Premiership: Newcastle Falcons 21-36 Saracens - Sarries maintain second place

Elliott Obatoyinbo scored a key try for Saracens

Second-placed Saracens kept the Premiership chasing pack at arm's length with a hard-earned victory at a spirited Newcastle Falcons.

Sarries led through Tom Woolstencroft's score and a penalty try, with George McGuigan's converted effort and three Will Haydon-Wood penalties in reply.

Elliott Obatoyinbo crossed for the visitors but McGuigan reduced the arrears for Falcons.

Rotimi Segun and Alex Goode tries blew out Sarries' lead late on.

While Leicester are still well clear at the top of the domestic league table after their win over London Irish, this win keeps Saracens clear of the chasing pack after defeats for Exeter and Gloucester, with Harlequins playing on Sunday.

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Falcons showed plenty of fight against Saracens but this loss and victory for Worcester against Exeter keeps them looking anxiously over their shoulders in the battle to avoid finishing bottom of the table, with just a point separating them from Bath.

They caused problems from the set-piece, with hooker McGuigan finishing off a maul and sneaking blindside for his two scores.

However, Mike Brown was judged to have blocked off an attempt to score for the penalty try that led to his sin-binning, and Saracens were incisive enough to break down their defence.

Woolstencroft's score was almost a copy of the Falcons opener, and scores for Segun and Goode both came from maul moves against a backpedalling defence.

Obatoyimbo's try was a touch of class, smart footwork taking him over the line, en route to a try bonus point.

Newcastle head coach Dave Walder told BBC Radio Newcastle:

"We made life hard for ourselves, they put the squeeze on us and 24-21 going into the last 10 minutes we were still in the fight and we were in the fight without being able to go to the next level.

"They're what they are, the best team in Europe at playing the pressure game, and they've a lot of experience internationally and clubwise in the squad.

"The penalty try was tough, there are things that don't go our way. Mike Brown knows the law, if you don't catch it you can't hit it out and it's a yellow card. If it's a penalty try or not it's another thing.

"We didn't put ourselves in the right areas in the second half, we talked about things and didn't do them, we conceded and a few heads dropped.

"Sarries are a good team, they don't win all those titles without being smart, and they played smart."

Newcastle: Brown; Radwan, Wacokecoke, Lucock, Earle; Haydon-Wood, Schreuder; Davison McGuigan, Tampin; Peterson, Farrar, Robinson, Basham; Chick (capt.)

Replacements: Maddison, Brocklebank, Mulipola, Lockwood, Montgomery, Nordli-Kelemeti, Connon, Wright

Sin-bin: Brown (26)

Saracens: Obatoyinbo; Maitland, Lozowski, Taylor, Segun; Goode (capt.), Davies; Barrington, Woolstencroft, Koch; McFarland, Swinson, Wray, Earl; B Vunipola

Replacements: Pifeleti, Mawi, Wainwright, Isiekwe, Christie, De Haas, Morris, Lewington

Referee: Ian Tempest (RFU).

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