Discarded Newcastle duo could be handed PREM lifeline by Harlequins

Up until this point, Harlequins’ focus has been on player retention rather than recruitment with only four new signings made. But that number could soon increase after former Newcastle Red Bulls players Max Clark and Tim Cardall joined them for pre-season training.

Quins finished last season ninth in the Gallagher PREM table, albeit with a 19-point gap between themselves and their trialists’ former employers, who have embarked on a massive rebuilding programme under the ownership of the Austrian energy drink giants Red Bull.

So far, Quins have only added Western Force tight-head Harry Johnson-Holmes, who offers cover at loose-head, Pumas tight-head Sampie Swiegers, Bristol Bears lock James Dun and England and Northampton Saints full-back George Furbank to their squad.

Instead, they have spent money on extending the contracts of Pedro Delgado, one-cap England outside centre Oscar Beard, Will Hobson, Jonny Green, Jack Kenningham, and Chandler Cunningham-South, who was a leading target for Sale Sharks.

Clark, 30, who can play 12 and 13, and lock Cardall were among the 24 players released by the Red Bulls at the end of last season in a massive clear-out to make room for 21 new signings.

Bridgend-born former England Under-20 international Clark started his career at Bath, playing 92 games, before stints with the Dragons, Cardiff, Saracens and Ampthill, joining Newcastle in January 2025, where he made 22 appearances and scored three tries.

Clark was part of the England squad that lost the 2015 Junior World Cup final to New Zealand and, two years later, turned down the chance to tour Tonga and Samoa with Wales, preferring to keep his options open.

Cardall, 29, played 55 games for Wasps before they went into liquidation and then moved to Melbourne Rebels. He has spent the last three seasons at Newcastle, where he played 25 games, appearing nine times in all competitions last season and scoring one try.

The pair joined the Quins squad when they assembled for pre-season training at Surrey Sports Park, but there has been no announcement about how long they are spending with the club.