A captaincy that says where Newcastle are heading
Newcastle Red Bulls confirmed on Tuesday morning that Tom Christie will captain the club in 2026/27. Twenty-three new players have arrived at Kingston Park this summer. The armband was the one appointment left to make.
Christie was the first signing of real intent after Red Bull took control, and his debut season backed the decision up. Nineteen appearances, six tries from the back row. For a club coming off several hard years, a flanker who plays almost every week and finishes moves is not a small thing to build around.
The record behind it is unusual for the North East. Seventy-two appearances for the Crusaders, three Super Rugby titles, 56 matches for Canterbury in the NPC, and a season that ended with him lifting the NPC trophy as captain before he flew north. He has worn the All Blacks XV jersey without ever turning it into a full Test cap.
Try it for $0.99.
Leadership learned in Christchurch
“It’s a huge honour,” Christie said. “It’s an exciting time for the club with everything that’s going on and being planned for the future, so to be asked to lead the team is really special.”
The 28-year-old pointed to the players he came up around at the Crusaders when explaining what he intends to bring to the role.
“In previous squads I’ve had leaders like Sam Whitelock, Scott Barrett and even Kieran Read during my early days,” he said. “They would turn up every single day looking to get one per cent better, and the cumulative effect of that is something which has always stuck with me.”
He framed the job partly in terms of what Newcastle are trying to sell to a support base that stayed through the lean seasons. “We want to entertain and to keep our fans engaged, and everything we’re doing behind the scenes is around playing fast, high-energy rugby.”
McFarland spreads the load
Head coach Dan McFarland was careful not to pile everything onto one set of shoulders.
“Tom is an outstanding professional with natural leadership qualities,” McFarland said. “He has experience of being a successful captain from his time in New Zealand and brings a lot to the role, but he will be the first to tell you it doesn’t all revolve around one person. We have a strong leadership group within our squad who will all contribute and support Tom.”
Twenty-three arrivals and a new captain is a lot of change to absorb in one pre-season. Newcastle’s league position by Christmas will say whether the recruitment bought cohesion or simply names.
Discover the rest of our Rugby news on MathODDS!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply