Prem Rugby Cup round-up: Newcastle Red Bulls and Gloucester win opening pool games

Newcastle Red Bulls opened their Prem Rugby Cup campaign with a 26-14 victory over Harlequins at Kingston Park, attracting a record cup crowd of 9,089 on a rainy evening.

The rebranded Red Bulls—formerly Newcastle Falcons—dominated Pool A from the outset, securing four tries through George McGuigan, Murray McCallum, Oli Spencer and Alex Hearle to claim a bonus-point win.

Harlequins, under outgoing head coach Danny Wilson, fought hard but remained a score behind throughout the contest.

Meanwhile, at Kingsholm, Gloucester also enjoyed a perfect start, overcoming Exeter Chiefs 29-15. The Chiefs led 15-14 at halftime with three first-half tries, but the hosts responded with second-half scores from Josiah Edwards-Giraud and Jack Innard, plus a penalty by George Barton.

The night highlighted exciting new beginnings in Newcastle, where Red Bull investment has revitalised a side that reached last season’s competition semi-finals despite finishing bottom of the Premiership.

Even a late yellow card for Callum Hancock failed to disrupt Newcastle’s grip on the game as they held on to secure victory.

Newcastle's rebranding and investment paid off as they secured a bonus-point win in a rain-soaked opener, while Gloucester battled back to triumph over Exeter Chiefs in a fast-paced Pool A double header.

This topic was reported by BBC Sport.

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