All Blacks prop Carl Hayman has met his new Newcastle Falcons teammates for the first time after having arrived in the UK this week.

The 28-year-old, sporting his trademark beard, arrived at Kingston Park on Tuesday lunchtime and sat in on the Falcons’ team meeting as the side prepares for Saturday’s EDF Energy Cup match against London Wasps. He then watched on from the sideline as the team went through its training run.

“It’s fantastic to be here,” Hayman said.

“With travelling for a full day and arriving late on Monday we had a good sleep to get the journey out of the legs, and we’re gradually getting switched on to British time.”

Having now also settled in his new dwellings overnight, he added: “From first impressions Newcastle seems like a fantastic place.

“During the World Cup my wife came here to look at properties, so we had it all sorted before arriving here full time, and it’s good to get settled so quickly in our own place.

“I was pleasantly surprised with the weather when we woke up this morning, because you do hear stories about the British winters, and then it was nice to pop in to the club this afternoon to meet some of the players and staff.

“I’m looking forward to getting involved more in the training as we go on, and getting stuck in to the rugby here with the talent in the Falcons squad right now.”

Hayman could still play in Saturday’s match but is probably more likely to run out in the following back-to-back matches against Irish province Connacht in the European Challenge Cup over the next fortnight.