Editing Newcastle Falcons (section)

=== 2007–08 season ===
The season began with high hopes as New Zealand prop [[Carl Hayman]] signed for the Falcons, reportedly as the highest paid rugby union player in the world. Unfortunately, the season was the beginning of a downward spiral for the Falcons. On 11 March 2008, Fletcher and Walton left the club, officially by mutual consent,<ref name="fletcher">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/newcastle/7289999.stm Boss Fletcher Leaves Newcastle], BBC Sport, 11 March 2008</ref> following Black, who had left a couple of months earlier. [[Steve Bates]] took over as interim director of rugby until summer 2008 when the post was reviewed.<ref name="bates"/> Dave Thompson stated at that time that nine years of underachievement were the reason for the departure of John Fletcher and Peter Walton.

Having said this, Bates guided the Falcons to a record-equalling run of seven consecutive Premiership defeats by April 2008 with home games against Leicester Tigers and London Wasps plus a season-concluding away trip to Worcester Warriors yet to come. Defeat in the European Challenge Cup semi-final against Worcester Warriors on 25 April 2008 may well have sounded the death knell for Steve Bates' tenure as interim DoR. However, on Tuesday 20 May 2008 [[Steve Bates]] was confirmed as Newcastle's Director of Rugby on a full-time basis.<ref name="bates">[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/2301018/Steve-Bates-given-Newcastle-Falcons-job.html Steve Bates given Newcastle Falcons job], ''Telegraph'', 20 May 2008</ref> At the end of the season, fly-half [[Toby Flood]] left for [[Leicester Tigers]] and full-back [[Mathew Tait]] signed for [[Sale Sharks]], as the struggling Falcons failed to hold onto young English international talent. [[England Saxons]] scrum-half [[Lee Dickson]] would also depart for [[Northampton Saints]], where he would go on to earn full international honours. Legendary Australia full back [[Matt Burke (rugby union, born 1973)|Matt Burke]] retired due to injury at the end of the campaign.