Newcastle...............20
Bath........................15
Newcastle are just a point away from lifting the Allied Dunbar Premiership after holding off a determined challenge from Bath in a tension-filled encounter in front of 11,000 fans at Gateshead.
Veteran Bath full-back Jon Callard threatened to ruin the Falcons' title hopes with a magnificent display of place-kicking, but Rob Andrew's men deserved the crucial victory after scoring the only tries of the match.
The win enabled Newcastle to maintain an unbeaten home League record stretching back two seasons and means that the championship will go north of Leicester for the first time if they take a point from their final match at Harlequins on Sunday.
Newcastle were forced to overcome the potentially devastating loss of captain Dean Ryan after only 10 minutes. Play was held up for almost five minutes as the England forward received treatment on the field after being knocked out.
qWILL Greenwood was given the go-ahead to join England's summer tour after a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel last night decided to take no further action following his red card at Newcastle last week. He was sent off last Monday after he appeared to headbutt Rob Andrew.
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