The Falcons scored three tries in France last Friday to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages following their Round 1 loss at home to Cardiff Blues.

"I'm very pleased overall with the way the lads went,” he told the Newcastle Falcons website. "We had five guys making debuts, they all played well and it's a great experience for them, which will stand them in good stead.

"Castres had a good start, but the boys got stuck in. It wasn't easy out there, it was a great test, but we came through.”

Ponton praised his side for sticking to a game plan that was formulated in the days leading up to the trip to France.

"We stuck to what we'd been practising all week and what we'd talked about pre-match, just about moving the ball one more pass away,” he stated. "We knew that would be the undoing of Castres and it paid dividends in the end."

Ponton went on to explain the advantages of competing in the Challenge Cup, and the positive impact it can have on players and coaching staff.

"It's a good tournament for developing players and as coaches, it's always good when the likes of myself and Mark Laycock get to step up, along with some of our support staff,” he added.

"It's having that extra responsibility and being taken out of your comfort zone, and we really get a lot out of it as coaches."

Newcastle Falcons academy head coach James Ponton was thrilled to see five players impress on their European Rugby Challenge Cup debuts in the English club’s 26-17 victory at Castres Olympique in Round 2.