Kingston Park is renowned throughout the country as having the potential for providing hostile weather for visiting teams. On the northern edge of Newcastle, the ground lies prone to winds that whip off the moors and when the elements decide to turn nasty it can become a very difficult place to play rugby.

That was not the case on this April night, however. At kick off the skies were clear, there was precious little breeze and the pitch lush underfoot. All in all perfect conditions for running rugby.

But it was the home forwards who dictated the play in the opening exchanges, sticking the ball up their collective jumpers and setting up driving mauls from repeated kick offs and attacking lineouts. It proved a mightily effective, too. Not only were the Saints denied any ball in the first 10 minutes but the Falcons were awarded repeated penalties, two of which were kicked by fly half and captain Jimmy Gopperth for a 6-0 lead.

Gopperth was not just a danger with his right boot but with ball in hand, too, providing the home fans with something to cheer with a good break following a home scrum. However cheers turned to groans a couple of phases later when the hosts conceded their first penalty, prompting a series of attacking plays from the Saints.

Soane Tonga'uiha made the initial charge over halfway, and although the Falcons defence remained ferocious the visitors kept hold of the ball to try and find a way through. There was offloading through the middle and runs from Chris Ashton and Bruce Reihana, but ultimately all it all led to was a knock on and a clearance from Tom Catterick deep into Saints territory.

Catterick also had a dangerous run, and as the game entered its second quarter the Falcons began to show more ambition. Saints however were holding out what was being thrown at them, and while they were thwarted in successive attacks it looked like the initial storm had been weathered successfully.

But the visitors still needed to get on the board, and when Phil Dowson snatched back an overthrown lineout in the Falcons' 22 he gave his team the perfect platform from which to strike.

Dowson was held up over the line later in the attack, and although play came back for a penalty in front of the sticks Saints spurned the chance for the three points to go for a scrum. It proved to be a good decision. The pack turned on the power, Roger Wilson came close to the line and Ben Foden made the most of an enormous blind side to sidestep his way over for the first try.

Stephen Myler's conversion handed Saints the lead for the first time, and with a penalty nine minutes later he both took his team into double figures and rewarded some more clinical attacking from those around him.

There was no such luck for Gopperth, who missed not just a penalty two minutes from the break and a drop goal a minute after that but also had another dangerous break ended only by his flapping shirt, which was snagged by a desperate Foden.

So Saints went into the break still leading by four points, but with the hosts' number 10 having proved to be a thorn in the side during the opening 40 minutes the visitors needed to tighten up in defence and turn the screw in attack if they were to take home the league points.

However as he had done in the first half, Gopperth had the first say after the resumption of play, rewarding another powerful maul with three points. But while the Kiwi provided the threat for his team it was Foden who was proving the difference from a Saints perspective, and when the England full back made the extra man once again Clarke fed Reihana for the simple try.

The conversion was not so straightforward, although Myler came within a few inches of curling the ball over from the left touchline. A cross kick from the fly half in the next attack was more on target, and although Reihana collected cleanly Catterick was on hand and the winger's stretch was just short of the line.

Nevertheless while the Saints continued to press, demolishing a home scrum and setting up more phases across the field, they just could not find the crucial last pass or sidestep that would have given them the breathing space they craved.

Instead they found themselves a man down, Calum Clark seeing yellow when judged to have tackled Gopperth late, and when the Falcons eight gathered themselves once more their skipper kicked them back to a three-point deficit.

Newcastle's Round 19 defeat to Leeds had put them bottom of the Aviva Premiership Rugby table, but they were certainly not playing like a basement side, especially in defence, holding out whatever was thrown at them.

Catterick was on hand once again to stop Lee Dickson finishing off his own chip and chase and some desperate defence on the right forced Saints into touch. That said, some ill discipline at a maul from Courtney Lawes and a rare Myler mistake weren't helping things either, with the former giving Gopperth the chance to kick his team into a great position and the latter handing Newcastle a scrum in the visitors' 22.

With time ticking down things were increasingly desperate for both teams and when Mark Sorenson upended Tim Swinson in front of the sticks Kingston Park erupted, and again when Gopperth tied things up at 15-all.

But the cheers vanished into the night when Saints first forced a turnover to set up a Chris Ashton try in the right corner. This time Myler's kick sailed over and although it had been far from vintage it was a win nonetheless.

REFEREE Greg Garner

TIMELINE
5mins FAL Pen Gopperth 3-0
8mins FAL Miss DG Gopperth
8mins FAL Pen Gopperth 6-0
26mins SAINTS Try Foden Con Myler 6-7
35mins SAINTS Pen Myler 6-10
38mins FAL Miss pen Gopperth
39mins FAL Miss DG Gopperth
HALF-TIME FALCONS 6 SAINTS 10
43mins FAL Pen Gopperth 9-10
50mins SAINTS Try Reihana 9-15
61mins SAINTS Yellow card Clark
63mins FAL Pen Gopperth 12-15
75mins FAL Pen Gopperth 15-15
78mins SAINTS Try Ashton Con Myler 15-22
FULL-TIME FALCONS 15 SAINTS 22