When Jonny Wilkinson returns to Newcastle on Sunday from England duty, he will find a quiet revolution has taken place. John Fletcher, the director of rugby, and Peter Walton, the forwards coach, were summarily dismissed yesterday by the Falcons, who are third from bottom of the Guinness Premiership. Steve Bates was put in charge at least until the end of the season. Wilkinson will not be unhappy with the latter's appointment given that the former schoolteacher was instrumental in luring Wilkinson to the North East from Lord Wandsworth College in Hampshire.

Bates, too, can feel satisfied at a turn of events that has a whiff of soap opera about it. Five years ago, Bates, Rob Andrew's assistant at Kingston Park at the time, was dismissed and he believed that Andrew could have done more to protect him.

Bates re-established his credentials as director of rugby at the now defunct Border Reivers, whom he helped to qualify for the Heineken Cup. Bates also coached Scotland A to victory over England Saxons in 2006 before returning to Kingston Park last summer as coaching and technical director and again working under Andrew, the RFU's director of elite rugby, this season as head coach of the Saxons.

“I would like to place on record my thanks to John and Peter and to wish them well,” David Thompson, the Falcons chairman, said.