THE Rugby World Cup bandwagon might have moved on, but as they kick off a new Aviva Premiership season with a home game against Gloucester tomorrow, Newcastle Falcons will attempt to keep rugby firmly at the heart of the North-East sporting landscape.

More than 150,000 spectators packed into St James’ Park to watch the three World Cup matches staged in the region, with countless more flocking to Newcastle to experience the atmosphere generated by the world’s third biggest sporting event.

The sight of the All Blacks coaching local children at Darlington’s Northern Echo Arena will live long in the memory, while last weekend’s thriller between Scotland and Samoa will surely have converted many non-rugby fans to the appeal of the oval-ball game.

The challenge facing Falcons is to convert that increased interest into bigger attendances at Kingston Park and a wider recognition of the club’s efforts as they attempt to retain their position as an increasingly-rare Northern outpost on the Premiership map.

Community involvement and supporter engagement are a key part of that process, but as he reflects on the events of the last few weeks, Falcons director of rugby Dean Richards is honest enough to admit that his side’s performances on the pitch will be the key determinant of whether they are able to sustain a post-World Cup feel-good factor.

No one is expecting Newcastle to challenge for the title in a Premiership environment that is in danger of becoming every bit as polarised as football’s Premier League. But an improvement on last year, when Falcons finished 11th out of 12, is surely essential if the club are to build on rugby’s recent spell in the spotlight.

“The three matches in Newcastle were a huge success,” said Richards. “Not just for the games themselves, but also for the experience that people had. The fanzone, the whole city and the stadium in particular were outstanding.

“The final match between Scotland and Samoa – what an unbelievable 80 minutes of rugby. The atmosphere throughout was incredible. We have to capitalise on that because we could not have asked for three better World Cup games in Newcastle.

“We have ambitions to play, to score tries and to enjoy ourselves. Our plan is to out-score the opposition with tries on the board, and that is how we want to approach it.”

With Falcons heading into their second season on the artificial surface that has transformed their outlook in home matches, there is a clear desire to play open, expansive rugby whenever possible.

The club’s summer recruitment has reflected that, and with the likes of former New Zealand fly-half Mike Delany and Tonga captain Nili Latu on board, there is a sense of quiet satisfaction at Newcastle’s transfer business.

Whether that translates to improved performances on the pitch remains to be seen, but if Falcons are to struggle this season, it will not be for a lack of ambition.

The Premiership has become an increasingly unforgiving environment in recent seasons, with the likes of Saracens, Bath, Leicester and Northampton not being afraid to flex their financial muscles.

Nevertheless, there is a confidence that Newcastle can continue to compete at the top table. Worcester, who won promotion from the Championship last season, will not be a pushover in the way that London Welsh were last term, but the Falcons camp are determined to look upwards rather than be peering  over their shoulder.

“We’re looking pretty good,” said Richards. “Success would be getting up that table much better than we managed to last year. A lot of points went begging last season, which was disappointing, and it’s the small things that make a big difference.

“If we nail those small things and get up the ladder, then if you look at the squad on paper, European qualification shouldn’t be an impossibility.”

Four of Falcons’ summer signings will make their competitive debut tomorrow, with Delany, Mouritz Botha, Todd Clever and Taione Vea all named in the starting line-up.

Sinoti Sinoti returns on the wing, having missed all five of Falcons’ warm-up games, with Will Welch captaining the team from openside flanker.

Gloucester have named England winger Jonny May on their bench, with centre Billy Twelvetrees wearing the captain’s armband at fly-half.

Newcastle Falcons: Hammersley, Catterick, Harris, Powell, Sinoti, Delany, Tipuna; Vickers, Lawson, Vea, Botha, Green, R Mayhew, Welch, Clever.

Replacements: McGuigan, Fry, Wilson, Furno, Hogg, Young, Willis, Penny.