Newcastle Falcons to face Northampton Saints in Aviva Premiership at St James' Park
Tuesday 21 November 2017 12:02, UK
St James' Park will host an Aviva Premiership fixture between Newcastle Falcons and Northampton Saints later this season.
Newcastle United's 52,000-capacity stadium will host the encounter, which is being dubbed 'The Big One' on March 24, with a scheduled 5.30pm kick-off.
St James' Park staged three matches during Rugby World Cup 2015, three Super League Magic Weekends and will host the 2019 European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals.
"St James' Park is an incredible stadium and this is a fantastic opportunity for us to take a game there," Newcastle Falcons director of rugby Dean Richards said.
"The passion for sport in our region and the commitment from the public in supporting major sporting events is second to none, and it will be a memorable day which people will want to be part of.
"I was working at Harlequins when they began a similar initiative of playing a game at Twickenham every season, and they really are great occasions."
The match will be preceded by a fixture between Newcastle University and Northumbria University.
Mick Hogan, managing director of Newcastle Falcons, said: "Newcastle Falcons' Aviva Premiership match against Northampton will provide a fitting climax on what promises to be a massive day of rugby for a region which thrives upon staging these major events."
