With impressive signings such as Gallagher Premiership champion, Matias Moroni, as well as Sebastian de Chaves, the Falcons will be looking to fly a bit higher than last season’s 12th place finish.
The Falcons started well in 2021/22 as they picked up four wins from their opening seven fixtures. This included a memorable one point triumph over 2019/20 champions, Exeter Chiefs, at Sandy Park. They couldn’t keep this momentum up though as they slumped to 12th after losing their last five games of the season.
Incomings:
Tian Schoeman (Fly-half) from Bath Rugby
Josh Peters (Second Row) from Doncaster Knights
Josh Thomas (Fly-half) from Ospreys
Sebastian de Chaves (Second Row) from Austin Gilgronis
Josh Barton (Scrum-half) from Coventry
Matias Moroni (Centre) from Leicester Tigers
Vereimi Qorowale (Winger) from British Army
Outgoings:
Louis Schreuder (Scrum-half) to Bath Rugby
Will Haydon-Wood (Fly-half) to Wasps
Robbie Smith (Hooker) to Northampton Saints
Rob Farrar (Back Row) to Ealing Trailfinders
Will Montgomery (Second Row) to Ealing Trailfinders
Josh Basham (Back Row) to London Irish
Max Wright (Centre) to Bath Rugby
Marco Fuser (Second Row) to Massy
Morgan Passman (Winger) to Darlington Mowden Park
Joel Hodgson (Fly-half) to Glasgow Warriors
Mike Brown (Full-back) released
Luther Burrell (Centre) released
Kyle Cooper (Loosehead Prop) released
Ollie Lindsay-Hague (Full-back) released
Areas of strength
One strength of this Falcons side is that they don’t have massive stars that have an attitude or a large amount of fame which might disrupt their team atmosphere and cohesion.
They have recently had players such as Adam Radwan, George McGuigan and Jamie Blamire in the England squad but for the majority of the season, they should have a full complement to choose from. This will mean they won’t have to rotate as much when players leave for international duty, unlike the other Premiership sides, and Walder will have a settled team that he can develop together.
Another plus point is this Newcastle outfit has strength up front. The forward pack they have assembled leading up to this campaign will put the fear of god into many defences this season. In the front three, they have last year's second top try scorer in McGuigan who will be rotated with rising star Blamire. They have also added 6’8” lock de Chaves who will bolster the second-row options along with Josh Peters.
The back-row for the Falcons will also have good depth in the form of Will Welch, Gary Graham, Callum Chick and Phillip Van der Walt. There won’t be many sides who will have four quality back-rowers like that terrorising defences and attacks.
Areas of weakness
The half-back partnership and depth are a real concern going into the season for the Falcons.
After losing Louis Schreuder to Bath, they have only brought in Josh Barton from Coventry to replace his absence at scrum-half. Although Barton was touted as one of the best players in the Championship last term, it will be a tough test for the 24-year-old to adjust to compared to the second tier especially when you also consider that Falcons, going on their last few seasons, won’t have a lot of front foot ball for the young scrum-half to use and exploit.
The fly-half position has also seen a lot of change during the off-season as Joel Hodgson and rising star Will Haydon-Wood both departed the club. Josh Thomas has come in from Ospreys while experienced fly-half Brett Connon is expected to be the starting number 10. Thomas is an exciting prospect who earned 23 senior appearances during his time in Wales before his summer departure, highlighting how highly he is thought of.
But once again, as a fly-half that likes attacking, how will he cope when the Falcons are under pressure with a fast defensive line hassling him?
Opening fixtures
Round 1: Harlequins (H)
Round 2: Leicester Tigers (A)
Round 3: Worcester Warriors (A)
Round 4: Bristol Bears (H)
Round 5: Saracens (H)
The Falcons start their season off the same way as the last as they host Harlequins. The campaign from there, on paper, gets much harder for the Falcons as they face current Gallagher Premiership champions Leicester Tigers on the road.
After those stern tests, they visit Worcester Warriors before Bristol Bears and Saracens come to the North-East. They are games where Walder's men will be the underdogs but backed by their home faithful at Kingston Park, they are sure to be a force to be reckoned with.
Predicted line-up:
1. Adam Brocklebank
2. George McGuigan
3. Trevor Davison
4. Sean Robinson
5. Sebastian de Chaves
6. Philip Van der Walt
7. Will Welch
8. Callum Chick
9. Josh Barton
10. Brett Connon
11. Mateo Carreras
12. Matias Orlando
13. Matias Moroni
14. Adam Radwan
15. Tom Penny
Predicted finish: 13th
Despite bringing in some quality signings this off-season, Newcastle Falcons' squad still looks one of the weakest if not the weakest in the Premiership. Bath, who finished below them last term, will improve vastly so I suspect they will be last considering the calibre of sides in the Gallagher Premiership this year.
Moroni and de Chaves look like excellent additions but ultimately, I don’t see it pushing them up the table. Maybe Falcons fans will be happy that relegation isn’t happening once again this season as they could be in for a tough campaign.
