PREM side Newcastle Red Bulls 'miss a trick' by parting ways with director of rugby Steve Diamond - 'Rugby has to remain at its core'

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Austin Healey believes Newcastle Red Bulls have "missed a trick" by parting company with director of rugby Steve Diamond, with the former England international praising the coach for his ability to turn "rough diamonds into really good players". The PREM side announced the decision on Wednesday following their opening-day defeat against Saracens, ending the 56-year-old's 21-month spell in charge.

‘Missed a little trick’ – Healey and Warburton ‘shocked’ by Diamond’s Newcastle exit

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Austin Healey thinks Newcastle Red Bulls have "missed a trick" by parting company with director of rugby Steve Diamond.

The decision came following the opening game of the new PREM season, in which Newcastle lost 39-17 at home to Saracens.

Despite the club only managing two wins in 25 league games during Diamond’s tenure, the 56-year-old had guided them through a difficult period as they struggled to compete financially with the rest of the league under previous owner Semore Kurdi.

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Following the club’s statement on Wednesday, saying "Diamond is stepping down from his position", Healey has suggested the decision was made by Red Bull, rather than the coach, and that the new owners may come to regret it.

The former England international told TNT Sports: "Anyone who knows Steve Diamond knows that he never steps down from anything. So you can read into that whatever you like."

Highlights: Saracens come from behind to beat Newcastle

Video credit: TNT Sports

Healey added: "I think they've missed a little bit of a trick with Diamond, because Diamond is, at his core, rugby. He gets good deals done. He brings in players that other teams wouldn't normally take.

"And he makes gems. He turns rough diamonds into really good players. Look at some of the players he signed in the off-season.

"He's been told he's only got a year, and he's got to sign people on one year. Players don't come for a one-year contract normally.

"But he's brought in really good players on a limited budget that could do a job in that one year. And I think what he probably thought in his mind was that he was exhibiting his rugby nous, his rugby skill.

"We know that Red Bull as a product can put on events, can put on things that people want to go and see. But still, at its core, you have to have rugby. And rugby has to remain at its core. And I think maybe they've just missed a little trick there with Diamond."

The decision over Diamond came as part of a significant reshuffle in Newcastle's coaching and management structure, with Alan Dickens being appointed head coach.

He will report directly to Neil McIlroy, who will join as sporting general manager to oversee all rugby management activities.

While Dickens will serve as head coach, multiple reports suggest current Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend will join the club in an advisory role, spending 30 days a year with the club.

Despite these additions, former Wales captain Sam Warburton agreed with Healey, saying Diamond "was a really good character to carry the Red Bulls forward".

He added: "I was listening to him speak on the PREM launch a few weeks ago. It sounded like a man who had no inclination he was going to leave.

"He was very much up for the fight of bringing Newcastle back up to the height that they might have been a few decades ago. With Jonny Wilkinson and the like.

"I was as surprised as all of us."

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