All half-dozen of Scotland’s Super 6 clubs will play friendlies against a Newcastle Falcons XV over the next few months, with the majority of matches being held at Kingston Park.
Heriot’s - the only team to play Newcastle twice - get the ball rolling with a visit to the Falcons’ ground on October 6, then welcome the English club to Goldenacre two weeks later.
Stirling County head south at the start of November, just days before the inaugural Super 6 season starts, then the Southern Knights visit between Christmas and New Year.
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Watsonians, Ayrshire Bulls and Boroughmuir Bears have their fixtures in the first few months of 2020.
Falcons are likely to field development teams for the fixtures, which should nonetheless represent a serious test for the Scottish sides.
"It's great to be able to extend our partnership with Newcastle Falcons and we're pleased that these fixtures have been added to the calendar for the Super 6 clubs," said Sean Lineen, whose title is 'on-field development lead' for the new league.
"It will give the newly formed squads time on the pitch and allows our teams the opportunity to play against some quality opposition where the standard of rugby will be extremely competitive."
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Although some of the fixtures may be low-key, the Southern Knights game should attract a healthy crowd. The Knights are the name for Melrose's Super 6 franchise, and the Greenyards club has a long tradition of matches with Newcastle.
"This fixture will give our players a great opportunity to play against some real quality players and take them to an unfamiliar environment," Southern Knights head coach Rob Chrystie said.
"We are excited to look at further developing this fixture in the future with both clubs already having a connection through our geographical position and ex-players."
Newcastle Falcons versus Super 6:
Sun 6 Oct: v Heriot’s (Kingston Park, 3pm)
Sat 19 Oct: v Heriot’s (Goldenacre, 2.30pm)
Sun 2 Nov: v Stirling County (Kingston Park, 4.30pm)
Sat 28 Dec: v Southern Knights (Kingston Park, 3pm)
Sat 11 Jan: v Watsonians (Myreside, 3pm)
Sat 1 Feb: v Ayrshire Bulls (Kingston Park, 7.30pm)
Fri 3 Apr: v Boroughmuir Bears (Kingston Park, 7.30pm)
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