Newcastle confirm Russell exit

Head coach Peter Russell is to leave Aviva Premiership club Newcastle at the end of the season due to personal reasons.

Russell joined the Falcons in 2012 from New Zealand provincial side Hawke's Bay to work with rugby director Dean Richards.

"I've enjoyed the challenge of the Aviva Premiership, which is an incredibly competitive league," Russell told the Falcons' official website.

"And had we had the rub of the green with injuries and in one or two matches this season, we might just have been further up the table.

"However, the development of this young side has been marked and has pleased me hugely, with young players gaining invaluable experience and maturing with every opportunity."

Richards, who also joined Newcastle in 2012 following a three-year coaching ban, added:

"Peter will be a huge loss to the squad.

"In my years of being involved in the game I've never come across anyone with such an in-depth understanding of the game and an appetite for learning like Peter's."

Newcastle, who are back in the Premiership following promotion last year, are in 11th place, nine points clear of bottom side Worcester with four games still to play.