Toulon prop Carl Hayman has revealed he 'cannot wait' to return to Newcastle to face his old side in the Amlin Challenge Cup tomorrow.
Hayman spent three seasons at the Falcons before moving to the south of France but returns with Toulon for the first of back-to-back matches between the two sides who are level on points at the helm of Pool 2.
"I cannot wait to get back to Newcastle," he told the Newcastle Chronicle.
"It is a place I still love, and we made a lot of great friends in Newcastle.
"I always loved the rugby up there, the people, the city and the surf, although it might be a bit cold for that sort of caper over the weekend."
Newcastle kicked their European campaign off with victories over Lyon at Kingston Park and Petrarca Padova in northern Italy in the opening rounds of the competition back in November.
Likewise Toulon collected nine points from their two victories over the same opposition, so both sides go into the tie with their 100% records on the line.