This was more like it from Leicester. After a start to the season in which they hardly looked like a team chasing their fifth straight championship, they got their rugby together to demolish the ragged Falcons in a spiteful and rarely dull match.
Tim Stimpson had one of those days when he can do nothing wrong, punishing Newcastle with seven penalties, four conversions and an outrageous drop goal, as well as initiating Leicester's first try and saving another with a last-ditch tackle.
A flurry of penalties turned the first half into an exercise of punishment rather than invention. The home team's drift defence also did much to kill Newcastle's rhythm, as Jonny Wilkinson struggled to get his backs going behind a pack beaten for muscle and energy at the set pieces. Only Jamie Noon, who made two spectacular breaks up the middle, provided a threat to Leicester's otherwise well-organised defence.
For the Tigers, Stimpson was flawless with the boot, putting penalties over from all parts, as well as a drop goal from 10 yards inside Newcastle's half, a few yards in from the left touchline.
Newcastle cracked in the 38th minute when Rod Kafer went over to the left of the posts at the end of an elaborate chain-passing charge that started, with another bullocking run by Stimpson. The full back added the extras to give Leicester a 28-9 half-time advantage.
Newcastle almost broke through when Noon again punched a hole down the middle, off-loading to the tearaway Epi Taione, who looked unstoppable from 25 yards out. But Stimpson cut him down with a tackle that a packed Welford Road crowd will remember for some time.
Another towering Stimpson penalty in the first few minutes of the second half stretched the lead. The frustrations were starting to show as players traded blows behind play. Peter Arnold was sent to the sin bin further weakening the Newcastle wall, and Neil Back saw a gap from a ruck in the right corner and ploughed over. Stimpson's touchline conversion made it 38-9 and what had been a reasonably close contest was turning into one-way traffic.
Newcastle's discipline was coming asunder, and Stimpson was punishing them now with raking touch-finders from a succession of free kicks. The intervention of the touch judge resulted in Leicester's third try, a pushover by Ollie Smith. As Stimpson potted the conversion Newcastle went into a huddle behind their line. Quite what they had up their sleeves to overturn the 45-9 scoreline was not immediately apparent.
Liam Botham did drop the ball with the line begging a few minutes from the end but Graham Rowntree had by then crossed for Leicester's final try and a bonus point.
Leicester: Stimpson; Ellis (Booth 63), Smith (Naufahu 76), Kafer (Gelberbloom 63), Tuilagi; Vesty, Tierney; Rowntree, West (Chuter 72), Garforth (Tournaire 72), Johnson (Short 63), Kay, Moody, Back, Corry.
Tries: Kafer, Back, Smith, Rowntree. Pens: Stimpson (7). Cons: Stimpson (4) Drop Goal: Stimpson.
Newcastle: Botham; Shaw, Noon, Godman (Charlton 68), Stephenson; Wilkinson, Grindal; Peel (Isaacson 72), Brotherstone (Thompson 52), Hurter (Ward 61), Vyvyan (Hamilton 68), Grimes, Taione (Otuvaka 46), Arnold, Dowson (Devonshire 61).
Pens: Wilkinson (3).
Referee: A Bates (Staffordshire).
att: 15,656
