TIME and money will determine whether the Newcastle Red Bulls go on to enjoy the sort of glory-laden metamorphosis experienced by the likes of Manchester City in football but Darcy Graham is keeping his fingers crossed for good things.
The former Falcons are a club close to the Scotland winger’s heart, based just a 90-minute drive away from his hometown of Hawick and where his uncle Scott MacLeod spent four years as a player and is now the forwards coach.
Red Bull’s decision to make Newcastle the first rugby outfit in their sporting portfolio — alongside hiring Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend as a consultant — will undoubtedly go on to alter the dynamic at a club that finished bottom of the Premiership in each of the last three seasons.
Like the aforementioned City, it could see Newcastle evolve from perennial strugglers to trophy contenders with aspirations of European glory, backed by a cosmopolitan squad filled with rugby’s elite.
How much they shift away from the traditional club founded in 1877 will depend on how deep Red Bull’s pockets are but Graham believes this sort of corporate takeover can only be good for the game.
‘I hope it really works, because if it works down there, other massive companies might come in and buy up other teams — and that’s only a good thing for rugby,’ he said. ‘The more bigger names like Red Bull we can get in, the better, and it just grows the sport.
Graham is hoping that Red Bull’s investment in Newcastle is a success
Scotland head coach Townsend caused a stir when he took on a consultancy role at Newcastle
Newcastle are the first rugby club Red Bull have added to their portfolio
‘So, I really hope it works for them. Speaking to people there, they want to be the best and to win something in the next few years, so I think they’ll chuck everything at it.
‘They’ll have world-class facilities, world-class coaching, world-class physio departments. They’ll have everything to hand. I was down at a match recently and love it there.’
Townsend’s decision to take on a second job alongside his primary role of leading Scotland has not been met with universal approval but Graham prefers to focus on the positives.
‘Yeah, again, I don’t think it’s a bad thing,’ adds the 28-year-old. ‘It’s going to broaden the experiences he’s going to bring into Scotland. He’s going to learn a lot working with Red Bull, who have one of the best teams working in sports in the world. They’ve got world-class football and ice hockey teams.
‘They’re running high-end teams, and they’ve got high-end people in there. If he learns small things from there, and brings it back, it’s going to benefit us.
‘I don’t think it’s a bad thing having a Scottish person in that picture. Newcastle is so close to Scotland, so I reckon, if you could get some Scottish players in there, it could be useful.’ Graham could have been a Newcastle player himself had things turned out differently in the very early days of his career. The winger had been on trial at Edinburgh but didn’t have a contract on the table when Newcastle offered him a trial and then the chance to sign.
Graham scores for Edinburgh in the United Rugby Championship win over Benetton
The thought of losing Graham to an English rival finally prompted Scottish Rugby to do the right thing and a contract materialised. Life could have been a lot different for the player — and perhaps Scotland too — if they hadn’t.
‘Newcastle gave me a lifeline when I tried to sign pro as Edinburgh pretty much never had a contract for me,’ he recalls, thinking back to that career-defining few days back in 2017. ‘They [Scottish Rugby] were like: “There’s nothing at Edinburgh”.
‘Then Newcastle asked me to come for a trial game. So, I went down there, played an A game, went down to Gloucester, came on, set up a try, and played really well at 15.
‘Literally, that same day, Newcastle came in with a contract and said: “We want to sign you”. That was a Sunday, so I hung off and then Monday I went round to Edinburgh and they then had a contract for me too. So, I almost forced the SRU to pull out a contract and the rest is history.’
Graham’s existing contract runs until the 2027 World Cup, the same length as the deal recently penned by Townsend to remain in charge of Scotland. There was a feeling among many supporters that it was time for change but Graham is happy with that continuity.
‘Gregor has been massive for my development. I’ve really enjoyed working with him and I’m excited to hopefully get an easier pool for the next World Cup,’ he said.
The winger is getting ready to play his part in the autumn series for Scotland
Performing well in this autumn series will help on that front too, with Graham eyeing up the chance to land Scotland’s maiden victory over the All Blacks. The winger scored one try and had another chalked off in the agonising 31-23 loss against the same opposition three years ago and believes playing New Zealand more regularly will be the key to finally beating them.
‘We’re excited to play New Zealand again because it’s very rare that we actually get to play them so the boys will be up for it,’ he adds. ‘I wish we got the opportunity to play them a lot more. We struggled to beat England for a long time, and then once we did do it, that monkey was off the back.
‘We beat England a lot now and go out there with a lot of confidence, knowing if we turn up we can beat them.
‘So, New Zealand’s probably very similar. I reckon if we play them more often, we’d have more opportunities to beat them and then get the confidence that comes from finally achieving that.
‘We weren’t far away in 2022. Just a couple of things went against us. It’s that confidence thing because we let them score a couple of tries, then we scored, and then it was like: “We can actually do this”. It’s about going out there from minute one with that belief we can beat them.’
The Famous Grouse celebrates 35 years of sponsoring Scottish Rugby with the release of a limited-edition bottle ‘Time to Celebrate’ in time with the 2025 Quilter Nations Series. The commemorative bottle, along with tickets to an upcoming game, can be won in a prize draw via The Famous Grouse’s Facebook (www.facebook.com/TheFamousGrouseUK)
