What a Newcastle Red Bulls XV might look like next season

Few sides have ever seen an overhaul quite like the one that is set to take place at Newcastle Red Bulls this summer.

After finishing at the foot of the Gallagher PREM table, the club are set to see 26 players move on at the end of the season, with over 20 new arrivals, as well as changes to the coaching personnel with Dan McFarland arriving as head coach.

Such a change will mean their starting XV will look dramatically different to the one that saw the season out with a loss to Gloucester recently. So here’s what their team might look like next season:

15. Ethan Grayson
One of the success stories of Newcastle’s difficult recent seasons. The versatile back will be entering his third season at the club and looks set to continue to be the first-choice full-back, though the incoming Benjamin Elizalde may push him for a place as the season progresses.

14. Fehi Fineanganofo
The huge question mark heading into next season. If New Zealand Rugby do not attempt to block the move, as rumours suggest, the Red Bulls have one of the most exciting players in the game currently. The 23-year-old is the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific leading try-scorer with 16 tries and arrives with a growing reputation as one of New Zealand rugby’s most dangerous finishers.

13. Joji Nasova
Newcastle have some great options at outside centre, with the incumbent Alex Hearle to be competing with British & Irish Lion Chris Harris. But the most exciting option may well be Nasova. The Olympic silver medallist with Fiji arrives from the Fijian Drua after impressing in Super Rugby with his explosive ball-carrying and movement. Capable of playing on the wing as well, he will light up the back line wherever he plays.

12. Sammy Arnold
Will Rigg will also be challenging for the No.12 shirt next season, but it will be Sammy Arnold’s to start off with, and deservedly so.

11. Christian Wade
He may be turning 36 next season, but the former England wing has extended his stay and remains one of the PREM’s most prolific finishers. His experience could prove invaluable in a new-look backline, and he will be hell-bent on scoring eight tries to surpass Chris Ashton’s all-time record – he may well have the players around him to facilitate that.

10. Zack Henry
The fly-half joins from Stade Français after spending most of his career in France. His one season in England came during COVID with Leicester Tigers. He has built a reputation in France, and will want to do the same at home.

9. Raffi Quirke
One of Newcastle’s marquee signings. The former Sale Sharks scrum-half has two England caps to his name and, if he can put his injury woes behind him, possesses the game-breaking ability to make the Red Bulls an elite side.

1. Pouri Rakete-Stones
Another player to arrive from the high-flying Hurricanes, the All Blacks XV representative has been a key member of the Super Rugby table-toppers’ scrum, largely being deployed from the bench.

2. George Turner
Another international heading to Kingston Park this summer. The Scotland hooker has earned more than 55 Test caps and joins after a season with Harlequins.

3. Elliot Millar-Mills
Completing a front-row that will have a Scottish feel to it, the tighthead brings PREM-winning experience from Northampton, having featured from the bench in their 2024 title win at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium.

4. Franco Molina
The Argentine lock arrives from the Western Force after establishing himself as a physical presence in Super Rugby. With 19 caps for the Pumas, 120kg of ballast and PREM experience after a season with Exeter Chiefs in the 2024/25 campaign, the 28-year-old could end up being one of Newcastle’s best pieces of business.

5. Rusi Tuima
One of Exeter Chiefs’ standout forwards in recent seasons, the 26-year-old will be looking to kick on and earn England senior honours, having been in and around squads named by Steve Borthwick and representing England A in 2024. His 128kg will help form an imposing pack in the North East, but athleticism and power could make him a popular figure.

6. Ollie Leatherbarrow
The arriving Sam Graham will be vying for a starting berth after his move from Northampton Saints, but Leatherbarrow fully deserves to stay in the starting XV after being one of the shining lights for the Red Bulls in what has been a difficult season. The 24-year-old may well lose his place at No.8, but a shift to the flank will be on the cards for a player Newcastle’s sporting general manager Neil McIlroy said had “a lot of potential” when he signed a new deal earlier this season.

7. Tom Christie
The former Crusaders flanker was one of Newcastle’s first recruits of the Red Bull revolution and was a key figure in the pack this season.

8. Hoskins Sotutu
Potentially the signing of the summer. The All Black arrives from the Blues, having made almost 100 Super Rugby appearances and earning international honours with New Zealand. Most importantly, the 14-cap All Black, due to his English mother, is eligible to switch allegiance to England having completed the mandatory three-year stand down period.