Northampton Saints began their Premiership title defence with a commanding 59-26 victory over Newcastle Red Bulls at Franklin’s Gardens. The champions’ attacking quality, led by fly-half Fin Smith, proved too much for a Newcastle side featuring 25 new players, although the visitors showed promise by scoring four tries and securing a losing bonus point.

James Pater and Tommy Freeman each scored three tries, while George Hendy, Alex Coles and Ollie Sleightholme also crossed for Northampton. Christian Wade scored twice for Newcastle, with further tries from Cam Jordan and Werner Kok; Newcastle’s discipline was also costly, as Harrison Obatoyinbo and Pouri Rakete-Stones were both sent to the sin bin.