'Newcastle is where I grew up as a rugby player, it's where I call home'

Newcastle have rounded off Tuesday on a high, announcing they have managed to keep hooker George McGuigan at the club some hours after being dealt the blow of full-back Simon Hammersley exercising a relegation release clause to leave the newly-demoted Falcons. 

Hammersley, 26, has only signed a two-year contract extension in January but he now wants out at Newcastle unlike McGuigan, his fellow England Saxons colleague. 

The 26-year-old has made 95 appearances for the Falcons since coming through the club's academy, and is in his second spell with the Falcons after re-joining from Leicester Tigers last summer.

Speaking after signing his new contract which will last three years, McGuigan said: "Newcastle is where I grew up as a rugby player, it's where I call home and it's where I'm happiest playing my rugby.

"Despite the blow of being relegated this season we've still got an incredibly talented group of players driving hard to come straight back into the Premiership, and I see huge growth ahead for the club."

Director of rugby Dean Richards said: "George is a talented local player who has performed at a consistently high level for us this season, and really embodies what we are about.

"He can see what we are building here, and it's absolutely outstanding news for the club that he has chosen to stay here and help us fulfil our ambitions.”

Newcastle’s eventual Tuesday had begun with a Championship warming from newly-arrived tighthead Mark Tampin. “It won’t be walk in the park – I can tell everyone that right from the off,” said the prop after he put pen to paper on a two-year deal that will see how switch from Ealing Trailfinders.

“The Championship is a tough league, especially when you’re one of the better teams. It means there’s a target on your back, guys are raising their game against you because most of them are trying to get Premiership contracts and they know that having a big game against Newcastle is a good way for them to achieve that.”

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