McFarland eyes 'battle of the North' as winless Newcastle host Sale Sharks

Dan McFarland has declared Friday’s Gallagher Premiership fixture against Sale Sharks a “battle for the North” as his Newcastle Red Bulls side look to end a winless start to the 2024-25 season at Kingston Park.

Newcastle and Harlequins are the only two clubs in the Premiership yet to register a victory this campaign. The Red Bulls have collected four bonus points from their opening three games — enough to keep them off the foot of the table — but they sit five points behind Sale, who occupy seventh place after winning two of their first three fixtures.

McFarland pointed to a memorable precedent from last May, when Newcastle overturned a 35-10 deficit to beat the Sharks 45-42 in a dramatic late comeback, as evidence that his side can compete with the Manchester-based club. He is keen to make that kind of result a habit rather than an exception.

“It’s Derby Day. It’s a battle for the North,” McFarland said. “Even though they’re really Cheshire, which is sort of the Midlands, it is a battle for the North, and it’s one where Sale, over the last number of years, have had a primacy — and deservedly so.”

The Newcastle head coach was measured in his assessment of the opposition, acknowledging Sale’s evolution under director of rugby Alex Sanderson from a forward-heavy outfit into a team with genuine attacking width, as well as strong recruitment ahead of this season.

“They are a big physical team, and it’s something that they’ve prided themselves on for the last number of years,” McFarland said. “But they’ve developed from a more forward-oriented team into one with real threats out wide.”

Despite the focus on Sale’s qualities, McFarland was clear that Newcastle’s primary concern is their own development. The club were relegated and returned to the top flight as a rebranded entity, and he has consistently framed this season as a building process.

“We’re starting at the back of the grid, but our eyes are firmly on picking people off ahead of us,” he said. “In the battle for the North, we want that ascendancy. We don’t have it at the moment, but we want it.”