A MOMENT of inspiration from Austin Healey proved crucial as Leicester Tigers continued their winning start to the season with a rousing victory over Newcastle at Kingston Park.
The home side were 13 points up and in total control until Healey spotted Gordean Murphy on the opposite touchline as he lined up a tap penalty close to the Falcons line.
With the Newcastle defence sleeping following a long injury break, Healey produced a perfect cross field kick which his winger took cleanly before strolling home.
Confidence and self-belief restored, Leicester's forwards took their familiar stranglehold on the contest and only a miserable afternoon with the boot, first for Tim Stimpson, then Murphy himself, prevented the winning margin reaching comfortable proportions.
Stimpson managed just one successful kick from six attempts before sustaining a nasty gash to the head and Murphy fared little better, converting once but missing two further chances.
Two Jonny Wilkinson penalties, plus a conversion from the England fly-half after lock Stuart Grimes had reached over the line had given Newcastle the perfect start.
In front of a vociferous, if disappointing crowd, the North-East side initially appeared to have the strength in defence to maintain their lead, only for Healey to spot a fatal flaw.
Murphy's try reduced Newcastle's effectiveness and worrying mistakes began to creep into their play, handing Leicester the initiative.
Centre Leon Lloyd took Healey's long pass to grab try No 2 and although Stimpson failed with an apparently simple conversion, the British Lion found his range with a penalty shortly afterwards to level the scores.
Wilkinson replied to nose Newcastle back in front at the break but visitors' hooker Dorian West spearheaded a familiar Tigers forward rubble five minutes into the second period to give Leicester the lead for the first time.
Within two minutes, Healey sliced through the Newcastle defence on halfway and though he was collared by John Leslie, the Leicester man found Winston Stanley on his inside and the Canadian winger sprinted home to bag the visitors' fourth try and a welcome bonus point.
The goal kicking problems afflicting Stimpson and Murphy kept Newcastle within range and Wilkinson was showing them how it should be done at the other end with two successful strikes of his own to pull Newcastle to within a single score.
Though Leicester were running onto the ball at speed and causing constant harassment to the Newcastle line-out, the tension of missed chances began to weigh heavily upon them.
One centre-field fracas was prolonged when Va'aiga Tuigamala laid into Lloyd as the visitors' centre laid on the floor.
Referee Robin Goodliffe deemed the incident to be worthy of nothing more than a ticking off, although less than friendly words were exchanged between Healey and Newcastle prop George Graham.
Newcastle continued to press for victory but their handling was not good enough to wedge Leicester in their own half.
Instead, Leicester were allowed to control possession inside their opponents' territory, maintain their unbeaten record at Kingston Park and their position at the head of the Zurich Premiership.
l SARACENS might have found a world-beater after their global search for a fly-half unearthed Australian Duncan McRae.
While his fellow Aussie Tim Horan and Frenchman Thomas Castaignede were rightly trumpeted as massive summer signings, McRae sneaked in through the back door.
But the former London Broncos and Canterbury Bulldogs rugby league player is already worth his weight in gold.
With Horan and Castaignede both absent, he turned on the style to score 24 points and steer Saracens safely through a hazardous Premiership mission at Bristol.
McRae's try, five penalties and two conversions underpinned the 34-23 victory - and left Saracens chief executive Francois Pienaar singing his praises.
''I knew that Duncan was going to be good for us this season. He's been a real star already,'' Pienaar said.
''I'd seen him play on video before we signed him, but our rugby director Alan Zondagh must take all the credit for finding him.'
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