Newcastle Red Bulls' director of rugby, Steve Diamond, has emphasized the importance of patience and realistic expectations as the club embarks on a new era following the Red Bulls' takeover. Despite the fresh investment, Diamond is cautious about setting lofty goals too soon.

A New Beginning with Red Bulls

The Red Bulls' acquisition has injected new life into the north east club, but with the deal only finalized last month, the team has been racing against time to assemble a competitive squad for the upcoming Premiership Rugby season. Newcastle has struggled in recent years, finishing at the bottom of the table in each of the last three seasons and losing 37 of their last 39 league matches.

Diamond's Realistic Approach

Diamond acknowledges that turning around the team's fortunes won't be an overnight process. "The target is to be highly competitive and take it game by game," he said. "There will be a lot of expectation, and clubs coming here or us going to them will be saying, 'Let's shut this lot up, the new kids on the block.' I'm conscious of not appearing like that."

Season Opener and New Signings

Newcastle will kick off their season at home against Saracens on Friday night, with four new summer additions in the starting lineup: returning captain George McGuigan, lock Jamie Hodgson, back-rower Amanaki Mafi, and full-back Boeta Chamberlain. Two more new signings will be on the bench. However, Diamond expects more players to join as the season progresses, making the Red Bulls a work in progress.

Building for the Future

Diamond is reluctant to set specific targets for the season, recognizing that the team will need time to gel. "There's going to be a period over the next five weeks of the team getting to know each other under pressure," he added. "We then get a few more resources coming in - Tom Christie, Christian Wade, Simon Benitez Cruz."

Looking ahead, Diamond believes that the true potential of the Newcastle Red Bulls will be realized in the next 18 months to two years. "Newcastle Red Bulls will be a different team in 18 months time to what it is now. In two years time, I think that is when expectation can be put on the team."

Related Topics

• Newcastle Red Bulls
• Rugby Union
• Premiership Rugby
• Red Bulls investment