James Pater and Tommy Freeman ran in hat-tricks as Northampton Saints kicked off their title defence with a comfortable 59-26 win over new-look Newcastle Red Bulls at Franklin's Gardens. Three months after securing a second Prem title against Exeter Chiefs at Allianz Stadium, Saints were dominant against a much-changed Red Bulls side who have welcomed 25 new players this summer.

Three tries each for Pater and Freeman and one each for George Hendy, Alex Coles and Ollie Sleightholme delivered an emphatic scoreline. Fly-half Fin Smith brilliantly conducted the attack as Saints ran in nine tries. Despite the defeat, Newcastle scored four tries and earned a losing bonus point, with Christian Wade scoring twice including a brilliant end-to-end score.

Two yellow cards hampered Newcastle's defensive effort, allowing Saints to stretch clear in the second period. Henry Pollock celebrated his new £400,000 contract extension with an impressive performance, while Werner Kok scored a consolation try late on for Newcastle.

Saints' Tommy Freeman told BBC Radio Northampton: "Good start and lots of points on the board which is good to see but I think there is loads more in us." Newcastle head coach Dan Mc Farland added: "We put a lot of good stuff out there but we were tested today by a really, really good team."