Falcons owe everything to Wilkinson

Newcastle were hanging on for much of a throbbing second half at Kingston Park in a match which contained so much virtue but will be remembered for the one piece of unacceptable vice on which the result turned, and which may well cost Saracens fifth place in the Premiership and with it qualification for next season's Heineken European Cup. Julian White was the villain, fully justifying the red card he was shown for flattening Richard Arnold in the 54th minute.

This moment of foolishness by the England A tight-head prop was the by-product of a mass brawl initiated by Arnold and Richard Hill. Arnold was sent to the sin-bin for his part in the altercation and, with both teams reduced to 14, it sparked the best rugby of the game

With Kyran Bracken, recovered from a back injury which threatened his career, settling in impressively after a nine-month lay off, Saracens then replaced Mark Mapletoft with Steve Ravenscroft, allowing Thierry Lacroix to move to fly-half.

At that stage Newcastle were 12-3 ahead, owing almost everything to Jonny Wilkinson, who had kicked three penalties and a right-footed dropped goal, to a solitary penalty from Lacroix.

With the Frenchman now running the show, Saracens threw everything into attack. Lacroix then drilled over a second penalty before launching a sweeping move up the left, which faltered when Hill's pass intended for Darren O'Mahony spun directly into touch with the home defence spreadeagled.

Had a try resulted, Saracens might have recorded their first Premiership victory on Tyneside, but with three minutes remaining the imperturbable Wilkinson banged over another dropped goal - this time with his left boot - to lift the siege and deny them.

For Newcastle's director of rugby, Rob Andrew, victory was a sweet moment in a season soured by injuries to key players - including John Leslie, the Scotland captain, whose ankle injury looks likely to keep him out of Sunday's Calcutta Cup in Edinburgh - and the distraction provided by Tom Walkinshaw and some of the other club owners, in challenging the plans of the Rugby Football Union's Club England Task Group, of which Andrew is chairman.

Revelations in a Sunday newspaper that Walkinshaw and the Saracens owner Nigel Wray have threatened the RFU with their proposal to set up a Super League, in which Bristol, Bedford, Wasps and Newcastle will not be included, drew an outspoken response from Andrew. "These people see no future for rugby in the north east and want to close us down," he said. "This is all about control and it's time for the RFU to make decisions. The gloves are off now and the RFU have to decide who runs the game. The clubs have a simple choice, whether to support the RFU or go their own way."

Newcastle: Penalties Wilkinson 3 Drop Goals Wilkinson 2. Saracens: Penalties Lacroix 2.

Newcastle: P Massey; S Legg, M Shaw, V Tuigamala, M Wood; J Wilkinson, G Armstrong (capt); I Peel (M Ward, 65), R Horton (M Howe, h-t), M Hurter, S Grimes, D Weir, S O'Neill (H Vyvyan, 65), R Arnold, R Beattie.

Saracens: R Thirlby; B Sparg, K Sorrell, T Lacroix, D O'Mahony; M Mapletoft (S Ravenscroft, 66), M Powell (K Bracken, 51); P Wallace, G Chuter, J White, S Murray, D Grewcock, B Cole (D Flatman, 56), R Hill, T Diprose (capt).

Referee: S Lander (Liverpool).