NEWCASTLE Falcons' fight-back has continued with the eye-catching acquisition of Scotland scrum-half Rory Lawson.

Despite not knowing what league they will be playing in next season, Falcons are clearly determined to improve on a bitterly disappointing campaign that saw them finish at the bottom of the Aviva Premiership.

They will be relegated if London Welsh beat Cornish Pirates in the Championship play-off final later this month, although doubts still surround the viability of London Welsh's proposed ground share with Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium.

A Cornish Pirates victory would mean Falcons retaining their top-flight status, but whatever league they start the new campaign in, the North-Easterners are clearly determined to start anew.

The arrival of Scott MacLeod and Carlo Del Fava earlier this week signalled an intention to mould an powerful, experienced forward unit, and the capture of 31-year-old Lawson represents a major statement of intent on behalf of the club's owner, Semore Kurdi.

Lawson has won 30 international caps for Scotland and played in two World Cups - he captained Scotland at the most recent tournament in New Zealand - and he leaves Gloucester after a successful five-year spell that saw him score 14 tries in 151 appearances.

"I'm really looking forward to joining up with the Falcons this summer," said Lawson, who will play for Barbarians this summer in games against England, Ireland and Wales. "Newcastle's form towards the end of the season was strong and there is a lot we can build upon for next year to move the club forward.

"Having met with Semore Kurdi it is clear that the Falcons have significant resource and intend to build a successful club in the North-East, and the appointment of Dean Richards can only enhance that.

"I want to thank the supporters at Gloucester for their fantastic support over the last six seasons. I greatly enjoyed my time at Gloucester and look forward to turning out for the Barbarians at Kingsholm at the end of the month."

Lawson has been signed as a direct replacement for Peter Stringer, who has returned to Munster after a successful loan spell that saw him help transform Newcastle's fortunes in the closing weeks of the season.

Stringer's passing ability from the base of the scrum helped speed up Falcons' play and it is hoped Lawson will have a similarly galvanising effect.

He leaps the top of a scrum-half roster that also includes his former Gloucester team-mate, Jordi Pasqualin, and Chris Pilgrim, who recently committed himself to Kingston Park by signing a new deal.

"We are not lying down as a club," said Falcons commercial director Duncan Edward. "We are determined to show that we are going places with the ambitious signings we are making.

"If that means being given another chance in the Premiership then we will take it, and if it means Championship rugby then we will make sure we storm the division with a Premiership-standard squad."