Steve Diamond praised the work ethic of his Newcastle Falcons side following Friday’s 31-28 away win over Sale Sharks, but insisted the result was not uppermost in his thoughts.

A Josh Thomas penalty proved to be the difference in a game which saw both sides scoring four converted tries, with Diamond saying: “I always think of these things as a training session rather than a game, and it was just a run-out which both sides needed.

“I don’t get too bothered about results in these sorts of exercises, and I think both parties will be happy about what they got out of it.

“Lots of the players and even coaches like myself are looking at contracts at the moment, and I’m quite open about that. There was some good stuff out there at times, but we’re under no illusions that there’s a lot more to do.”

Giving his players a straightforward formula centred on doing the fundamentals, the consultant director of rugby said: “I take a lot of the red tape away from the players and try to keep things simple. The lads seemed to respond to that, but it’s early days and we’re not there yet.

“It was better. I wouldn’t say it was good, but it was better, and that’s a start. That’s down to the coaching staff and players rather than me, particularly, but the attitude and mentality within the building is fine.

“It’s all about getting the basics right, and I thought Callum Chick did a good job captaining the team. Bryan Byrne did as well when he took over, and the senior players led it.

“If we go into our remaining games with the same mentality we showed tonight, then you’ll have to be a good side to beat us. Certainly at Kingston Park.

“The whole group impressed me with their endeavour, and hopefully we can turn over a couple of the celebrity sides when they come to Newcastle.

“The reality is we’ve been bottom of virtually every stat in the competition this season. We’re not going to turn that on its head overnight, but if we can go from tenth to ninth or even eighth in some of those, then we can start to change our position.

“We gave away seven penalties tonight, versus Sale who gave away 22. That’s a start, and that’s the kind of stat that we can build on.”