10 minutes to go to half time but Sarries are starting to go through the gears. And the Falcons are struggling to live with it.

First of the day. Sarries winger Sean Maitland seems to have suffered a finger injury and is immediately replaced by Alex Lewington.

Image source, Getty Images

Owen Farrell goes close to adding to the Saracens' lead, but is off target with a drop goal attempt from just outside the 22.

Sarries are starting to grind the hosts down, with plenty of phases in midfield as Falcons do well to hold them out. But the hosts are still upset about a disallowed try for Niki Goneva.

Sarries hooker Jamie George has crossed the line. But it looks dubious. The home crowd are upset. And the TMO is involved. A potential obstruction maybe?

Sarries hit back with an Owen Farrell penalty for a collapsed scrum.

Farrell's kick looped over but moved a long way in the Tyneside breeze. In fact, it briefly looked like it was going to miss.

And over it goes. A second penalty for Toby Flood.

Now it's a five-metre scrum for the home side.

Bright start by the Falcons.

Sarries are caught offside and it's another penalty. Toby Flood steps up to the tee again.

From Niki Goneva's break, David Strettle takes out home full-back Simon Hammersley... it's a penalty, for a foot in the ruck, and Toby Flood duly kicks the goal. Nice start for Newcastle.

And we're underway here, on a very warm, sunny day on Tyneside.

For those wanting audio accompaniment to the detail of the live text commentary, there is commentary from BBC Newcastle's Ian Smith and John Pearson.

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Sara Orchard
BBC commentator

Saracens wing David Strettle is back in familiar colours today after returning to the club at the age of 35 following his French adventure with Clermont-Auvergne.

Saracens make a couple of late tweaks to their side, with 31-times-capped former England scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth off the bench at nine to replace Ben Spencer, who is ill, while Tom Whiteley comes into the replacements.

Having starred in the French Top 14 for the past four years, David Strettle returns to Sarries and gets a start on the wing in an exciting-looking backline; while the pack has international class threaded through it in Mako Vunipola, Jamie George, Maro Itoje and Will Skelton.

Image source, bbc

Replacements: Tolofua, Barrington, Figallo, Isiekwe, Vailanu, Whiteley, Tompkins, Lewington.

Sara Orchard
BBC commentator

You can’t mistake that hair, even if he’s on his debut for his new club. Prop Logovi’i Mulipola starts for Newcastle.

Newcastle have named new signings Sami Mavinga and Logovi'i Mulipola in the pack for the visit of the champions - a baptism of fire despite their vast experience.

The experience of Toby Flood at fly-half will be crucial against the current England playmaker Owen Farrell, while there's plenty of strike out wide, including the deadly Vereniki Goneva.

Replacements: Socino, Brocklebank, Payne, Cavubati, Graham, Stuart, Hodgson, Tait

Champions Saracens come into the new season already on a fine winning run.

After losing 24-12 to Exeter at Sandy Park on 4 March, they then reeled off an unstoppable run of seven straight wins in which they clocked up 325 points, scored 43 tries and conceded just 12.

Image source, Getty Images

That culminated in them winning back their Premiership trophy off Exeter at Twickenham.

More ominously still for the Falcons, Sarries have also won their opening fixture of the new Premiership season for the past six seasons on the trot.

For all the promise Newcastle showed last season, they lost their final home league game against Wasps before being well beaten away to Exeter in the play-off semi - and they could not have a tougher start today against a Saracens side who have won their last 19 meetings between the two clubs.

The last time Newcastle beat Sarries was 10 seasons ago - a 13-9 home Premiership win at Kingston Park in February 2009.

Image source, Getty Images

But the Falcons have enjoyed an opening weekend victory for the past two seasons. And, prior to that Wasps defeat in May, they had won nine home games on the trot, in all competitions - including that narrow victoryin front of a record 30,174 crowdat St James' Park over in March.

After winning their third final in four years, and their fourth in all back in May, Saracens are again favourites with both the bookies and the pundits to again lift the Premiership trophy in nine months' time.

But Newcastle had a decent campaign too in 2017-18, finishing fourth, after winning 14 of their 22 games in the regular season only two less than Sarries and three less than table-topping Exeter.

Image source, Getty Images

That was the Falcons' highest league finish since winning the first Premiership 20 years ago - back in the days of Jonny Wilkinson and Tony Underwood (above), Rob Andrew, Doddie Weir, Pat Lam and Inga 'The Winger' Tuigamala.

Good afternoon and welcome to Newcastle.

The setting here at Kingston Park for the meeting of Newcastle and Saracens is much changed from when this fixture was last played - in Philadelphia almost 12 months ago.

There were swathes of empty seats in evidence at the Talen Energy Stadium for the second Premiership fixture to be 'trialled' in the Unites States.

Image source, David Rogers - Getty Images

But there is expected to be a bit less room on Tyneside this afternoon - "a bumper crowd", says Radio Newcastle - for the Premiership champions' first fixture of the season, up against the very first champions Newcastle, the inaugural Premiership winners in 1998.