Opposition view: Falcons boss Codling frustrated after defeat to Saints

Brett Connon narrowly missed a late conversion that would have levelled the game, and the Falcons also saw a late attack ended by Tom James, who won a breakdown penalty to make sure Saints were the ones celebrating at the final whistle.

The Falcons had fought bravely until the final whistle but the black, green and gold were able to pick up their first win of the Premiership season, leaving Newcastle bottom of the table after three rounds of action.

And Codling said: “My over-riding emotion is one of frustration.

“We had lots of possession in the first half but didn’t really make it count, and ultimately one mistake has cost us.

“Congratulations to Northampton on getting the win. They took their one chance, and at the Gallagher Premiership level that’s the difference.

“Very similar to last weekend (when Newcastle lost 18-14 at home to Gloucester), we were pushing right at the end, and we’re not a million miles away.”

Codling paid tribute to the Falcons fans who turned out despite torrential rain at Kingston Park.

He said: “It’s obviously frustrating for the coaches, players and I’m sure our supporters.

“I want to thank our fans for coming out again in awful weather, and the support they show to the team is magnificent.

“I would urge them to stick with us because we’re a young group, and we’ll keep working. It’s not easy, but we’ll roll into training on Tuesday and attack Harlequins with the same vigour.”

Ahead of this weekend's trip to Harlequins, Codling joked: “I’m looking forward to going back down to London because we might see some sunshine!

“All joking aside it would be nice for our lads to get to play in some better conditions than we’ve had the last couple of games, because we’re trying to move the ball. It’s hard to do that when the weather is like it has been the last few weeks, and I’ve felt for the players.

“Quins will provide a similar challenge to Northampton in terms of how they want to play. They’ve got a real attacking mind-set, as do we, but we just have to be a little more precise.

“The big positive this weekend was our discipline compared to last week. We gave away fewer penalties and as a result spent much more time in the opposition half, but we just didn’t make it count.

“Set-piece is always key in the Premiership and I thought our scrum went well for the most part, which allows us to get field position.

"We controlled the first-half territory but Saints began to pin us back after half-time, and we’ll dust ourselves down to go again next week.”