Newcastle Falcons began the Gallagher Premiership season with a defeat on Friday at Kingston Park, with Bristol Bears grinding out the points in a keenly-contested encounter.

The visitors led 5-3 at half-time having grabbed the lead on five minutes when centre James Williams collected an offload ten metres out to score down the left-hand side – AJ MacGinty firing wide with the attempted conversion.

Newcastle began to enjoy some territory and possession in the Bears’ 22, aided by a string of penalties, but the set-piece did not yield a try as Bristol’s rearguard held firm.

The Falcons’ set-piece dominance saw a further barrage of red-zone penalties but still the breakthrough would not come – the visitors enduring some of the same frustrations when they kicked a penalty to the left corner only for Newcastle to steal a jackal turnover.

It was early-season fodder with neither side finding full fluency in attack, but the Falcons had the bulk of the first-half territory and were rewarded when Brett Connon slotted a penalty from 20 metres out with the last kick of the opening period.

That cut Bristol’s advantage to 5-3, and it took some superb jackal work from home skipper Callum Chick to stop the Bears extending that advantage when he won a penalty in the shadow of his own posts.

There was no stopping the West Country side on 50 minutes, however, when Siva Naulago dived in at the right corner, playing advantage from an earlier offside.

AJ MacGinty converted impressively from the touchline, and it took some desperate defence to deny them a third try when a sequence of pick-and-go in the left corner passed without score.

There was no stopping Max Malins just after the hour mark though when the England winger scored on the overlap down the right – Newcastle stopping the pick-and-go threat but finding themselves exposed when play was flung wide.

MacGinty slotted the conversion, but Newcastle were not rolling and almost had a try when debutant Joe Davis helped put Tom Gordon through a hole – his attempted scoring pass just going to ground.

Bristol just had time to register their four-try bonus point when Malins plucked a cross-field kick out of the air, completing the scoring as the Falcons’ wait for a Gallagher Premiership victory continues.

Newcastle Falcons: 15 Elliott Obatoyinbo (Ben Redshaw, 67), 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Connor Doherty, 12 Sammy Arnold (Louis Brown, 74), 11 Ben Stevenson, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Sam Stuart (Joe Davis, 69); 1 Adam Brocklebank (Luan de Bruin, 50), 2 Jamie Blamire (Ollie Fletcher, 70), 3 Richard Palframan (Murray McCallum, 50), 4 John Hawkins (Adam Scott, 70), 5 Kiran McDonald, 6 Freddie Lockwood (Ollie Leatherbarrow, 73) 7 Tom Gordon, 8 Callum Chick (captain).

Scorers – Penalties: Brett Connon.

Bristol Bears: 15 Max Malins, 14 Siva Naulago (Rich Lane, 72), 13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12 James Williams, 11 Gabriel Ibitoye, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Harry Randall; 1 Ellis Genge (Jake Woolmore, 50), 2 Gabriel Oghre (Will Capon, 61), 3 Max Lahiff (George Kloska, 50), 4 James Dun, 5 Joe Batley, 6 Steven Luatua, 7 Jake Heenan, 8 Fitz Harding (captain).

Scorers – Tries: James Williams, Siva Naulago, Max Malins 2. Conversions: AJ MacGinty 2.

Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe. Attendance: 5,116.