Sale Sharks warmed up for next Sunday's Premiership semi-final with Leicester Tigers by scoring eight tries to beat Newcastle in their final league match.

Bevan Rodd and Raffie Quirke crossed after the break before a penalty try, Aaron Reed's score, and James' second.

Newcastle bookended the game with tries first from Pedro Rubiolo and then hooker Jamie Blamire with time up.

It was a 14th defeat of the season for Newcastle, who were already guaranteed to finish bottom of the table.

They could not match Sale's power as the home side responded to going behind with Roebuck claiming George Ford's up-and-under to walk under the posts.

Joe Carpenter then took a short pass to burst through a tackle and passed for James to score five minutes after coming on as a replacement.

The home side scored a third before half-time as they kicked a scrum penalty to the corner, and after the initial maul was halted Curry went over on his 150th appearance for the club.

Sale's forwards were even more dominant after the break and made ground down the right before Rodd was worked over for the bonus-point score.

A loose Newcastle pass presented scrum-half Quirke with a walk-in from 40-yards out before a series of close-range scrums eventually drew a penalty try and a yellow card for Falcons prop Phil Brantingham.

A Curry rampage down the right led to Reed being sent into the right corner before James completed the rout five minutes from time.

Newcastle had the final say as hooker Blamire barged his way over the line with the clock in the red, but there was no masking another chastening afternoon for the Falcons.

Sale: Carpenter, Roebuck, R du Preez, Tuilagi, Reed, Ford, Quirke; Rodd, Ashman, Oosthuizen, J-L du Preez, Hill, Dugdale, B Curry, Ross.

Replacements: Caine, McIntyre, Harper, Beaumont, D du Preez, Ellis, Cliff, S James.

Newcastle: Obatoyinbo, Radwan, Moroni, Orlando, Carreras, Connon, Stuart; Brocklebank, Blamire, Tampin, Peterson, De Chaves, Rubiolo, Van der Walt, Chick.

Replacements: Cade, Brantingham, Palframan, Lockwood, Fearns, Barton, Schoeman, Thomas.

Sin-bin: Brantingham (71).

Referee: Sara Cox.