Newcastle confirm Mateo Carreras exit

Newcastle Falcons have confirmed that Argentina winger Mateo Carreras will leave the club at the end of the season, ending weeks of speculation.

While the Gallagher Premiership outfit have not confirmed the 23-year-old's next destination, France's Bayonne have confirmed his arrival next season having been heavily linked with a move to to the Top 14 club.

Carreras has been at Kingston Park since 2021, but the Falcons were always going to struggle to keep hold of him after an eye-catching World Cup, which saw him score a hat-trick in Argentina's crunch pool stage fixture against Japan.

Looking back at his time in Newcastle, Carreras said: “I want to thank Newcastle Falcons and the club’s supporters for welcoming me to North East England and making my stay here so enjoyable.

“Newcastle has been my home for three years and I will really miss the place and the people when I move on in the summer.

“The Falcons have played a massive part in my rugby journey and I’m looking forward to giving my all during the time I have left here.

“My only focus is on being the best player and team-mate I can be between now and the end of this season, and I really appreciate the backing from all our supporters.”

Head coach Alex Codling said: “Mateo is an outstanding talent who has naturally attracted significant interest on the back of his performances for Newcastle and Argentina.

“He arrived here as a talented young man who had played hardly any professional 15-a-side rugby, and he will leave as one of the best wingers in the world.

“That is due to his own ability and hard work as well as the guidance and support he has received at the club, and we will wish him well when he departs in the summer.

“We are naturally disappointed to be losing such a fantastic player and we will always do our best to retain our top talent, but Mateo has been professional and transparent throughout the entire process.

“He still has a massive role to play for the Falcons between now and the end of the season, and I know he will approach it with his usual diligence and positivity.”

Carreras will hope to end on a high in Newcastle and arrest their poor start to the season where they sit at the bottom of the league having lost their opening five matches.