Newcastle's Red Bull revolution: Jonny Wilkinson's role, their new try machine, how data transformed the squad, latest on Steve Diamond's future... and the one major problem with new owners' plans

It's only three weeks since Newcastle Falcons became Newcastle Red Bulls. But significant change is already underway at Kingston Park and it is happening quickly. Red Bull aren't hanging about.

The energy drink giant's latest sporting project is no different. The long-term future of the club’s director of rugby Steve Diamond is, as things stand, unclear, even if Gregor Townsend yesterday signed a new Scotland deal through to the 2027 World Cup to remove one threat to his job.

Both Townsend and Warren Gatland have been linked with Newcastle and while the former is staying put, for now, such speculation and a lack of clarity from the Red Bull ownership is only serving to undermine Newcastle and Diamond with the new English club season looming on the horizon.

Daily Mail Sport understands Red Bull executives will hold crunch talks with Diamond and Newcastle’s hierarchy this week.

Two years ago, nobody – not top players, potential coaches nor prospective owners – wanted to touch Newcastle with a barge pole. A looming financial crisis hung over a club which was on a record 25-match losing streak in the Premiership, with no sign of the clouds abating.

Now, with Red Bull’s billions in the club coffers, all of a sudden there is interest from far and wide. Here, we examine the early stages of the Red Bull revolution - and the size of the task still at hand.

Would the hiring of a ‘big name’ coach change things that much? It looks unlikely. Not initially, at least.

Newcastle may have snapped their torturous losing run but they still only won two league games last season, closing out the campaign with 11 consecutive defeats. They finished bottom of the Premiership for the third year in a row, and the year before that, only points difference kept them out of the basement. They have won only once away from home in those three seasons.

Despite the Red Bull takeover, the club’s outgoings on player wages for the 2025-26 season are less than in the previous campaign following the departures of Callum Chick, Jamie Blamire and Adam Radwan. Diamond has been able to recruit, even without spending big.

But don’t expect Newcastle to suddenly go from basement boys to trophy winners just yet. Former Gloucester, Racing 92 and Wasps wing Christian Wade is set to arrive this week after a stint in rugby league with Wigan, but Red Bull haven’t broken the bank to get him.

A proven try machine at domestic level, Wade is a canny addition even at 34, and begins the campaign on 93 Premiership tries - just eight short of Chris Ashton's record.

Other strong signings are Crusaders flanker Tom Christie, veteran Japan No 8 Amanaki Mafi, Italy hooker Haime Faiva, Argentina scrum-half Simon Benitez Cruz and Australian back-rower Fergus Lee-Warner, who have all put pen to paper on deals in the North East. 

It all adds up to a stronger spine to a revitalised club, ahead of a baptism of fire to begin the new season at home to Saracens on a Friday night at Kingston Park in three weeks' time. 

Newcastle’s market dealings under Red Bull have been driven by data. The club is using Oval Insights to provide the statistical detail on which their recruitment is being based. Oval Insights are rugby’s leading data and analytics provider who claim their ‘machine-learning models can help teams find an edge on the field’.

They have quickly grown to become a well-respected company for their work in rugby recruitment and analysis. England head coach Steve Borthwick is a known fan.

Because of uncertainty over the club’s long-term future earlier this summer, Newcastle weren’t able to start recruiting until mid-July.

Red Bull’s backing for Newcastle is for the long term. Diamond rightly pointed out when the takeover was confirmed that investing in the academy and the club’s training facilities is as important, if not more so, than signing big-name players.

Extra money in the bank means that in time, Newcastle will also be able to improve on small details which might seem minor, but can make a big difference. What Diamond needs now is backing from Red Bull.

Peter Charles, the brand’s managing director in the United Kingdom, is understood to be leading the Newcastle project. Red Bull bosses are also understood to have consulted a number of different rugby stakeholders as to how to move forward into the future.

They include former Newcastle players and England fly-halves Jonny Wilkinson and Rob Andrew as well as agents. Semore Kurdi, the club’s former owner, was a peripheral figure at Kingston Park prior to escaping his responsibilities by selling to Red Bull.

Now, Diamond has different bosses, thought they are still not visible day-to-day.

Frankly, the least the experienced coach deserves is clarity over how the future looks for him. Diamond has had a long and successful career, often helping teams with little or no money to punch well above their weight. His role is being undermined by uncertainty over whether he will remain in post for multiple future seasons. It doesn’t help his recruitment.

Surely, Diamond deserves a chance to prove his worth. There is arguably no-one in English rugby who understands the passion and importance of the game in the north more than the 56-year-old.

He also has a track record of improving academies and finding top players in the market, often for good value and understands the day-to-day role of a club coach. Diamond has never been afraid to front up or make a tough decision.

He also has a track record of improving academies and finding top players in the market, often for good value and understands the day-to-day role of a club coach. Diamond has never been afraid to front up or make a tough decision.

And, crucially, if Red Bull do decide to remove him from his position and hire a ‘big name’ coach, one question must be asked. Who at Red Bull has the rugby knowledge and expertise that would qualify them to make such a big decision? The organisation, for all its undoubted success, does not have anyone with a history of working in English rugby among it.

An interesting few weeks awaits at Newcastle. Well-placed sources have indicated change is afoot and that may well yet spell trouble for Diamond. But equally, it is hard to escape the feeling dispensing with his services either now or in the next six months or so would not benefit Newcastle in any way.

What the club and Diamond needs is stability, not speculation. Now it’s over to Red Bull to provide it.