Despite Brent Wilson scoring the first try ever in the Aviva Premiership to give the Falcons an early lead, Nick Macleod's boot gave the Sharks their first win in this fixture for three seasons.

Beginning his first full season in charge, Alan Tait named five debutants in his Newcastle side – Luke Eves, Andy Henderson, Jeremy Manning, Tim Ryan and Ally Hogg. Jimmy Gopperth, the hero of Edgeley Park in April,, was on the bench alongside Micky Young and new signing Redford Pennycook.

Macleod put Sale in front early on with a penalty, but Manning equalised quickly with his first points in England after good work by Will Welch on the 22. Sale scored another two penalties before a long kick saw Henderson drive a home defender over his own line to win a scrum.

The destructive Jon Golding and Tim Ryan set the platform for Brent Wilson to break through under the posts, and Manning's conversion put the Falcons ahead.

It was very much a deserved lead as Newcastle played with a freedom and flair that have regularly deserted them in recent years, while they restricted Sale to midfield with solid defence.

However, Sale hit back with their forwards foraging away on the line and eventually Karena Wihongi scored.

Winger Tom Brady pounced on a kick on the right to increase the Sharks' lead to 13 points alongside Macleod's two conversions, and the home fly-half also knocked over another penalty.

With the Falcons trying to get a foothold back in the game, captain James Hudson ordered Manning to kick over a penalty two minutes before the break to reduce the half-time deficit to 26-13.

The Falcons replaced Manning with Jimmy Gopperth for the second half, but while the away scrum continued to dominate in front of the vocal travelling support, forcing Sale to replace both props, ill-discipline was Newcastle's downfall.

Strict referee Dean Richards awarded Sale a succession of penalties and Macleod kicked two over, and alongside a Dwayne Peel drop-goal this took the game out of the Falcons' reach.

In an attempt to wrestle back some control, Alan Tait threw on a number of replacements, including the lively Young and Pennycook. Finally Newcastle got into Sale's 22, but two potential chances were wasted when Gopperth floated a hopeful but abortive kick to Charlie Amesbury on the left with more attackers on hand, and Alex Tait sent through a grubber that nobody was going to get.

After Sale's replacement scrum-half Chris Leck was sent to the sin-bin for a dangerous tackle on Wilson, dumping the flanker on his neck on the home five-metre line, it was Kiwi himself who scored his second try of the night in the left corner, but it was merely a consolation in a 35-18 defeat.

Tait and Paul Moriarty have improved the Falcons' style of play this summer according to last night's evidence, but their immediate challenges would seem to be to improve discipline and find the elusive formula that will create 80-minute performances.

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