Tigers back on top

Leicester crushed Newcastle at Kingston Park to go back on top of the Premiership.

The Falcons were shorn of their full front row before kick-off and it showed as Leicester secured the four-try bonus point in just over half an hour.

The Tigers were happy to sit on their 28-0 half-time lead and make changes in the second half, while Newcastle managed a consolation try through Charlie Amesbury.

The game as a contest was over in just over half an hour, with the Tigers running in four converted tries.

Newcastle had an early chance to open the scoring but Tom Catterick, briefly on as a blood replacement for Jimmy Gopperth, was short with a penalty kick at goal in the ninth minute.

The Tigers pack destroyed the Newcastle scrum but Toby Flood put the penalty wide in the 13th minute.

They did it again to turn over a Newcastle put-in five metres out and a back-row pick-up and drive ended with Lewis Moody scoring near the post and Flood converted for a 7-0 lead after 20 minutes.

Relentless

It was quickly 14-0 with relentless pressure from Leicester ending with a Geoff Parling charge and Ben Youngs floated pass putting Johne Murphy over in the corner and Flood converting from wide out in the 24th minute.

Not only were Newcastle under the cosh in the scrum, they lost their third line-out in a row on their own throw and a high kick had the Falcons defence floundering with Flood cruising through under the posts and converting for 21-0 after just 28 minutes.

Moody then shrugged off ineffectual tackling to grab his second after 34 minutes and again Flood converted.

With the five points in the bag at half-time, the Tigers eased off after the break and substitute Hall Charlton, Josh Afu and Mark Sorenson all made an impact for Newcastle.

When Gcobanai Bobo cleverly kicked wide and the bounce wrong-footed Scott Hamilton, Charlie Amesbury scored a 48th-minute try which Gopperth converted to make it 28-7.

The scoring was completed when the Falcons conceded a penalty in the 68th minute for Jeremy Staunton to make it 31-7.