It was back down to earth with a bump for Newcastle Falcons on Saturday as Gloucester ran out comprehensive winners in their Gallagher Premiership encounter at Kingsholm.

The hosts led 26-0 at half-time and were up inside three minutes when flanker Jack Clement scored an unconverted try in the left corner after slick hands along the line.

Newcastle kicked a penalty to the right corner in an attempted reply but failed to convert the attacking line-out, with Ben Stevenson stealing a succession of high balls during the midfield kicking exchanges.

But it was Gloucester doing all the damage on the scoreboard, Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams finishing a two-on-one down the right after being fed by Christian Wade for a converted try.

Josh Hathaway was held up over the try-line as the Cherry and Whites’ thirst for further tries continued, and they found their third of the afternoon on 20 minutes when replacement hooker Seb Blake was driven over from a maul in the left corner.

Anscombe converted, but the Falcons kept plugging away as line-breaks from Sam Stuart, Tom Gordon and Callum Chick got them in behind the defensive line – albeit without impacting the scoreboard.

Gloucester were denied a fourth try on 36 minutes when the TMO spotted obstruction at a maul in the left corner, but they had the bonus point and a 26-0 interval lead when Jack Singelton crossed in the final play of the half – the hooker fed into the right corner after a pair of penalties earned them easy metres.

A Tom Gordon jackal penalty on his own 22 prevented a fifth home try when the flanker pinched the ball on the floor from Hathaway’s burst down the left, and his side soon had a man extra when home fly-half Gareth Anscombe was sin-binned for back-chat.

The visitors enjoyed their best spell of pressure with a succession of phases five metres from the Gloucester line, but the wall of red stood firm as Newcastle could not find a way to convert.

The TMO denied the home side a fifth try when Max Llewellyn’s score from a cross-field kick was pulled back for an earlier knock-on, and the Falcons finally got on the scoreboard from the resulting play.

It was one for the hookers as Ollie Fletcher fed Jamie Blamire for a try down the left, with fit-again Brett Connon slotting the conversion.

But Gloucester responded almost instantly when Christian Wade scored in the right corner seven minutes from time, scooping up a cross-field grubber, followed quickly by Hathaway’s late try down the left.

Newcastle Falcons: 15 Alex Hearle, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Connor Doherty (Cameron Hutchison, 76), 12 Sammy Arnold, 11 Ben Stevenson, 10 Ethan Grayson (Brett Connon, 60), 9 Sam Stuart (Joe Davis, 63); 1 Adam Brocklebank (Luan de Bruin, 57), 2 Jamie Blamire, 3 Richard Palframan (Murray McCallum, 57), 4 Pedro Rubiolo, 5 John Hawkins (Sebastian de Chaves, 29), 6 Philip van der Walt (Freddie Lockwood, 25), 7 Tom Gordon (Ollie Fletcher, 46), 8 Callum Chick (captain).

Scorers – Tries: Jamie Blamire. Conversions: Brett Connon.

Gloucester: 15 Josh Hathaway, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Max Llewellyn, 12 Charlie Atkinson, 11 Ollie Thorley, 10 Gareth Anscombe (Louis Hillman-Cooper, 70), 9 Tomos Williams (Caolan Englefield, 66); 1 Val Rapava-Ruskin (Jamal Ford-Robinson, 55), 2 Jack Singleton (Seb Blake, 51), 3 Afolabi Fasogbon (Ciaran Knight, 60), 4 Arthur Clark (Matias Alemanno, 66), 5 Freddie Thomas, 6 Jack Clement (Harry Taylor, 38), 7 Lewis Ludlow (captain), 8 Zach Mercer.

Scorers – Tries: Jack Clement, Tomos Williams, Seb Blake, Jack Singleton, Christian Wade, Josh Hathaway. Conversions: Gareth Anscombe 3.

Referee: Ian Tempest. Attendance: 10,904.