scrumhalf

“I want to be part of that new story, and I look forward to bringing my energy and attacking mindset to a club that deserves to be shaking up the old rugby order for the fans in the north east.”

Both of Quirke’s two England caps to date came in 2021 but he was part of the squad for last year’s autumn internationals and was also at a January get-together earlier this month.

Newcastle were taken over by energy drink company Red Bull in the summer and have already started rebuilding their squad, with their arrivals for this season including Wales and British and Irish Lions full-back Liam Williams, former Wasps and Gloucester wing Christian Wade and Argentina scrum-half Simon Benitez Cruz.

And, after a losing start to the campaign, their form has picked up in recent weeks, with the Red Bulls winning four of their past six games in all competitions.

The results have helped the club progress to the knockout stages of the European Challenge Cup and they also claimed a first win in The Prem since 2024 when they beat Gloucester 25-19 in their first league match of the new year.

England scrum-half Raffi Quirke has announced he will leave boyhood club Sale Sharks at the end of the season, having been linked with Newcastle Red Bulls.

The 24-year-old, who has won two caps and memorably scored a try in England’s November 2021 win over South Africa, has been hampered by a string of injuries, with Scotland’s Gus Warr often preferred at club level.

However, Quirke has enjoyed a decent run of form this campaign and was part of England’s squad for the autumn internationals, retaining his place for a recent January get-together despite Leicester’s Jack van Poortvliet and Bristol’s Harry Randall both returning from injury.

“This has been the hardest decision of my life so far because Sale is the club that I grew up supporting and dreaming of playing for,” said Quirke.

“Playing here since I was 15 has been an amazing experience and a privilege that has shaped me as a player and a person and I will be forever grateful to [director of rugby] Alex [Sanderson], the owners, the coaches, the players and the supporters for truly believing in me.

Williams was selected for this summer’s British and Irish Lions tour, but having impressed in a pre-tour warm-up match against Argentina, he was forced to return home after suffering a hamstring injury in the first game on Australian soil against Western Force, having scored two tries.

His departure from Kingsholm will come just as his Wales team-mates Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake join the west country club from Ospreys for 2025-26.

“Tomos Williams will depart Gloucester Rugby at the end of the 2025-26 season,” a statement on 16 December had said.

“After impressing at Kingsholm, Williams was offered a new deal to stay at the club beyond the end of the season, but has instead opted to pursue a new challenge elsewhere.

“The Welshman will depart with the best wishes of everyone at the club when the time comes, but in the meantime, is entirely dedicated to ending his time at Gloucester Rugby on a high.”

Gloucester also announced at the same time that former academy graduate Dan Robson, 33, is to return to Kingsholm next season, 10 years on from his departure in 2015.

The scrum-half previously made 80 appearances for Gloucester, where he started his senior career, before leaving for Wasps and spent seven years there until their demise in 2022. He has been with French Top 14 club Pau for the last three seasons.