Hooker George McGuigan has left Newcastle Falcons to join Gallagher Premiership rivals, Gloucester.
The 29-year-old made 165 appearances during two spells with the Falcons, scoring a total of 48 tries.
The academy graduate has touched down seven tries in his ten outings this season, and leaves with the thanks and best wishes of the club.
Matt Thompson, chairman of the rugby committee and a former Falcons hooker himself, said: “Naturally we’re sad to see George go. He’s been a huge part of our club and an undeniable asset for years.
“Contract negotiations are always tough, and competition for a player of George’s talent is always high. We were keen to see him stay with us but unfortunately we couldn’t meet his expectations. It’s a shame, but it’s also a decision that is George’s to make and we wish him all the best.
“Moving forward our outlook is an extremely positive one, and we have a huge amount of talent in the club when it comes to the position of hooker.
“Jamie Blamire has signed for another two years, we have Charlie Maddison who has a great skill set as well as some great experience and we have Ollie Fletcher, England Under-20s’ hooker, who is coming up through our academy ranks and is looking really strong.
“We’re really excited to see what they can do with more game time and exposure to the Premiership as we continue to build for the future.”
All 76 players Eddie Jones handed an England senior debut to…
From World Cup wonders to one-cap washouts – here is a list of the players:
| 1374 | Jack Clifford | (flanker) | 2016-02-06 | v Scotland at Murrayfield |
| 1375 | Paul Hill | (prop) | 2016-02-14 | v Italy at Rome |
| 1376 | Maro Itoje | (flanker) | 2016-02-14 | v Italy at Rome |
| 1377 | Elliot Daly | (centre) | 2016-02-27 | v Ireland at Twickenham |
| 1378 | Teimana Harrison | flanker | 2016-05-29 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1379 | Ollie Devoto | (fly-half) | 2016-05-29 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1380 | Ellis Genge | (prop) | 2016-05-29 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1381 | Tommy Taylor | (hooker) | 2016-05-29 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1382 | Kyle Sinckler | (prop) | 2016-11-12 | v South Africa at Twickenham |
| 1383 | Nathan Hughes | (flanker) | 2016-11-12 | v South Africa at Twickenham |
| 1384 | Ben Te’o | (centre) | 2016-11-12 | v South Africa at Twickenham |
| 1385 | Charlie Ewels | (lock) | 2016-11-19 | v Fiji at Twickenham |
| 1386 | Harry Williams | prop | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Jaun |
| 1387 | Mark Wilson | flanker | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1388 | Tom Curry | flanker | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1389 | Alex Lozowski | centre | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1390 | Denny Solomona | (winger) | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1391 | Piers Francis | (centre) | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1392 | Don Armand | (flanker) | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1393 | Jack Maunder | (scrum-half) | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1394 | Will Collier | (prop) | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1395 | Nick Isiekwe | (lock) | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1396 | Sam Underhill | flanker | 2017-06-17 | v Argentina at Santa Fè |
| 1397 | Sam Simmonds | (flanker) | 2017-11-11 | v Argentina at Twickenham |
| 1398 | Alec Hepburn | (prop) | 2018-04-02 | v Italy at Rome |
| 1399 | Brad Shields | (lock) | 2018-06-09 | v South Africa at Johannesburg |
| 1400 | Ben Spencer | (scrum-half) | 2018-06-09 | v South Africa at Johannesburg |
| 1401 | Ben Moon | (prop) | 2018-11-03 | v South Africa at Twickenham |
| 1402 | Zach Mercer | (no. 8) | 2018-11-03 | v South Africa at Twickenham |
| 1403 | Joe Cokanasiga | winger | 2018-11-17 | v Japan at Twickenham |
| 1404 | Ted Hill | (flanker) | 2018-11-17 | v Japan at Twickenham |
| 1405 | Dan Robson | (scrum-half) | 2019-02-10 | v France at Twickenham |
| 1406 | Willi Heinz | scrum-half | 2019-08-11 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1407 | Lewis Ludlam | flanker | 2019-08-11 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1408 | Jack Singleton | (hooker) | 2019-08-11 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1409 | Joe Marchant | (centre) | 2019-08-11 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1410 | Ruaridh McConnochie | winger | 2019-09-06 | v Italy at Newcastle upon Tyne |