Sleightholme helped Northampton overcome a spirited Newcastle team

A late try from former England winger Jon Sleightholme sealed the comprehensive victory, putting an end to a brave Newcastle effort.

Bruce Reihana was the main architect of the Saints' victory, touching down for two tries and pulling the strings throughout.

Northampton got off to a poor start when Grant Seely gifted the ball to Falcons flyer Ben Gollings who sprinted under the posts.

But Reihana took Mark Tucker's pass to dive over soon after and it was one-way traffic from then on.

In the second half, Tucker accepted Grant Seely's inside pass while Shane Drahm's jinking run also ended in a try before Sleightholme's late score.

The boys are firing at the moment and we felt really confident going into the final Bruce Reihana Northampton Saints

Pre-tournament favourites the British Army - with a side containing five sevens internationals - were eliminated in the semi-finals by a superb Newcastle performance.

Northampton reached the final after a crushing 28-7 win over Bath in the semis.

London Welsh, who came in to replace injury-hit rugby league side St Helens at short notice, caused a shock in the second round as they saw off Leicester.

Earlier in the day, Gloucester defeated Rotherham 26-5 in the final of the plate competition.