Northampton top of Prem after victory at Newcastle

The Prem

Newcastle (12) 19

Tries: Spencer, Mafi, Coetzee Cons: Connon 2

Northampton (21) 36

Tries: Van der Mescht, Mitchell, Freeman, Todaro, Coles Cons: F Smith 4 Pen: F Smith

Northampton Saints went top of the Prem table with an ultimately comfortable 36-19 victory at Kingston Park which left Newcastle Red Bulls still searching for a first league win of the campaign.

A bonus-point win secured with five tries took Saints ahead of reigning champions Bath, who play away at Leicester Tigers on Saturday.

It was a win made all the more impressive by the fact that Saints spent half an hour of the contest a man down after JJ van der Mescht was sin-binned twice either side of the break.

Newcastle will cling to positives having hauled themselves within two points of parity twice when they were a man to the good, but it will be a lasting frustration that they were unable to capitalise further.

Defeat left Alan Dickens' side still searching for a first win of the campaign and the end to a league drought without a win stretching back to November last year.

More to follow.

Newcastle Red Bulls: Chamberlain; Spencer, Hearle, Clarke, Williams; Connon, Benitez Cruz; Brocklebank, McGuigan, Palframan, Hodgson, Clarke, Lee-Warner, Gordon, Mafi.

Replacements: Fletcher, McCallum, De Bruin, Usher, Lockwood, Elliott, Beeckmans, Coetzee.

Northampton Saints: Freeman; Todaro, Hutchinson, Dingwall, Litchfield; F Smith, Mitchell; Fischetti, R Smith, Davison, Coles, Van der Mescht, Kemeny, Graham, Chick.

Replacements: Wright, Iyogun, Green, Lockett, Prowse, Pollock, McParland, Belleau.

Referee: Ian Tempest.