Toby Flood, favourite to be England's fly-half when they begin the Six Nations next month, snatched victory from Leicester yesterday in the last minute, landing an improbable 52-metre, touchline penalty, only to be told he will have to step aside when Jonny Wilkinson returns to the Newcastle side.

While Flood's director of rugby, John Fletcher, conceded that the 21-year-old might one day be an outstanding player, Wilkinson would walk back into the side and take over the kicking duties the moment he was fit. "Toby's going to have to take this on the chin," said Fletcher. "Toby Flood is a good player, but when Jonny Wilkinson returns he will still be a few steps ahead of Toby." It seemed a pretty substantial put-down for an England player who had scored a try as well as kicking 16 of his side's points - the final kick being the most difficult and stressful of the lot.

Four minutes earlier Flood appeared to have capped a fine game when he nudged Newcastle ahead for the first time, at 28-26, with his third penalty. However, at the next scrum his forwards were caught offending and Sam Vesty, standing in for Andy Goode, put Leicester ahead again.

That's how the balance remained until the countdown clock entered the final minute. Leicester were caught going in at the side of a maul just into their own territory and wide out on the right - theoretically the more difficult for Flood.

"I just put more leg into it," he said later while admitting to nerves and his first game in a new set of boots. "I set it out left to allow for the wind and I was worried when it held its own, only for it to go in."

All that remained was for Newcastle to run down the clock and Leicester had once again fluffed their lines at Kingston Park, where they have won only once in the past six years. With Bristol waterlogged and abandoned they also missed the chance of going back to the top of the Premiership.

The prospect of that place on top of the pile should have been enough to inspire the former champions, but for added spice there was also the pique felt by Leicester's backs that only Harry Ellis had made England's elite 33 for Scotland and Italy, whereas Newcastle had four - including the injured Wilkinson. Most upset of all was Andy Goode, playing opposite Flood. He finished the autumn Tests in the England No10 shirt but did not figure when Brian Ashton named his top 65 players last week.

Needless to say, Goode intends to ask Ashton for an explanation this week and will point to an impressive first half yesterday during which he scored all of Leicester's 16 points - including the only try of the first half. His first points came after an attempt to run through the Newcastle centre, Mark Mayerhofler. Goode failed, but from the resulting scrum the Newcastle pack was under pressure for the first time and donated him the easiest of pots at goal.

Eight minutes later, again on a Newcastle put in but this time only five metres out, Leicester's big men applied pressure for the second time with even more conclusive results. The ball squirted out through struggling Newcastle legs to where Goode stood unmarked and with the easiest of tries bequeathed him. He also landed the conversion and the two more penalties and in the duel of the No10s appeared to be well ahead of Flood.

Leicester were near to cruising home at 16-6 up at half-time, only to lose momentum and concede three second-half tries, two to Newcastle's left wing, John Rudd. As the Leicester coach, Pat Howard, said later: "We had enough Test caps on the field to close it out. You know how good you can play. Today we threw our ball away and got what we deserved."

First Newcastle redressed the forward argument by getting the better of a rolling maul in the 48th minute, creating the space for Flood to step inside Leicester's drifting cover before Rudd got his two within 10 minutes. The first came from a move he started - barrelling up the left - and then finished when Leicester had run out of defenders. The second had a considerable element of fortune.

The Samoan Loki Crichton, on for Anthony Elliott, stabbed a kick deep into Leicester territory where Johne Murphy appeared to be in total control until a wicked bounce left the full-back with egg on his face. Leon Lloyd had earlier poached a second Leicester try, but with Goode limping and then subsequently retiring with a damaged hamstring, that set things up for Flood to steal the day.

Newcastle Falcons Elliott (Crichton 63); May, Tait, Mayerhofler, Rudd; Flood, Grindal (Dixon 63); McDonnell (capt.) Thompson, Ward; Sorenson, Oakes; Parling, Woods, Winter.

Tries Flood, Rudd 2. Cons Flood 2. Pens Flood 4.

Sin-bin Woods.

Leicester Tigers Murphy (Tuilagi 72); Lloyd, Smith, Vesty, Rabeni (Gibson 50); Goode (Bemand 74), Ellis; Moreno (White 50), Chuter, Castrogiovanni; Cullen, Hamilton (56); Deacon, Moody, Corry (capt).

Tries Goode, Lloyd. Cons Goode 2. Pens Goode 4, Vestey

Sin-bin Hamilton

Referee Sean Davey (Sussex). Attendance 7,567