The ubiquitous Austin Healey featured rather late in Saturday's proceedings: only when when the after-match questions got to the subject of current injuries. "And Austin's hamstring?" came one query. The Leicester coach, John Wells, briefly weighed his reply before asking: "Does it matter?"
It was not a put-down, just a rather striking statement of Leicester's confidence in mixing and matching without any loss of authority. Already without Andy Goode, they then lost the fly-half's young replacement, Ross Broadfoot, with a dead leg at half-time, but seamlessly moved up Sam Vesty, a player who had seen little action this campaign before starting here at full-back.
The demolition then gathered pace and, as it did, a slightly different breed of tiger seemed to be prowling both the thicket and the savannah.
Yes, there was still the power up front, which meant frequent embarrassment for the opposition at the scrummage. But Leicester's backs no longer give the impression of simply finishing off a battered opponent: now they create space with intuitive footwork and handling. Tigers with poise, you might say.
While Epi Taione may have threatened from the Newcastle midfield, Seru Rabeni for Leicester was a more effective centre. The Fijian found more inventive lines of running, and snappy footwork. Two tries give him five in four games.
As for Broadfoot and Jonny Wilkinson, they perhaps drew their game within a game. The former created the first try with a nicely weighted chip, and looked the part before he went off. Wilkinson started by missing a sitter, and nailed only two of five. But he delivered a dazzling backhand flick that created the Falcons' first try. There were also some errors, and he was destined to remain a member of a shackled backline.
The World Cup hero escaped punishment for one poorly judged clearance, but there was no such reprieve when Dave Walder went for a long one to the far side. Martin Corry collected, sold a dummy, and fed Rabeni for the try that took Leicester to 25-10.
There was a brief reversal when a Newcastle sub, Mathew Tait, scored with his first touch - a speedy dash into the corner. But the 18-year-old came unstuck when his mere 12 stones presented the flimsiest of obstacles as Corry stormed around the short side of a goal-line scrum.
If Leicester's dominance needed any underscoring it came from the coaches. Both judged it one of the best club performance they had seen. Newcastle's Rob Andrew talked of his side having to take "spoonfuls of medicine".
But it was the comments of Wells, eschewing false modesty as he praised "the quality of some of our play at the contact point, around it and away from it", that made the deepest impact.
Dean Richards never talked like that. But then, this may be a more complete side than those which succeeded under Deano.
Newcastle: Walder (Tait, 65); May, Noon, Taione, Stephenson; Wilkinson (co-capt), Charlton (Grindal 55); Peel (co-capt, Ward, 40), Long, Hurter (Isaacson, 76), Gross, McCarthy (Grimes, 55), Charvis, Williamson, Sititi (Parling, 80).
Tries: Stephenson, Tait. Con: Wilkinson. Pen: Wilkinson.
Leicester: Vesty; Murphy, Rabeni (A Tuilagi, 78), Smith, Holtby, Broadfoot (Cornwell, h-t), Ellis; Rowntree (Morris, 70), Chuter, White, M Johnson (capt; Kay, 55), L Deacon, B Deacon (W Johnson, 80), Back, Corry.
Tries: Murphy, Penalty, Rabeni 2, Back, Corry. Cons: Broadfoot 2, Murphy 2. Pens: Broadfoot, Murphy.
Sin-bin: Charvis, Corry.
Referee: R Maybank (Kent). Att: 8,609.
