Newcastle (16) 16
Tries: Vickerman Cons: Gopperth Pens: Gopperth 3
Sale (10) 16
Tries: Cueto Cons: Thomas Pens: Thomas 3

Newcastle have drawn both their games this season

Two late Lee Thomas penalties saw Sale earn a share of the points as Newcastle recorded a second successive draw.

Thomas kicked a first-half penalty and converted a Mark Cueto try which he had helped create with a clever chip.

But Falcons went in ahead at the break after fly-half Jimmy Gopperth kicked 11 points and Rob Vickerman capitalised on a mistake to score his first try.

Two missed penalties by Gopperth then proved crucial when Thomas held his nerve to score two quick penalties.

Newcastle director of rugby Steve Bates:
"We should really have won two out of two, we created far more pressure than Sale and we should have finished it off.

606: DEBATE Give your reaction to the draw here

"We have to make sure we make the right decisions and are more clinical. They took their opportunities but we gave them to them on a plate.

"We made some daft errors in the second half that allowed Sale to pull it back."

Sale director of rugby Kingsley Jones:
"That was two points dropped in my opinion. In the first half we did not respect Newcastle and we tried to score every time we got the ball.

"The game plan was to put the ball in behind their inexperienced back three and it wasn't until the final 30 minutes that we entered into that plan.

"If that had gone on another five minutes I think we would have won it."

Newcastle: A Tait; Amesbury, Vickerman, Bobo, Biggs; Gopperth, Young; Golding, Vickers, Hayman, Hudson, Swinson, Williamson, Wilson, Levi.
Replacements: Miller for Amesbury (71), Charlton for Young (64), Thompson for Vickers (64), Sorenson for Hudson (61), Browne for Levi (54).Not Used: Ward, Ovens, Balding.

Sale: Vakacegu; Cueto, M Tait, Tuilagi, Cohen; Thomas, Wigglesworth; Sheridan, Schwalger, Roberts, C Jones, Schofield, Gaskell, Briggs, D Tait.
Replacements: Bell for Tuilagi (54), Seymour for Briggs (54).
Not Used: M Jones, O'Donnell, Forster, Fearns, Cliff, Macleod.

Sin Bin: Gaskell (16).

Att: 5,155.

Ref: Martin Fox (RFU).

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