Head coach Dickens leaves Newcastle Red Bulls

Alan Dickens won five of his 20 games as Newcastle head coach
Newcastle Red Bulls head coach Alan Dickens is to leave the club with immediate effect.

Dickens had been dueto depart at the end of the seasonbut an agreement has been reached to allow him to "pursue other opportunities",the club said in a statement.,external
He joined Newcastle in the summer of 2024 to work under director of rugby Steve Diamond, but was promoted to head coach whenDiamond leftafter one game this season.

The Red Bulls' current senior assistant coach, former Wales fly-half Stephen Jones, has been appointed head coach until the end of the season.

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Dickens, who has coached at Northampton Saints, Leicester Tigers and with England Under-20s, managed just one win from his nine Prem games in charge, with Newcastle bottom of the table, five points adrift of Harlequins.

But he did lead Newcastle through their group in the Challenge Cup to set up an enticing last-16 tie against French giants La Rochelle next month.

However, while the Red Bulls spent January signing a host of new players to bolster the squad for next season, there was no talk of Dickens' future.

And he revealed that Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, in his role as a rugby consultant for Red Bull, hadinformed him in a phone call that he would not be staying on beyond the summer.

But now with eight Prem games and a Challenge Cup tie still left to play, Dickens departs early.

Jones, a veteran of more than 100 caps for Wales and two British and Irish Lions tours,arrived at Kingston Park in Decemberas senior assistant coach, responsible for backs and the attack.

He had been an attack coach for more than a decade with Wales, Wasps and Scarlets, and in Super Rugby with Moana Pasifika, but this will be his first spell as a head coach.

Jones' first game in charge will be away to current Prem leaders Northampton Saints on Saturday (15:00 GMT).