The Red Bull era is up and running but Saracens have come to relish the role of party-poopers over the years and duly proceeded to burst Newcastle’s bubble. Owen Farrell was rarely far from the action on his second Saracens debut – 17 years after his first – and though Nathan Michelow was shown the Prem’s first 20-minute red card for the visitors, this was an illustration of the length of the road ahead for the Red Bulls.
Newcastle are not the first side to struggle to escape Saracens’ stranglehold and there were certainly some bright moments. The No 8 Amanaki Mafi was the pick of the summer signings, while Kingston Park has rarely been as vibrant as this in recent years and the manner in which a first sellout crowd in seven years celebrated Freddie Clarke’s try, with the game already up, felt telling. Truth be told, however, this was more reality check than revolution.
