Newcastle Falcons tasted defeat on the opening night of the new Aviva Premiership Rugby season on Friday, as Sale Sharks claimed the spoils at Edgeley Park.

Trailing 26-13 at the break, the visitors were punished for their indiscipline as home fly half Nick Macleod kept the scoreboard rolling over with a string of penalties.

Sale opened the season’s scoring inside the first two minutes as Macleod dinked over the simplest of penalties, but straight from the restart the sides were level as Jeremy Manning’s penalty punished a home obstruction.

Macleod’s second penalty, this time from 40 metres out on the left from a midfield offside, saw the hosts back in front, and just after the ten-minute mark he repeated the trick as yet another offside saw the Sharks pinch a further three.

Manning struck the woodwork with a touchline penalty of his own, but with Sale forced to dot the ball down behind their own line the resulting five-metre scrum saw Brent Wilson driven over for the first try of the campaign.

Manning converted from in front of the posts, and with James Hudson stealing repeated line out ball and Charlie Amesbury pilfering a turnover from ruck ball, an eager Falcons defence was playing its part.

In front of a vocal travelling support Alex Tait soon got the ball in their direction with a neat kick to the corner housing the Falcons away following, choruses of ‘Blaydon Races’ ringing out as the visitors found themselves in prime position.

But Sale weathered the storm and retook the lead courtesy of debutant prop Karena Wihongi – the giant tight head being shoved over the line from close range for a converted try.

Manning showed his impish half back skills straight from the restart with a crafty chip-and-chase, Gcobani Bobo being just inches short of clawing in the scoring pass down the right hand side.

Sale were having no such issues, and registered their second try of the night via Tom Brady as the right winger chased Macleod’s kick to the corner and dived in to score under pressure from Charlie Amesbury. Macleod added further gloss with a sublime touchline conversion, and indiscipline was costing the Falcons dear as he dinked over a fourth penalty just after the half hour to increase the gap to 16.

Manning chalked three of those back with a straightforward penalty from in front on the 22 as the first half drew to a close, Newcastle trailing 26-13 at the break.

Last season’s Golden Boot Jimmy Gopperth emerged for the second half as Manning made way, and it was a sprightly Newcastle side which started the second half as Hudson nicked a fourth Sale line out and Amesbury rose high to claim a high bomb from Macleod.

It was Macleod who had the next say on the scoreboard though as he continued to pepper the penalties between the Falcons’ posts, this time from just outside the 22, followed shortly after by an opportunist drop goal from Dwayne Peel.

Micky Young entered the fray for the final half hour as Newcastle looked to up the tempo, but with referee Dean Richards continuing to blow the whistle at regular intervals it was that man Macleod who sent over a sixth penalty, this time from a scrum infringement, to extend his side’s advantage.

Grant Shiells and Kieran Brookes arrived on the scene for the closing quarter as the Falcons opted for an attacking line out in prime position rather than the three points, and from the resulting phase Amesbury almost scored in the opposite corner as he rose to claim Gopperth’s cross-field bomb.

With Chris Leck in the sin bin for a dangerous tackle on Brent Wilson Newcastle enjoyed a ten-minute period of numerical supremacy, and it was the Kiwi flanker himself who made it tell as his superb hands saw him claw in a pass out wide to squeeze just inside the left corner flag.

Gopperth’s touchline conversion flew just wide as Newcastle’s attention turned towards a losing point, but with the clock ticking down there was to be no such reward as the season started with a loss.

SALE SHARKS

Tries: Wihongi, Brady
Cons: Macleod 2
Pens: Macleod 6
Drops: Peel

NEWCASTLE FALCONS

Tries: B Wilson 2
Cons: Manning
Pens: Manning 2

SALE SHARKS

15 Paul Williams
14 Tom Brady
13 Kyle Tonetti
12 Andy Tuilagi (Matty James, 75)
11 Ben Cohen
10 Nick Macleod
9 Dwayne Peel (Chris Leck, 65)

1 Andrew Sherian (Aston Croall, 57)
2 Neil Briggs (Marc Jones, 64)
3 Karena Wihongi (Jack Forster, 57)
4 Nic Rouse (Wame Lewaravu, 70)
5 James Gaskell (captain)
6 Carl Fearns
7 David Seymour
8 Sisa Koyamaibole (Sean Cox, 64)

NEWCASTLE FALCONS

15 Alex Tait
14 Gcobani Bobo
13 Luke Eves
12 Andy Henderson (Rob Vickerman, 57)
11 Charlie Amesbury
10 Jeremy Manning (Jimmy Gopperth, 40)
9 Chris Pilgrim (Micky Young, 51)

1 Jon Golding (Grant Shiells, 61)
2 Rob Vickers
3 Tim Ryan (Kieran Brookes, 61)
4 James Hudson (captain)
5 Tim Swinson (Filipo Levi, 65)
6 Brent Wilson
7 Will Welch (Redford Pennycook, 51)
8 Ally Hogg

REFEREE: Dean Richards
ATTENDANCE: 7,815