Newcastle Red Bulls signing reveals reasoning behind move from PREM rivals

The move was confirmed in January, with Graham among several new signings following fresh investment from the Austrian energy drink company backing the Red Bulls.

During Northampton’s Premiership title-winning 2023/24 campaign, no player featured more often than Graham. He made 20 starts and came off the bench eight times across three competitions.

Shortly after reaching 50 appearances for the club, however, he sustained a season-ending knee injury in October 2024 during a match against Leicester Tigers at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, ruling him out for almost the entire season.

Since returning for this campaign, he has moved in and out of the side, dealing with another brief injury and facing strong competition in Saints’ back row. Even so, he has remained one of Phil Dowson’s more dependable options.

Speaking ahead of his switch, Graham outlined why the move to the north-east appealed to him.

"I'm not saying that my move is a financial one, because it's not. It's about being invested in a programme from the start and building something from the ground up, which for me is completely compelling. The financial side, yes there are benefits, but that wasn't the biggest thing on my mind."

He added that his international ambitions were central to the decision, while admitting that leaving Franklin’s Gardens was difficult.

"Would it have been easier [to stay at Saints]? Probably. Would I be slightly more popular with my wife? Possibly. We've got a baby on the way in the summer so there's going to be a lot going on.

"It's not an easy thing either way, ultimately you've got to judge the landscape on where is the best opportunity to play week in, week out.

"For me, I'm 28 years old, I'm not getting any younger and I want to be playing international rugby and the most important thing for me if I am to get to that goal, is that I'm playing week in, week out."

When asked about which one of Newcastle's new signings excited him most about playing with, he stuck with current Saints player Elliot Millar-Mills, who will join him in the north-east next season.