Falcons won their European Challenge Cup opener at home to Bourgoin

Newcastle head coach Alan Tait believes his players could benefit from taking their European preparations into the pressure zone of the Premiership.

Falcons travel to Montpellier in the European Challenge Cup on Thursday, having won their opening game 22-16 against Bourgoin last week.

"In the Premiership we maybe get a bit uptight at times and don't play to our potential," Tait told BBC Newcastle.

"Yet when we get to Europe you can see the relaxation, even in the training."

Tait added: "The ball movement has been superb, this week and last week, and maybe we can learn from that, and stop putting so much pressure on ourselves.

"If we can take this relaxation into the Premiership against Saracens next week, then I think it will help us."

Tait - a forward-thinking back as a player - and his fellow dual-code assistant Paul Moriarty, have sought to instil a running game into the Falcons squad on their appointment at Kingston Park.

It is something of a departure for a club synonymous in recent years with a kicking style, that made the most of the talents of former players such as Jonny Wilkinson and Toby Flood.

"Paul and me have worked hard; when I first spoke to Paul, he has come from the Celtic League with Llanelli, one of the best footballing sides, probably the outstanding team in Europe from the weekend, and he's a big believer in that, I am as well," Tait said.

"That's where we've set out on this road, it might take a bit of time, but we have seen it in glimpses and scored some good tries from it.

"We just need to put it together for longer periods in games."

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