Newcastle 27-39 Gloucester: Billy Twelvetrees kicked the visitors to a season-opening win

Billy Twelvetrees had a fine night for Gloucester at Kingston Park

Gloucester skipper Billy Twelvetrees kicked 29 points as the Cherry and Whites began their Aviva Premiership season with a 39-27 win at Newcastle.

The Falcons were hoping to start with a victory for the first time since 2007 but gave away a plethora of penalties as they slipped to defeat at Kingston Park.

Twelvetrees landed two early three-pointers before former New Zealand international Mike Delaney kicked one from halfway in the 12th minute to get the Falcons on the board.

Newcastle were in early trouble at the scrum, losing their own put-in twice, and conceded a penalty just inside halfway in the 15th minute which Twelvetrees landed, before he added another when Simon Hammersley was penalised for not rolling away in the 18th minute.

It was all Gloucester and they made it 17-3 after 25 minutes when scrum-half Willi Heinz darted down the blind side of a ruck and flanker Matt Kvesic went over in the corner.

And the visitors bagged another try on the half-hour, centre Bill Meakes brushing off Ally Hogg's tackle in midfield and sending Charlie Sharples over for a classic winger's try, which Twelvetrees converted.

Newcastle finished the first half on the attack but were unable to break through, prop Rob Vickers getting swamped by the Gloucester cover 15 metres out.

And Twelvetrees kicked penalties either side of the break to make it 30-3, as the hosts' scrummage continued to struggle.

However, Hammersley then broke away to score from 30 metres out and Delaney converted, before adding a penalty to reduce the deficit to 30-13.

But Newcastle gave away yet another penalty at the scrum in the 58th-minute and Twelvetrees kicked his seventh penalty.

The Falcons hit back again with another converted try, this time from Chris Harris, who charged over from midway inside the Gloucester half, but the hosts again partly undid their good work by conceding a penalty which Twelvetrees duly knocked over.

That was 36-20 and, although McGuigan was driven over for the Falcons third try and Delaney landed an excellent conversion to make it 36-27, Twelvetrees appropriately had the final word with his ninth penalty.