Newcastle Red Bulls vs Sale Sharks Prem preview: Confirmed lineups and predictions

Home team	Newcastle Red Bulls
Away team	Sale Sharks
Venue	Kingston Park
Competition	Prem
Kick-off time	7:45 pm (UK)
Watch Live in the UK	TNT Sports/HBO Max

Newcastle Red Bulls vs Sale Sharks Prem preview as the sides meet in round four of the competition after disappointing results in Europe. Newcastle Red Bulls are still searching for their first win of the season, having lost their opening three games, but they have picked up four bonus points. Sale currently sit seventh in a congested table on nine points. They are three points behind the league leaders despite having won the same number of games.

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Newcastle Red Bulls vs Sale Sharks confirmed lineups

Newcastle Red Bulls			Sale Sharks
Forwards
Rakete-Stones		1		Smith
McGuigan		2		Cowan-Dickie
Millar Mills		3		Francis
Usher		4		Van Rhyn
Jordan		5		Bamber
Hicks		6		Tshiunza
Christie		7		B Curry
Sotutu		8		T Curry
Backs
Benitez Cruz		9		Hanson
Connon		10		Ford
Kok		11		O’Flaherty
Rigg		12		Ma’asi-White
Harris		13		Marchant
Wade		14		Roebuck
Hodge		15		Carpenter
Replacements
Togiatama		16		Jibulu
West		17		McIntyre
Moreno		18		Opoku-Fordjour
Tuima		19		Canakaivata
Leatherbarrow		20		Dugdale
Graham		21		Lozowski
Elliott		22		Louw
Henry		23		Reed

Recent Form:

Newcastle Red Bulls (Home team): 

Result	Date	Competition	Opponent	Score
Loss	17th October 2026	Challenge Cup	Scarlets	47-14
Loss	11th October 2026	Prem	Exeter Chiefs	34-28
Loss	3rd October 2026	Prem	Leicester Tigers	19-24
Loss	25th September 2026	Prem	Northampton Saints	59-26
Won	12th September 2026	Prem Cup	Leicester Tigers	24-36

Newcastle Red Bulls have had a difficult start to the season outside the Prem Cup. They followed up three defeats in the Prem with a loss to Scarlets in the Challenge Cup. They conceded seven tries in the first 67 minutes of the game, and it was only after the game was finished that Newcastle were able to score two in consolation. 

Sale Sharks (Away team): 

Result	Date	Competition	Opponent	Score
Loss	17th October 2026	Champions Cup	Glasgow Warriors	27-47
Won	11th October 2026	Prem	Harlequins	28-24
Won	4th October 2026	Prem	Saracens	17-21
Loss	26th September 2026	Prem	Bristol Bears	24-34
Loss	12th September 2026	Prem Cup	Gloucester	43-26

Sale Sharks suffered a heavy defeat in the Champions Cup, after a solid start to their Prem campaign. They got off to a strong start, scoring two tries in the opening 10 minutes. Their discipline would let them down, and after two yellow cards they went into the break 21-15 behind. Glasgow would go on to score four more second-half tries and Sale would lose the game by 20. 

Newcastle Red Bulls vs Sale Sharks head-to-head record (last five matches):

Date	Competition	Winner	Score
30th May 2026	Prem	Newcastle Red Bulls	45-42
10th October 2025	Prem	Sale Sharks	57-5
21st March 2025	Prem	Sale Sharks	15-39
16th February 2025	Prem Cup	Sale Sharks	19-17
22nd November 2024	Prem Cup	Newcastle Red Bulls	28-27

Newcastle Red Bulls won the meeting between the sides at the end of last season but the Sale Sharks had won the three matches before that. Three of the last five meetings have been decided by three points or less. 

Predictions

• Over 90 points to be scored in the match.
• Newcastle Red Bulls victory by fewer than 10 points.