With England head coach Eddie Jones in the stand, Newcastle led 16-6 at half-time and after last weekend's heroics against Toulouse, the Falcons looked to be heading for another win against a side boasting a dozen internationals led by France number eight Louis Picamoles.

CRUDE oil fell for the first time in four days on forecasts that US inventories rose and scepticism OPEC will cut production by one million barrels a day.

CRUDE oil in New York, which is headed for the highest average price in 20 years, rose on speculation that an Energy Department report today will show that inventories fell last week.