Rock-bottom Newcastle turn to no-nonsense Steve Diamond in bid to halt slide

Steve Diamond will return to the Premiership next month in a bid to invigorate Newcastle Falcons as consultant director of rugby.

The appointment of Diamond, a vastly-experienced operator who has earned a reputation for developing tenacious teams and working with limited budgets, sees Alex Codling step back from day-to-day duties as head coach. It is understood that Codling will be leaving the club in due course, having only arrived seven months ago.

Newcastle are rock bottom of the Premiership, 13 points adrift of Gloucester having lost all 11 of their league fixtures. They were also thrashed 57-18 by Benetton at home in the Challenge Cup last Friday.

Micky Ward, previously their forwards coach, is to take interim charge of the side for the upcoming games against Perpignan and Northampton Saints before the Premiership breaks for the Six Nations.

Diamond will then begin work at Kingston Park, combining that role with another consultancy position at the Rugby Football Union. Having also overseen Sale Sharks, Worcester Warriors, Saracens and the Russia national side, as well as England’s second string, he is currently advising the governing body in ongoing negotiations to shape the second tier of the club game.

Well-placed sources have indicated that Diamond is relishing the challenge of inspiring a turnaround and helping Falcons to punch above their weight. He is eyeing a “mini-preseason” with his new charges in February and is eager to instil “belief” and a sense of fight. A smaller budget holds no fear given his past at Sale, where qualifying for Europe was considered success, and Diamond will work with the existing squad and coaching team.

It is understood that he is determined to deliver long-term stability to Newcastle, having signed a deal that could be extended to 2026.

“Newcastle are an iconic Premiership club with a fantastic history,” said Diamond in a statement released by Falcons. “It is a privilege to be asked to assist in building a successful and sustainable Premiership business.”

Conor O’Shea was also quoted in Friday’s statement. “We welcome the appointment of Steve as consultant director of rugby at Newcastle Falcons to ensure his continued involvement in the English game at this very important time,” explained the RFU’s executive director of performance rugby.

“We would like to thank Newcastle Falcons for allowing Steve to continue in his advisory role on our work to achieve a sustainable and investible tier-two league in English rugby.

“Within the context of the Professional Game Partnership discussions we are wanting to create a whole-game solution and a tier two that has improved standards, is integrated and fully contributes to the high-performance system in English rugby. Steve’s experience in growing clubs sustainably is valuable in helping us achieve that.”

Matt Thompson, chairman of rugby at Newcastle, thanked Codling for his hard work after highlighting what he hopes Diamond will add.

“I am delighted to welcome Steve Diamond to the club,” added Thompson. “He is well known and respected throughout rugby, and we believe he is the right man to help us take the club forward.

“The work he did up at Edinburgh recently has contributed enormously to putting them on a sure footing, and at Worcester he did a remarkable job in exceptionally difficult circumstances.

“He knows the English rugby landscape very well, he is passionate about having a strong northern presence in the Gallagher Premiership and I’m excited about what can be achieved here with him on board.”