Stephen Jones, the new senior assistant coach for Newcastle Red Bulls, is enthusiastic about the upcoming season's challenges. He will return to his role as attack coach under head coach Dan McFarland, with 23 new players joining the team.
Mentioned in this story
Stephen Jones joined Newcastle as senior assistant coach from Super Rugby side Moana Pasifika [Getty Images]
Newcastle Red Bulls interim head coach Stephen Jones says he is excited by the "wonderful challenge" the club will face next season.
Jones is set to revert to his preferred role as attack coach in the new-look coaching team, which will be led by Englishman Dan McFarland.
With 23 new players signed up for the new campaign, it will be a busy summer at Kingston Park.
"It's exciting and there are challenges that come with that," Jones told BBC Sport.
"But how good is it? Quality players, quality people coming in, it's a wonderful challenge for us as coaches."
Jones says he has had lots of conversations so far with McFarland, who is currently working for Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan.
But the interim head coach is looking forward to how the new coaching team will come up with a blueprint for the new Newcastle.
"When we get together as a coaching group, that'll be exciting," he said.
"We'll be discussing concepts on how we want to play, what's our DNA, what's this club's identity and how we can best bring that together.
"There are lots of pieces of the puzzle that when we connect, we've got to make sure we're clear on our vision and our alignment."
Before then, Newcastle have four games left of The Prem season, starting with the visit of Harlequins on Sunday (15:00 BST).
Red Bulls have lost all four of Jones' league games in charge as they sit bottom of the table, nine points adrift of Quins.
The former Wales and British and Irish Lions fly-half says there have been improvements in the six weeks he has been in charge since replacing Alan Dickens, but a second league win of the season would change the narrative.
Stephen Jones is the senior assistant coach and will return to his preferred role as attack coach.
The new coaching team at Newcastle Red Bulls will be led by Dan McFarland.
Newcastle Red Bulls have signed 23 new players for the upcoming season.
Crystal Palace secured their first-ever European final with a 2-1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk, winning 5-2 on aggregate in the Conference League semi-finals. They will face Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig.
Bayern Munich has started discussions with Newcastle about signing Anthony Gordon this summer.
ESPN highlights the Panthers' biggest roster need for the 2026 NFL season.
Aston Villa and Freiburg secure spots in the Europa League final!
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
And Newcastle have a favorable fixture list with only one of their games coming against a top-six club.
"We can look at statistics and we can see improvement, but professional sport is all about winning," said Jones.
"We're desperate for that win. We can talk things up that we're making improvements - which we are from a statistical point of view - but the most important thing is winning and we want a 'W' as soon as we can.