Where are they now? Newcastle Falcons Premiership title-winning team
Banner StoryWednesday, 26 August 2020 at 03:48
Coached by Rob Andrew and spearheaded by Jonny Wilkinson, the Falcons just edged past Bath on the final day to win the first edition of the Premiership title.
They won 20-15 against the Black, Blue and Whites on the final day of the season to finish top by a single point, with flanker Richard Arnold and speedster Tony Underwood scoring the tries.
But where are the famous XV from the final game of the campaign two decades ago? Read on to find out...
Newcastle Falcons Premiership title-winning team:
Fullback: Stuart Legg
The fullback scored six tries in 21 Premiership appearances that season. He left the club in 2000, signing for Biarritz where he became champion of France in 2002, delivering the decisive pass for the drop-goal from Laurent Mazas late in the game. In 2003, he joined Treviso where he played four seasons before retiring from rugby.
Winger: Jim Naylor
Wing Naylor dotted down eight times in 18 outings that term as part of a fearsome back line. He left Kingston park for Rotherham Titans in 2000 before retiring in 2001.
Centre: Jonny Wilkinson
After the 2003 World Cup triumph, he endured a succession of injury problems that interrupted his England career but he played in the 2007 World Cup final and won the Six Nations in 2011, before retiring from international rugby in the December of the same year after England’s failed World Cup campaign.
In the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours, he was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) ‘for services to Rugby Union’. Has also set up the Jonny Wilkinson Foundation, seeking to offer life-changing support to members of his community who need it most.
DID YOU KNOW: He is the only player to score points in two Rugby World Cup Finals
Centre: Alan Tait
Following his retirement from playing he then moved into coaching, initially working with Scotland as a defence coach. Although he was dismissed from the post by Matt Williams he was later restored to that role by Williams successor Frank Hadden. In 2004 he joined the Borders as a defensive coach.
Tait then moved back to the Falcons as an assistant before assuming the top job at the Premiership club as part of a restructuring process in the wake of Steve Bates' departure from the post of director of rugby in 2009. He held the position of Head Coach of Newcastle from 2009 to 2012 until club owner, Semore Kurdi announced Tait was 'taking a break from rugby' following a series of poor results.
DID YOU KNOW: Tait changed codes twice in his life, once going from rugby union to rugby league, and then going the other way after union became professional during the mid-1990s.
Winger: Tony Underwood
Hung up his boots with the Falcons 1999 and having trained as a pilot, he went on to fly for Easyjet. He then went onto become a long-haul pilot for Virgin Atlantic.
He used to live in Monkston Milton Keynes, but now lives in Dubai, where he flies the Airbus 380 as a Senior First Officer for Emirates. He is married, with two daughters.
DID YOU KNOW: He starred in a famous Pizza Hut advert alongside Jonah Lomu
Fly-half: Rob Andrew
His playing career was ended in 1999 after an injury in training.
He remained as director of rugby at Newcastle Falcons after the injury that ended his playing career until on 18 August 2006 he was appointed by the RFU to undertake the post of Director of Elite Rugby to oversee all aspects of representative rugby in England, from the regional academies to the full senior side. He resigned as the RFU's director of professional rugby in February 2016 before taking over as chief executive of Sussex County Cricket Club.
DID YOU KNOW: He is credited with discovering Jonny Wilkinson
Scrum-half: Gary Armstrong
Armstrong finished his career by returning home to play for the newly created professional team, The Borders. He retired in 2004 at about the same time as Doddie Weir. He made a surprise return to rugby in 2018 when he turned out for Stewart’s Melville’s third XV at the age of 51.
DID YOU KNOW: Prior to the game turning professional he was a long-haul lorry driver
Prop: Nick Popplewell
He became professionally qualified as a property advisor when he moved from the world of professional rugby into Estate Agency where he works for Wexford Property.
DID YOU KNOW: He started all 3 tests for the British & Irish Lions on the tour to New Zealand in 1993
Hooker: Ross Nesdale
New Zealand-born Nesdale, who won 11 Ireland caps, had to hang up his boots in 2001 after failing to regain his fitness following a second neck surgery. He then worked with the All Blacks as a skills coach for three international seasons before returning to the Falcons as a forwards coach 2004.
He left Kingston Park for the second time in 2006, starting a new role as an Account Director for Bettle Advertising back in New Zeland. In 2012, Nesdale then moved to Power Farming as a Marketing manager, where he remains currently.
DID YOU KNOW: The former Ireland hooker trained as a graphic artist
Prop: Paul van Zandvliet
The popular prop died in June 2017 after being diagnosed with cancer the year prior. The 50-year-old, known as 'Tank', had an inoperable brain tumour and cancer of the kidneys and liver. He joined the club in 1992 and became a club legend.
He retired early from rugby aged 32, after injuries caused by being hit by a car transporter on the Tyne Bridge. He spent retirement passing on his experience to youngsters and coaches at North Shields, Percy Park and Whitley Bay Rockliff Under-15s.
Lock: Garath Archer
He left Newcastle in 1999 to join Bristol before returning to the North East in 2003. The lock was was forced to retire in 2004 at 29, because of back injury, and has since taken up rowing.
He has had notable success in indoor rowing, winning his age group and coming third overall in 2008, and beating international rowers to win overall in 2009 at the British Indoor Rowing Championships.
Lock: Doddie Weir
After retiring from rugby in 2002, Weir went on to work for Hutchinson Environmental Solutions, a waste management company that was started by his father-in-law.
In June 2017, it was made public that Weir was suffering from Motor Neurone Disease. Weir announced his diagnosis via Twitter in order to promote Global MND Awareness Day.
He has since set up a foundation named 'My Name's Doddie' in order to 'raise funds for research into a cure for MND and to provide grants to people living with the condition'.
DID YOU KNOW: Weir was famously described by legendary commentator Bill McLaren as being "On the charge like a mad giraffe"
Flanker: Pat Lam
The back-rower moved on to Northampton Saints following the title win, with whom he won the 1999–2000 Heineken Cup. Lam moved back to Newcastle Falcons for the 2001–02 season, playing with the club for a year before retiring.
Lam's first coaching position was as an assistant coach to Scotland at the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He was then was head coach of Auckland (2004 - 2008) and Super Rugby team the Blues ( 2009 - 2012) before working with Samoa on the team's 2012 tour.
He then took over Connacht Rugby in Ireland in 2013, guiding the province to their first ever major trophy, the 2015–16 Pro12 after a 20–10 win against Leinster in the final. Lam left Connacht in the summer of 2017 to take up the head coaching role with Bristol, where he guided the club to promotion in his first season.
DID YOU KNOW: Lam played one game for the All Blacks in 1992 (becoming All Black no. 928), a non-test game against Sydney.
Flanker: Richard Arnold
The 43-year-old spent more than a decade as a Falcons player, helping them to the 1997-8 Premiership title and making 104 top-flight appearances after flying over from New Zealand.
He took over as head coach of Northumbria University before returning to the Falcons in 2010 as the Academy manager but left by September 2011.
Number 8: Dean Ryan (Captain)
Another player who departed following the 1998 triumph, joining Bristol, where he'd play for two seasons before hanging up his boots in 2000.
The 51-year-old left Worcester Warriors in June last year where he was director of rugby for the past three seasons. Ryan was previously part of Scotland’s coaching set-up during the 2013 RBS 6 Nations, where he helped the side to their highest finish in the championship for seven years.
The former England international spent four years as Head Coach of Gloucester Rugby from 2005 to 2009 with the club finishing top of the Premiership table for two consecutive seasons in 2007 and 2008.
DID YOU KNOW: The 1998 was his second successive league success following his title triumph with Wasps the year prior.
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