FAMOUS FIXTURES | Saracens 26 - 12 Newcastle Falcons (6 April 2019)

Saracens have had much enjoyment from Newcastle visits in the past decade, with the Men in Black winning every encounter in North London across the 2010s.

In the twighlight months of their double winning season, Sarries took one step closer to the play-offs with this vital win against Newcastle Falcons, the game also saw Owen Farrell's return from international duty, a much needed boost ahead of a tricky run in for Mark McCall's side. Read the match report below:

Saracens found their feet in the second half and Alex Lozowski crossed at the death to claim a hard-fought bonus-point win against Newcastle Falcons in North London.

The defending Gallagher Premiership Rugby champions made a sluggish start in Owen Farrell’s first game back and trailed at half time.

The Falcons, on a three-match winning run in the league coming into the clash, led 6-5 thanks to two Sonatane Takulua penalties.

Sean Maitland had finished off a delightful first-half counter-attack for an otherwise wasteful Sarries side.

But in the second half Mark McCall’s men, who had not lost at home in more than a year in all competitions, found some fluidity.

Full-back for the day Malins started and finished a sweeping counter-attack, getting on the end of Maitland’s kick through to dot down their second try.

Farrell slotted the conversion but Takulua’s third penalty kept the Falcons right in it at 12-9 past the hour mark.

However, Sarries made sure of the win soon after as Tompkins dotted down at the back of a rolling maul.

The Falcons had not beaten Sarries in a decade and remained bottom of the standings but Takulua’s fourth penalty late on did look like earning them a merited losing bonus point.

But Lozowski burst onto Farrell’s clever pass late on to secure a bonus-point win for the hosts and deny the Falcons any consolation for their trip back north.