Manu Tuilagi came through his comeback game without any recurrence of the torn pectoral that has kept him out for the past five months, even if Leicester's director of rugby, Richard Cockerill, played down the prospects of parachuting him straight back into the England midfield.

Injured against Newcastle in late September he returned against the same opposition, only a 70th minute sin-binning for a deliberate knock-on blotting an efficient but unspectacular performance. "He seemed to be a bit rusty," said Cockerill, whose side led 14-13 at half-time but powered away after the break.

"Having him back breeds confidence in your team because we know how good he can be and what he can do. He also puts a little bit of fear into the opposition because you are lining up with world-class players, and that is what Manu is. He occasionally got the ball and you saw the threat that he has, but he was a bit rusty in defence and a bit at-sea at times. That will come with playing, but physically he was very good. It is a shame in some ways we have got a couple of weeks' break, but he will go to train with England and they will decide what to do with him."

Tuilagi links up with the national squad on Monday, but it is thought unlikely he would break up the partnership between Luther Burrell and Billy Twelvetrees. "I will be going down to train with the boys, and will just go from there," he said. "Billy and Luther are doing really well, and for me it is just really good to go down there and join in with them. I spoke to Stuart Lancaster last Friday who said to come down and train, and we will see how it goes."

Revealing that he will be stuck with two metal bolts in his humerus for the rest of his life, he said of his Kingston Park comeback: "I was alright after the first 15 minutes. During the week they just said go as long as you can, and I felt really good out there. All the conditioning work paid off, and it was great to get the feel of a rugby ball again. It wasn't a pretty performance, but we got there in the end."

Leicester had a serious fight on their hands, and were caught napping early on by a Newcastle side winless in the league since the end of October. Since then Dean Richards' scrappers have lost 10 successive league games, but they began with gusto in front of their biggest home crowd of the season. The rugby league recruit Lee Smith was handed long-range kicking duties on his Premiership debut, and the Yorkshireman drilled a peach of a penalty from 50 metres out on the left-hand side. Showing flashes in attack, he struggled on occasion to contain the pace and power of Vereniki Goneva, but his run down the left and Scott Lawson's midfield carry paved the way for Noah Cato to cut inside for the day's first try.

Three Owen Williams penalties and one in reply from Phil Godman looked to have Newcastle in a deserved half-time lead, only for Goneva to kick ahead and regather over the try-line for a one-point interval advantage. The home side faded notably thereafter, ill discipline and a resurgent visiting pack seeing another pair of penalties conceded. Scott Lawson's sneaky try from the base of a close-range maul got the hosts to within two, but the champions finished with 21 unanswered points.

"Ben Youngs looked really, really sharp again," said Cockerill of his scrum-half, advancing his claims of a Six Nations recall. "He is pushing himself to be on the bench against Wales, because I think he offers that threat off the bench. That will carry on what England have with Danny Care, and in my opinion he has played himself into the Test 23."

Goneva's second try just past the hour mark all but ensured the outcome on an appalling surface, the Fijian almost claiming a hat-trick from an intercept before Thomas Waldrom powered over for their third. The Argentinian flanker Pablo Matera sealed the bonus point at the end. Cockerill said with a grin afterwards: "We have been crap all season and we are joint third, whereas Bath have been awesome and they are joint third. That's how it works sometimes. We've been crap all year but look where we are. Just think where we could be if we played half-decent."

Newcastle Tait; Cato, Tiesi, Powell (Barnes, 40), Smith; Godman (Hodgson, 67), Blair (Fury, 65); Vickers (Strain, 51), Lawson (McGuigan, 63), Brookes (Tomaszczyk, 62), MacLeod, McKenzie (S Tomes, 72), Welch (capt), Saull, Wilson (York, 71).

Tries Cato, Lawson Con Godman Pens Smith, Godman.

Leicester Tait; Scully, Tuilagi, Bowden, Goneva; Williams (Flood, 73), Youngs (Mele, 65); Ayerza (Stankovich, 75), Youngs, Mulipola (Balmain, 70), Deacon, Slater (capt), Gibson (Waldrom, 55), Matera, Crane.

Tries Goneva 2, Waldrom, Matera Cons Williams 2, Flood Pens Williams 5

Sin-bin B Youngs (55), Tuilagi (69) Flood (79).

Referee Greg Garner Att 7,073