Newcastle Falcons announce signing of fly-half Ethan Grayson ahead of 2024/25 season

Newcastle Falcons have announced the signing of fly-half Ethan Grayson on a short-term deal ahead of the 2024/25 season.

He will be with the Falcons until the end of the year before moving to Major League Rugby’s San Diego Legion.

Son of former England fly-half Paul Grayson, the 22-year-old graduated from Northampton academy and made five senior appearances for the Saints while having a dual registration with Championship side Bedford Blues.

“I’m in between seasons with San Diego and the timing has worked out well, so I’ll be here until the new year and am really looking forward to it," he told the club's official website.

“We got to the quarter-finals of Major League Rugby which finished in August and starts again in January, and during the interim I’ll be here in Newcastle trying to make a positive contribution.

“I’m buzzing to be back in a Premiership environment, to be working with Alan Dickens again and buying into the vision that Dimes has for the club.”

Newcastle director of rugby Steve Diamond believes Grayson will add a lot of value to the squad.

“Ethan is in between contracts with heading back to America in the new year, so it’s a window of opportunity for us to bring in a good young player for a few months.

“Our senior coach Alan Dickens knows him from their time together at Northampton Saints and England Under-20s, and he can do a job for us.

“We’ve spoken on a number of occasions about running a smaller squad this season, and one thing that does do is give us the ability to act quickly when players become available and we have a spot for them to come in.”