Geraghty has Falcons clutching at thin air

London Irish 48 Newcastle 8: Relegation fears for Newcastle after lesson from Irish's England fly-half

(David Ashdown)

The New Year knighthood awarded to Sir John Madejski, eponymous owner of London Irish's adopted ground, may not be the last honour heading this way. Madejski's Reading are doing well in football's Championship, while the Irish retooktheir place at the summit of rugby's Premiership with this seven-try romp.

Newcastle are flirting only with relegation and, despite the example of Harlequins or Northampton in previous seasons, it is difficult to argue that going down would do them good. Their position is perilous in a number of respects.

Chief among these is a lack of incisive quality. Irish had a bonus point in the bag after 29 minutes, yet Newcastle had looked more promising. Their trouble was that they made more sideways moves than a hermit crab, whereas the home team, once into the match, were direct and thrusting, none more so than Shane Geraghty, the fly-half, who must be yearning for an injury-free run and the chance to prove himself a viable England alternative to Danny Cipriani, Toby Flood or Jonny Wilkinson.

A penalty by Peter Hewat put Irish ahead before Topsy Ojo intercepted a lobbed pass from the Newcastle scrum-half, James Grindal, and sprinted 40 metres for the opening try. Hewat converted: 10-0.

While Newcastle's passes came with a "Hail Mary" the Irish trusted to more reliable forces: Geraghty's wit and invention, the smart linking play of the centres, Seilala Mapusua and Elvis Seveali'i, and a turbo-charged back row. "That was Shane's best game of the season," said Irish's head coach, Toby Booth. "He brought his game control and his individual brilliance, which was useful as [the England attack coach] Brian Smith was sitting right in front of me."

Rory Clegg, the 19-year-old whohas been growing up fast in the Newcastle No 10 jersey, kicked a penalty after 15 minutes but Irish were over again seven minutes later. Steffon Armitage, the openside flanker hoping for a first senior England call-up when Martin Johnson names his reconstituted 32-man squad on 14 January, caught a line-out that was never intended for him and scored unopposed. Hewat converted. Not quite the luck of the Irish: the thrower, David Paice, was born in Brisbane and Armitage in Trinidad, though both were in the last England Saxons squad.

Irish's other Armitage – the incumbent England full-back, Delon – was absent for the second match running, suffering a flare-up in the toe he broke last year, and he predicted a "couple more weeks" off, which would leave him two European Challenge Cup matches before the Six Nations openeragainst Italy on 7 February.

Otherwise the Irish have peer pressure going for them. In theabsence of four other regular first-teamers Declan Danaher, the long-serving flanker, scored for the third consecutive match on 26 minutes to make it 22-3 after Geraghty's show-and-go left Newcastle's hooker, Matt Thompson, for dead. Thompson knew the loneliness of the well-beaten runner on several occasions when matched against quicker Irish opponents. He is the son of the Falcons' chairman, Dave, who does not have his troubles to seek. Since 1999 the redoubtable IT millionaire has picked up the shortfall in cash at Kingston Park, where the core support is smallerthan Northampton's or Harlequins', almost single-handed, reportedly paying a six-figure sum in October to stave off a winding-up order from HM Revenue and Customs.

If the drop came, would Thompson Snr keep the squad intact? Carl Hayman, the All Black prop, is thought to be pining for home. Even Wilkinson's admirable loyalty would be tested by the possibility of seeing out his club career in the second division.

There is a different kind of continuity at Irish, where several directors have been in place since professionalism's big bang. The majority of the 12-man board are Irish – a recent inclusion was the former Ireland captain Keith Wood – and even the biggest hitter among the 840 shareholdersis restricted to a maximum 12.5 per cent holding.

Wood in his prime would have been proud of Geraghty's dart and Seve-ali'i's behind-the-back switch to Hewat for the fourth try. The fifth went to the promising prop Alex Corbisiero – who doubtless learned a few things from Hayman – early in the second half, and Hewat's conversion had Irish 36-3 up. Clegg's bottle was not in doubt: one head-on tackle of a juggernauting Mapusua deserved a medal. At the other end of the age scale, Mike Catt, 37 years young, chased his own hack down the left for Irish's sixth try in the 64th minute; a red face, perhaps, for the outrun Steve Jones. But Jones had a hand, or rather a deft chip, in the Falcons' try, and a good one it was. Tane Tu'ipulotu, the Tongan who did a few good things early on, ran on to the kick and flung a scoring pass out to the wing Tim Visser.

It was temporary respite, and when Catt worked a simple scissors for Mapusua to score at the posts, Geraghty converted. After defeat at Saracens ended a long winning run a week ago, this was a response in keeping with the announcer's familiar exhortation: "Keep it GOING, Irish".

London Irish: P Hewat (M Catt, 52); T Ojo, E Seveali'i(C Gower, 59), S Mapusua, T Homer; S Geraghty, P Hodgson (A Lalanne, 64); A Corbisiero (D Murphy, 52), D Paice (J Buckland, 52), T Lea'aetoa, J Hudson, B Casey (capt; K Roche, 45), D Danaher, C Hala'Ufia, S Armitage (R Thorpe, 52).

Newcastle: T May; T Visser, J Noon, T Tu'ipulotu, J Rudd(D Williams, 64); R Clegg (S Jones, 59), J Grindal (M Young, 45); M Ward (D Wilson, 40), M Thompson (R Vickers, 40), C Hayman (Ward, 76), G Parling, M Sorenson, P Dowson (capt), A Balding (E Williamson, 52), B Wilson.

Referee: C Berdos (France).