Champions continue to toil

Leicester continued the stuttering start to their Guinness Premiership title defence with a 15-6 win over Newcastle on Saturday.

The Tigers set an unwanted record in the tie at Welford Road by extending their barren spell without a try to four hours and 19 minutes after they failed to cross their opponents' line for the third successive game.

The try-less period, stretching back to last season's Premiership final at Twickenham, is now 42 minutes longer than Leicester's previous worst spell 10 years ago.

Once again, the hosts were forced to rely on the boot of former Ireland fly-half Jeremy Staunton to get them home as he continued to monopolise Leicester's scoring by kicking all five penalties.

Struggle

Staunton found the target with his first penalty after just three minutes when Newcastle drifted offside in defence, though the score was cancelled out within two minutes when Jimmy Gopperth's late replacement Rob Miller equalised for Newcastle.

Staunton added two more penalties in a three-minute period midway through the first half and another from long range with the last kick of the half but missed a golden opportunity to extend Leicester's lead six minutes into the second.

The Falcons dropped a scrum and were then marched back a further 10 metres by referee Andrew Small for dissent but Staunton pushed his kick left of the target.

Miller punished the lapse when he slotted a 53rd-minute penalty after Leicester went offside in front of their own posts but Hall Charlton fumbled the restart kick which gave the Tigers a promising attacking position.

Close

Anthony Allen and Staunton both went close and England flanker Tom Croft thought he had broken the stalemate when he ploughed over only for the try to be disallowed because the ball deflected off the referee.

Staunton also got over the line only for the try to be disallowed by the television match official for a knock-on which allowed Newcastle to clear their lines.

Leicester made a raft of second-half substitutions but it was left to Staunton to restore their nine-point cushion with his fifth penalty when James Hudson was penalised for a high tackle on Allen.

Clumsy handling prevented Leicester from creating further scoring opportunities and they were relieved to take four points from their first home game of the campaign.