Newcastle Falcons maintained their unbeaten start to the Premiership Rugby Cup on Sunday at Kingston Park, taking the full five points against Doncaster Knights.

The Falcons led 28-0 at half-time but the visitors came with plenty of attacking intent and got into their offloading game early on, with much of it centred around former Falcon George Wacokecoke.

Newcastle’s defensive line maintained its patience and earned a relieving jackal penalty after absorbing a wave of pressure, and when former Leiecster full-back Telusa Veainu attacked down the right Ethan Grayson stripped the ball in contact and cleared the danger.

The Falcons took a while to find their stride but were much more clinical when they did, opening the scoring on 17 minutes.

Alex Hearle was the man to do it – a Premiership Rugby Cup winner last season with Gloucester whose support of a Brett Connon line-break was rewarded with a try between the posts.

Connon added the conversion, and did so again from wider out four minutes later when Newcastle kicked a penalty to the right corner for hooker Ollie Fletcher to score from the back of an advancing maul.

The third try arrived just before the half-hour and it was a thing of beauty as Grayson rounded off a slick first-phase move in the right corner – Seb de Chaves taking off-the-top line-out ball on halfway before a quick transfer along the back line and a piercing run out wide.

Connon maintained his 100% strike rate with the touchline conversion, and his side had the four-try bonus point with the final play of the half when Freddie Lockwood hit a hard line off the back of a line-out in the right corner – Fletcher having made an earlier incursion.

Another touchline conversion from Connon secured Newcastle’s 28-0 interval lead, but the Knights enjoyed the first score of the second half when replacement lock Euan McVie collected an offload ten metres out to score between the posts – Russell Bennett adding the simple conversion.

The Falcons’ cause was further hampered when Fletcher was sin-binned for killing a ruck on his own 22 around the hour mark, and the extra man gave Doncaster a further spring in their step when flanker Tom Currie scored a converted try from a pick-and-go near the posts.

Connon made it a three-score lead and ran a minute off the clock when he slotted a penalty from 30 metres out in front, Seb de Chaves having won a jackal turnover inside the Doncaster half.

Centre Connor Edwards hit back for the Knights when he hit a hard, straight running line from 20 metres out to score their third converted try, quickly followed by their fourth when Veainu’s fast feet in a crowded right corner saw him jink over.

Bennett’s conversion cut Newcastle’s lead to just three points going into the final five minutes, but they held on for the win.

Newcastle Falcons: 15 Ethan Grayson, 14 Alex Hearle, 13 Connor Doherty, 12 Cameron Hutchison, 11 Oli Spencer, 10 Brett Connon (captain), 9 James Elliott (Max Pepper, 69); 1 Murray McCallum, 2 Ollie Fletcher (Bryan Byrne, 71), 3 Richard Palframan (Mike Rewcastle, 77), 4 Sebastian de Chaves, 5 Kiran McDonald (John Kelly, 56, Callum Hancock, 73), 6 Philip van der Walt, 7 Ollie Leatherbarrow (Reuben Parsons, 55), 8 Freddie Lockwood.

Scorers – Tries: Alex Hearle, Ollie Fletcher, Ethan Grayson, Freddie Lockwood. Conversions: Brett Connon 4. Penalties: Brett Connon.

Doncaster Knights: 15 Telusa Veainu, 14 Zach Kerr, 13 George Wacokecoke, 12 Connor Edwards, 11 Maliq Holden, 10 Russell Bennett, 9 Ollie Fox (Alex Dolly, 40); 1 Andrew Turner, 2 Fred Davies, 3 Joe Jones, 4 Josh Williams, 5 Taniela Ramasibana, 6 Thom Smith, 7 Tom Currie, 8 Morgan Strong (captain).

Scorers – Tries: Euan McVie, Tom Currie, Connor Edwards, Telusa Veainu. Conversions: Russell Bennett 4.

Referee: Joe James. Attendance: 4,113.