emirates Lions (L 35-13)
GP FRI DEC 22 BRISTOL BEARS (L 13-21)
GP Sat Dec 30 Saracens (L 19-37)
JANUARY
GP FRI JAN 5 HARLEQUINS (L 3-24)
ECC FRI JAN 12 BENETTON RUGBY (L 18-57)
ECC Sun Jan 21 Perpignan (W 23-32)
GP Sat Jan 27 Northampton Saints (L 38-13)
TICKETS:
0191 214 2800
KEY: GP = Gallagher Premiership, ECC = EPCR Challenge Cup, PRC = Premiership Rugby Cup, F = Friendly.
(Home games in capital letters)
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR
SUPPORT

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BY MARK SMITH - NEWCASTLE FALCONS MEDIA MANAGER
The sport of rugby union needs a decent computer game.
That statement in itself is nothing new. Plenty of people
have been saying the same for years, but finally it seems like
something is being done about it.
Premiership Rugby get a lot of stick on all manner of subjects,
but credit where it’s due. They’re trying to take rugby marketing
in a new direction by celebrating the physicality of the game
rather than cowering from it, and they’re opening themselves
up to new opportunities like this video game.
Last week we had two visitors flying in from Australia to
capture photogrammetry of the entire Newcastle Falcons
squad for the ‘Rugby 24’ game. And no, I didn’t know what
photogrammetry meant either until I googled it!
It essentially involves taking overlapping photographs of an
object, structure or space and converting them into 2D or 3D
digital models. The process is incredible to watch, and the guys
from sports games developers Big Ant Studios arrived with a
rig of around 30 cameras, all taking photos at the same time to
build up a 3D graphic of each player.
They were obviously feeling charitable because they asked me
if I wanted to be in the game as a referee, and so I too got the
full photogrammetry treatment. Even as a 43-year-old who
hasn’t played a video game in well over two decades I’ll admit it
was exciting, and I can’t wait to see the finished product.
The company producing it are also
involved with major games in tennis,
cricket and AFL (Aussie Rules), and
they’re currently going round every
club to ensure their imagery is spoton
when it launches later this year.
I shared a tweet on the subject after
the shoot had finished, and it was a
bit of an eye-opener regarding the
potential new audience this will open
up the sport to.
Gamers from around the world were
replying and retweeting it, firing
in with questions and sharing how
much they were looking forward to
the release. It has put rugby, and
specifically the Gallagher Premiership,
firmly on their radar, and as a
marketing tool for the sport it’s an
absolute open goal.
It won’t be for everyone, and as someone who has worked in
and around professional rugby for nigh-on 25 years I’m probably
not the target audience in drawing new eyeballs to the sport.
But I do remember the excitement of playing Jonah Lomu Rugby
back in the day when I was a teenager, and it feels like that’s
been lost from the sport.
Crucially, the players are buying into it, and there was no cajoling
required when bringing in the entire squad for the imagery
capture day.
A number of the lads are gamers, and the team bus to away
games will regularly include a few tables of players trying to get
one over each other.
Exactly how effective Rugby 24 ends up being in promoting the
sport will ultimately be dictated by how good the game is, but
at least the sport is choosing to pursue the opportunity.
Photogrammetry in action
FROM THE PRESS BOX - WITH MARK SMITH
55

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CLUB NEWS
STAY ON FOR OUR AWARDS
PRESENTATIONS
Supporters are advised to stay on after this evening’s game as the players thank the fans for their backing throughout the season
before a brief awards presentation.
The squad will do a lap of appreciation to thank supporters, before remaining on the pitch for the presentation of five awards:
Player of the Season, Players’ Player of the Season, Academy Player of the Season, Try of the Season and the annual Community
Award.
CLUB NEWS
DON’T MISS
SUNDAY’S
RENEWAL
DEADLINE
Season ticket holders are reminded
they have until this Sunday to keep their
current seat by renewing for the 2024-
25 season. After May 12, all unsold seats
will go on general sale.
Newcastle Falcons season tickets
represent by far the best prices in the
Gallagher Premiership, with package
details available on pages 22-23.
GLOUCESTER
AWAY
TRAVEL
Newcastle Falcons’ Supporters’ Club
are running return coach travel to the
final game of the season at Gloucester
on Saturday May 18. The Gallagher
Premiership clash is a 3.05pm kick-off
at Kingsholm.
Return coach travel is priced at £40
for adults and £20 for juniors if you are
members of the Supporters’ Club. For
non-members the prices are £45 for
adults and £22.50 for juniors.
These prices do not include match
tickets, which can be bought direct via
Gloucester Rugby.
Departure and pick-up times are as
follows.
7am: Kingston Park
7.20am: Washington Services
8am: Scotch Corner
5.50pm: Depart Kingsholm
To book your place on the coach please
email keithevans2105@gmail.com or
call Keith on 07812 975 220. For more
information on the Supporters’ Club,
visit newcastlefsc.co.uk.
58

MAY HALF-TERM
COACHING CAMPS
Newcastle Rugby Foundation are excited to announce that
May half-term coaching camps have launched, and places are
available to book now!
The camps will be held at Kingston Park Stadium, Penrith RFC,
Durham City RFC and Ashington RFC.
Tue May 28 – Wed May 29: Kingston Park Stadium – 6-14 years
(mixed)
Tue May 28 – Wed May 29: Penrith RFC – 6-14 years (mixed)
Thu May 30: Durham City RFC – 6-14 years (mixed)
Fri May 31: Ashington RFC – 6-14 years (mixed)
Each camp will run from 10am to 3pm and includes a range
of rugby skills, games and activities. Participants will receive
five hours of coaching from DBS-cleared, RFU-qualified
Falcons Community coaches.
For more information email
falconscommunity@newcastle-falcons.co.uk .
WEEKEND ROUND-
UP
Newcastle Falcons had strong representation in the England
Students team last Saturday when they took on French
Universities in Coventry.
Hooker Ollie Fletcher (pictured) started in the 48-43 defeat,
while summer signings Connor and Callum Hancock packed
down at props to form an all-Falcons front row. Durham
University’s Max Pepper started on the wing, with a closefought
contest seeing the English narrowly missing out.
Meanwhile, Newcastle Falcons wing Vereimi Qorowale
scored a Twickenham winner in the Army v Navy game at
Twickenham on Saturday. The Fijian ran in a dramatic lastminute
try to snatch a 43-42 victory for the Army in front of
more than 46,000 supporters.
SUMMER OF TOUCH
Newcastle Rugby Foundation is calling everyone aged 16+,
male or female, to get involved in this year’s Summer of
Touch.
Touch rugby is a fast, exciting, sociable, non-contact form of
the game and a great way to get fit in the summer evenings.
Kicking off the summer leagues, we are excited to introduce
a new females-only mini-touch league every Wednesday for
four weeks throughout May and June, starting on May 22
from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
Teams will play a minimum of two fixtures each night on the
main pitch at Kingston Park. Over the four weeks each team
will play everyone at least once, with the winners of the
overall league being crowned champions. Team entries are
priced at £150 for the four-week league.
We are also happy to announce our ever-popular eight-week
league will start on Wednesday June 19 and will run from
6.30pm to 9pm at Kingston Park.
Each team will play a minimum of two fixtures and a
maximum of four each Wednesday. Squads are up to 12
players, six-a-side, with a maximum of four males on the field
for each team at one time. Team entries are priced at £300
for the eight-week league.
We also have our Beach Touch Rugby Festival scheduled to
take place on Sunday August 11 from 11am at Tynemouth’s
Longsands, priced at £40 per team.
To sign up or for more information, please email gavin.
participated in the Falcons’ DPP. His youngest son,
beasley@newcastle-falcons.co.uk .
Myles, will join him at the event, which takes place at
Twickenham Stadium on April 30.
Paul attended the first ever Rugby Black List Awards
at the House of Lords last year, with the Rugby Black
List celebrating the outstanding achievements and
contributions of black individuals in rugby union at all
levels.
The Rugby Black List recognises excellence on and off the
pitch, spotlighting role models and leaders who inspire
the current and future generations within the rugby
community.
CLUB NEWS
59

IN OPPOSITION
BATH RUGBY
FOUNDED
1865
HOME GROUND
The Recreation Ground
DIRECTOR OF RUGBY
Johann van Graan
CAPTAIN
Ben Spencer
Bath Rugby come into this evening’s game placed third in the
Gallagher Premiership table as they strive towards a home
semi-final.
But with the chasing pack breathing down their neck in the
closest play-off race for many years, the men from the West
Country know nothing can be taken for granted.
Led by South African director of rugby Johann van Graan, who
last week signed a new six-year deal to remain at The Rec,
the big-spending outfit have flexed their financial muscles
after finishing bottom of the Premiership table in the 2021-22
season.
Benefiting from a significant player influx on the back of
Worcester Warriors and Wasps being removed from the league,
Bath have won nine of their 16 Premiership matches this
season after an active summer in the transfer market.
Grabbing most of the headlines from their off-season spree
was the signing of Scotland and Lions fly-half Finn Russell from
Parisian outfit Racing 92. The Scot has certainly added stardust
to a potent Bath back division, although a recent injury has put
into question the extent to which he will be involved in their
end-of-season push.
Rugby league wing Regan Grace was another to join from
Racing after the former St Helens try machine recovered from
a long-running Achilles injury, and South African prop Thomas
du Toit added plenty of forward ballast in arriving from the
Sharks.
Ex-England lock Elliott Stooke rejoined Bath from Montpellier,
while South African back-five forward Jacques du Plessis
returned to Europe after a stint back in his homeland with the
Bulls.

All of this was on the back of last season’s acquisition of
ex-Wasps and Worcester stars like flanker Ted Hill, centre Ollie
Lawrence and back-rower Alfie Barbeary – all of whom have
gone on to become key figures for Van Graan’s men.
Bath began the season by bowing out of the Premiership Rugby
Cup at the group stage, suffering a shock home defeat to
Championship winners Jersey Reds just a fortnight before the
Channel Islanders disappeared from the league due to financial
problems. A 43-42 loss at Northampton Saints was their other
defeat in a sequence of pool games which saw victories over
Cornish Pirates, London Scottish and Exeter Chiefs.
The league campaign began at home to this evening’s
opponents, Newcastle Falcons, with the men from the North
East competing gamely before falling to a 34-26 defeat at The
Rec.
A 25-16 away win at champions Saracens continued the
momentum before a first loss of the league season, when
a last-minute penalty from Bath old boy James Shillcock
consigned them to a one-point home reverse.
Losing away at Northampton and then beating Gloucester on
the road, a one-point win over neighbours Bristol Bears was
followed by an 11-9 defeat at Sale Sharks and a 41-24 home win
over Exeter.
The European campaign saw Bath exiting at the round of 16
stage where they were beaten at Exeter, with the group phase
bringing a home win over Ulster, an away victory at Cardiff, a
home win over Racing and a loss in Toulouse.
Either side of Christmas in Premiership action Van Graan’s men
defeated Harlequins at home and lost away to Leicester Tigers,
winning 17-10 at home to Gloucester prior to ending the block
of games with a 57-44 loss at Bristol.
The two-month Six Nations hiatus brought a 42-24 home win
over Sale Sharks when action resumed in late March, with
successive away games seeing a loss at Harlequins and a
victory at Exeter.
Their last league outing a fortnight ago ended with Saracens
grinding out a 15-12 win at The Rec, leaving the Premiership
table tightly poised going into tonight’s penultimate game.
TOP
BACK-ROWER
TED HILL
MIDDLE
WING
JOE COKANASIGA
BOTTOM
HOOKER
TOM DUNN
IN OPPOSITION - BATH RUGBY
63

WILL MUIR
WING
THREE TO
WATCH
DIRECTOR OF RUGBY
JOHANN VAN GRAAN
The South African is in his second season at The Rec, and last week
committed to a new six-year deal to remain in the West Country.
Joining Bath after a five-year stint at Irish province Munster, Van Graan
began his professional coaching at the Blue Bulls under head coach
Heyneke Meyer, helping the South African franchise win three Super 14
titles.
He moved on to become forwards coach for the South African national
team, winning the bronze medal at the 2015 Rugby World Cup before
becoming Munster head coach in 2017.
The Middlesbrough-born winger normally enjoys vocal
support at Kingston Park, with a string of supporters heading
up the A19 from his junior club, Guisborough RFC.
The 28-year-old has actually represented the Falcons in the
Premiership 7s while he was studying at Northumbria University,
and it was partially on the back of those performances
that he earned a contract with the England 7s squad, playing
on the World Rugby circuit.
Moving into the 15-a-side code with Bath, his physicality and
finishing power have marked him out as a real attacking
force, earning him a call-up to the full England squad.

ALFIE BARBEARY
back-row
CHARLIE EWELS
lock-forward
The 23-year-old back-row forward joined Bath last season
following Wasps’ financial problems.
Renowned for his ball-carrying ability, Barbeary came through
Wasps’ academy and had scored 19 tries in 34 appearances
for the club when they were removed from the Premiership
during the early part of last season.
Part of a throng of players moving to Bath in that period,
the former England Under-20s star has overcome a series of
injuries to mark himself out as one of the most destructive
carriers in the English game.
The 28-year-old lock-forward came through Bath’s academy
and has played more than 150 games for the club.
A renowned line-out forward, Ewels made his debut during the
2014-15 season and captained Bath from an early age.
The former England Under-20s star made his full international
debut during the 2016-17 season and became a regular under
Eddie Jones, with his cap tally currently standing at 31.
IN OPPOSITION - BATH RUGBY
67

NEWCASTLE FALCONS
2023-24 HOSPITALITY
PACKAGES
Discover
We have several great packages available including
everything from a full five course meal or a cook to
order pod to delicious street food there’s something
for everyone to enjoy at our match days with pricing
starting from £65 plus VAT per adult and £35 plus VAT per
U18. Scan the QR or visit www.newcastlefalcons.co.uk/
tickets-and-hospitality/hospitality to find out more.
All our hospitality bookings are handled by our commercial
team. To book or request additional details please contact
the team by emailing
corporatesales@newcastle-falcons.co.uk
or call them on 0191 214 2892.
SCAN TO FIND OUT MORE

PARTNERS
& Sponsors
SEASONAL
Hospitality
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POWER TO THE
MIGHTY ‘ZEND
Wallsend have had a great season finishing third in their league,
regularly fielding a second team and with a growing cohort of
youngsters.
They reached the final of the Papa John’s National Cup by
beating Rotherham Phoenix by 17 points to 10 in the semi-final.
The final will take place next Saturday May 11 at Darlington
Arena. Kick-off is at 11am and entry to the game is free.
TEAM OF THE
MONTH
Many congratulations to Alnwick Under-15s for winning the
team of the month in March.
Alnwick U15s over the years have expanded their numbers
to 28 players, making them the largest age group in the club.
They train every Tuesdays and some Thursdays, and regularly
get over 20 players at the sessions.
In March they had an exceptional month. In a curtain-raiser to
the first team game the boys played Driffield, with both teams
staying on to watch the first team game. The following week
they beat Whitley Bay Rockliff in the semi-final of the cup, and
have since gone on to beat Percy Park in the final.
For the third fixture the squad travelled to Hawick, but
despite the boys playing slightly different rules they came
out convincing winners. The last game was a touring team,
Strathendrick from Scotland, who were a tough side to break
down, but the boys won without conceding a point.
The team are going on tour to Italy, where 26 boys will play two
matches and enjoy other activities such a visiting the Ferrari
Museum.
While all credit has to go to the players for all their hard work
and dedication, there should be mention made of the seven
coaches who are dedicated to progressing this fantastic group,
and the parents who support the group.
Wallsend have asked for as much support as they can muster
as ‘the Zend’ look to bring home the silverware, arranging an
alcohol-free supporters coach (subject to availability). Any age
is welcome (under-18s to be accompanied by a responsible
adult). The cost for return travel by coach will be £10 per
person. To book a seat please contact John Slator, Jimmy
Maughan through Wallsend Rugby Club, or their Facebook page.
VETS RUGBY
AND SEVENS
Morpeth RFC held both the season finale ‘VetFest’ tournament
last Friday night, the annual Sheepwash v Snitters RFC game
on Saturday and the annual 7s on Sunday, all taking place
alongside the Morpeth RFC Beer Festival entertainment.
Around 160 Vets players took part on Friday night with,
fittingly, Morpeth Ranters taking the honours. Novos won the
sevens, with the final being contested by their two teams - the
Undateables beating the Salad Dodgers. Ben Jubb of Novos was
the player of the tournament.
NORTHUMBERLAND RUGBY UNION
71

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SUSTAINABILITY AT NEWCASTLE RUGBY LIMITED:
Championing the Future of Sport and the Planet
At Newcastle Rugby Limited, we are committed to driving sustainability in the world of
sports and entertainment. Our vision extends beyond the thrill of the game, focusing
on the long-term well-being of our planet, our community, and future generations.
Here are our key messages on sustainability:
1. Greening the Game:
We are actively reducing our carbon footprint through energy-efficient
technologies and renewable energy sources. From LED floodlighting to future
planning for solar panels, we’re dedicated to minimising our impact on the
environment.
2. Waste Reduction:
We’re tackling waste head-on by implementing recycling programs, reducing
single-use plastics, and encouraging fans to join us on our journey. Together,
we aim to create a cleaner, greener stadium experience.
3. Food Waste:
We have reduced our food waste and all our products are UK sourced.
Ultimately, locally sourced food products policy reflects a commitment to
fostering local economies, reducing environmental impact, and providing
consumers with fresh and high-quality food options. It can also be tailored
to the specific goals and circumstances of the organisation or community
implementing it.
4. Biodiversity and Green Spaces:
Our stadium isn’t just a venue; it’s a hub for nature. We’re nurturing green
spaces around the stadium, creating habitats for local wildlife, and enhancing
the overall quality of life in our neighbourhood.
5. Inclusivity and Accessibility:
We’re ensuring everyone can enjoy the excitement of our games by prioritising
accessibility and inclusivity in our stadium design. From accessible seating to
quiet break out spaces, we’re fostering an inclusive fan experience.
6. Future-Proofing Sport
Sustainability isn’t just a trend; it’s the future of sports and entertainment.
By adopting eco-friendly practices, we’re safeguarding the longevity of our
stadium and the sports we all love.
7. Inspiring Change:
Our Stadium is more than a venue; it’s a platform for positive change. We’re
committed to inspiring fans, partners, and the sports industry to embrace
sustainability and make a lasting impact.
Join us on this exciting journey towards a more sustainable future. Together, we can
make every game a win for both our teams and the planet. Newcastle Rugby Limited:
Where Passion Meets Sustainability.

TONIGHT
BELOW
SALE WING
TOM ROEBUCK
GALLAGHER
PREMIERSHIP
PREVIEWS
BELOW
BATH FLANKER
TED HILL
SALE SHARKS V
LEICESTER TIGERS
Sale Sharks have won their last three
Gallagher Premiership Rugby matches
since their 24-42 defeat at Bath in
Round 13. The Sharks’ only defeat
at Salford Community Stadium in
Premiership Rugby since October 2022
was 14-22 to Bristol on January 5.
NEWCASTLE FALCONS
V BATH RUGBY
Newcastle Falcons’ most recent first
team victory was 32-23 at Perpignan in
Round 4 of the EPCR Challenge Cup.
Bath Rugby’s last ten fixtures in Gallagher
Premiership Rugby have finished
with five wins and five defeats.
Leicester Tigers’ record away from
home in Premiership Rugby this season
is won four, lost four.
The Tigers have won at Salford this
season, beating their hosts 18-14 in the
Premiership Rugby Cup in September
but they have not tasted success at
the venue in Premiership Rugby since
May 2018.
Bath won their most recent away game
in Premiership Rugby 26-14 at Exeter in
Round 15 and have not won successive
matches on their travels since October.

TOMORROW
BELOW
SARACENS PROP
MAKO VUNIPOLA
SUNDAY
BELOW
GLOUCESTER BACK-ROWER
ZACH MERCER
BELOW
EXETER FLANKER
JACQUES VERMEULEN
BRISTOL BEARS
V SARACENS
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
V GLOUCESTER
Table-topping Northampton Saints were
defeated 32-41 by Harlequins at Twickenham
Stadium in Round 16 of Gallagher Premiership
Rugby and have not lost successive matches in
the competition since Rounds 1 and 2.
The Saints’ only defeat in any competition at
cinch Stadium this season was 27-33 to Bristol
in Round 2 of Premiership Rugby.
Gloucester Rugby have lost their last three
Gallagher Premiership Rugby matches since
beating Leicester 27-25 at Welford Road in
Round 13. Gloucester have won on two of their
last five visits to Franklin’s Gardens.
Bristol Bears have won their last six
Gallagher Premiership Rugby matches
since their 14-24 home defeat by Exeter
on December 29. The Bears have not
won seven in a row in Premiership
Rugby since 2020.
Saracens’ only loss in their last five
Gallagher Premiership Rugby matches
was 30-41 to Northampton at Franklin’s
Gardens in Round 14. Saracens’
15-12 win at Bath ended a run of three
successive away defeats in Premiership
Rugby.
Saracens have won their last five
fixtures against Bristol since the Bears’
16-12 win at Ashton Gate in August
2020. Saracens have won on three of
their five previous visits to Ashton Gate.
EXETER CHIEFS
V HARLEQUINS
Exeter have won just two of their
last six Gallagher Premiership Rugby
matches, but have lost just two of
their last three home games in the
competition.
Harlequins have won just two of their
last five Gallagher Premiership Rugby
matches, both at home. Harlequins beat
Exeter 22-14 at the Stoop in Round 2
and have not achieved a Premiership
Rugby regular season double over the
Devonians since 2013/14.
Harlequins’ most recent victory over
Exeter at Sandy Park in Premiership
Rugby was by asolitary point, 30-29, on
May 4, 2014.
GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP PREVIEWS
77

QUIZ
Test your knowledge on all
things rugby with our ten-question
teaser. Answers are upside
down at the bottom of the page.
Q1 Bath director of rugby Johann van
Graan joined the club from which URC
team?
Q2 Which former Bath and Newcastle
Falcons hooker is pictured here?
Q6 Which country last weekend hosted
the HSBC World Sevens Series?
Q7 URC side Zebre play their home games
in which Italian city?
Q8 Which Newcastle Falcons player is
pictured here?
Q3 In which year did Bath win the
Heineken Cup final, beating Brive?
Q4 True or false, Newcastle Falcons’
consultant director of rugby Steve
Diamond has been on BBC TV’s ‘Homes
Under The Hammer’?
Q5 Which Newcastle Falcon has played
the most competitive games for the club
this season, with 23?
Q9 Alex Hearle is joining Newcastle
Falcons from which Gallagher Premiership
club?
Q10 Newcastle Falcons defence coach
Scott Baldwin played international rugby
for which country?
QUIZ
79
ANSWERS: 1 Munster, 2 Andy Long, 3 1998, 4 True, 5 Adam Brocklebank, 6 Singapore, 7 Parma, 8 Guy Pepper,
9 Gloucester, 10 Wales.

Photo from The Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final 2023
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Let Gallagher help you.
THE GALLAGHER WAY. SINCE 1927.
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Financial Conduct Authority. Not all business carried out by the company is regulated. Arthur J. Gallagher (UK) Limited is authorised and regulated
by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered Office: The Walbrook Building, 25 Walbrook, London EC4N 8AW. Registered in England and Wales.
Company Number: 1193013. FP900-2022b Exp 15.06.2023 | ARTUK-4318