The Dragons started the night knowing their Anglo-Welsh hopes were already over after a win over Wasps was sandwiched by losses to the Scarlets and Northampton but they would have been disappointed with the outcome at Kingston Park nonetheless.
Lyn Jones saw his side concede four tries in North East England as they slipped to a third reverse to Aviva Premiership opponents this month after last week’s loss to Northampton and an Amlin Challenge Cup defeat to Bath.
The Dragons failed to put any points on the board in a 29-0 scoreline as a brace of tries from Mark Wilson and one apiece from Phil Godman and Fraser McKenzie ensured a comfortable evening for the Falcons.
Former Scotland fly-half Godman crossed with just seven minutes on the clock and the game was all but over by the half-time break as Wilson touched down after 20 and 28 minutes to leave the Dragons with a mountain to climb.
With Godman converting two of the three first-half tries and adding a penalty late on the opening period, the Dragons trailed 22-0 at the interval and were never likely to overturn that substantial deficit despite having the wind at their backs for the final 40 minutes.
The second-half brought a better display from the Dragons but they were unable to capitalise when Falcons hooker Matt Thompson saw yellow for a scrum offence after 47 minutes and their hopes of a heroic comeback never materialised.
Their night was then made even more miserable when openside flanker Nic Cudd was red carded for a dangerous tackle on Adam Powell a minute before Thompson returned to the fold.
The Dragons battled bravely with 14 men for the remaining 24 minutes, keeping Newcastle at bay until McKenzie went over for a try that Rory Clegg converted with just two minutes left.
