Newcastle Falcons 14 Northampton Saints 16: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

Though the director of rugby last week called for the same energy from his side, he knew that anything like the 66-5 success was hugely unlikely.

And so it proved.

In fact, this match was the antithesis to the trip to the north east earlier this year.

On that day, it was all about the running rugby as 10 tries flowed for the black, green and gold.

Here, barely any backs play was possible.

The rain ensured the first 40 minutes was a time to forget, with the two teams trading penalties before they trotted – or should that be swam – in level at the break.

There was a bit more life to the second half as the rain eased, allowing Saints to score a magical try engineered by Tom Pearson and powerfully finished by Curtis Langdon.

Newcastle grabbed a score of their own late on, breaking Saints' resistance as wing Iwan Stephens went in out wide.

But it was the fact that he scored so close to the flag that cost the hosts as Brett Connon saw his tricky conversion attempt shave the right post and drift to safety for Saints.

The Falcons kept coming and one late attack sparked fears it would be another agonising ending for the black, green and gold, but Tom James came up big to win a breakdown penalty that sparked scenes of jubilation among the Saints squad.

This was as hard-fought a win as hard-fought wins come.

It was never going to be pretty in such conditions, but it really did feel pretty good from a Saints perspective.

It is often said that things level themselves out over the course of a season, and here, two games on from the painful opening-day defeat at Sale Sharks, parity was restored.

Because while Saints couldn't force their way over the line against Sale's 14 men late on, here they held out with 14 men of their own in similar circumstances.

At Sale, Saints had more of the territory but less of the red zone efficiency.

Here, it was the Falcons who enjoyed greater territory but turned fewer of their chances into points.

It was what Saints had needed: a performance where they made the opposition work harder to add to their tally.

And when Phil Dowson's men got their chances in the Falcons half, they kicked their points and scored that picturebook Langdon try.

It was very much job done on an afternoon where any win would do.

Because, let's not forget, Saints were missing a massive 14 players for this trip, and nine of them would fancy their chances of being in the club's cup final 15.

That is how many significant figures were absent, but everyone stepped up to ensure that their absence wouldn't be felt in the form of a defeat.

Saints still have huge amounts to work on – and they know it.

They were once again sinners here, conceding a bucketload of penalties once more.

They couldn't find favour with referee Hamish Smales at scrum time until Alex Waller replaced brother Ethan.

And all over the field, they gave Falcons plenty of chances to build a platform on which to attack.

But when the heat came on in those final couple of minutes, Saints found a way to win.

It is something they hadn't done in their opening two Premiership matches, both of which went to the wire.

And how sweet it would have felt on that long bus journey back that the four points had been pocketed, particularly in such gritty style.

Saints know more of the same, and much more on top of that, will be needed if they are to battle their way past a strong Bath side on Saturday.

But at least they have now started to lay the foundations in the formative stages of this ultra-competitive league season, in which every 100 per cent Premiership record has disappeared in the space of just three rounds.

How they rated…

GEORGE FURBANK – while his opposite number had real trouble in difficult conditions, the same couldn’t be said for this man who was so steady all day… 7.5

TOM SEABROOK - has made a really impressive start to life at Saints and though there weren’t any chances to add to his fine try tally, he was extremely solid here… 7

FRASER DINGWALL - always a force to be reckoned with in defence as he put up a brick wall and wouldn’t let the Falcons pass… 7

RORY HUTCHINSON – not the kind of game that he thrives on as he couldn’t display his attacking magic, but he stuck to his defensive task well… 6.5

GEORGE HENDY – made some typically eye-catching runs from deep as he filled in on the wing but paid the price for the team’s persistent offending with a late yellow card… 6.5

FIN SMITH – stood tall in defence and did what he needed to from the tee in a largely strong fly-half showing… 7

TOM JAMES – provided a hugely important intervention for his team, winning the breakdown penalty that made sure of the four points… 7

ETHAN WALLER – threw his arms up in frustration as he left the field after a tough time in which he couldn’t find favour with referee Hamish Smales, conceding a series of penalties… 4

CURTIS LANGDON – CHRON STAR MAN – a gritty display capped with a fine try which he finished so strongly on a day when he really stood up to be counted… 7.5

TREVOR DAVISON – looked hungry for action against his former club and was able to help secure a penalty on a day when plenty went against Saints… 7

CHUNYA MUNGA – a first Premiership start for Saints and he could be happy with his performance as he tried to get his hands on the ball when possible… 7

ALEX COLES – was able to disrupt Falcons on a couple of occasions at lineout time and did well overall… 7

ANGUS SCOTT-YOUNG – the kind of conditions in which he seems to thrive as he loves a tackle and is no stranger to hard work… 7

TOM PEARSON – was the catalyst for Saints’ try, making a fantastic break and delivering a brilliant offload for Langdon to score, showing his worth once again… 7.5

SAM GRAHAM – a really good performance from the No.8, who continues to grow into life at Saints and who is a breakdown threat as well as a good ball carrier… 7.5

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

ALEX WALLER (for E Waller 48) – helped to steady the ship up front as he found a way to get on the right side of the referee, stopping the flow of scrum penalties… 7