Newcastle Red Bulls sign 147kg Argentina tighthead Moreno as 23rd summer recruit

Francisco Moreno will join Newcastle Red Bulls as their 23rd summer signing, with the 147kg Argentina tighthead prop set to link up with head coach Dan McFarland in the North East ahead of the club’s Gallagher Premiership opener against champions Northampton Saints on 25 September.

Moreno, 24, plays for Tarucas — the Tucumán Province-based franchise founded in 2024 that became the third Argentinian side to compete in Super Rugby Americas. He made his Test debut for Los Pumas in a 17-10 defeat to South Africa at the Estadio Jose Amalfitani in Buenos Aires, and is understood to have signed with Newcastle for at least two seasons.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 23-stone prop will complete his international commitments first, with Argentina scheduled to face Australia in two Tests — in San Salvador de Jujuy at the end of the month and then in Mendoza a week later — before he travels to Tyneside.

Moreno is not the only connection between Newcastle and Argentina. Scrum-half Simón Benítez Cruz is already at the club, and lock Franco Molina was recruited from Western Force at the end of last season. Moreno’s arrival deepens that South American thread in McFarland’s squad.

At tighthead, Moreno will face internal competition from several new arrivals. Scotland international Elliot Millar-Mills has crossed from opening-day opponents Northampton Saints, while James Harper has moved north from Sale Sharks. Maori All Blacks loosehead Pouri Rakete-Stones, signed from the Hurricanes, can also cover tighthead, and Murray McCallum and Richard Palframan were already on the books.

The scale of Newcastle’s summer overhaul is striking. The club released 27 players at the end of last season and have since brought in 23 senior signings, with a further nine players joining the senior squad on academy contracts. Moreno’s arrival is the latest piece in what amounts to a near-complete rebuild as the Red Bulls prepare for life back in the top flight.