A 59th-minute try from captain Will Welch secured Dean Richards' high-flying Newcastle a 29-17 bonus-point victory over London Irish that took the Falcons to the top of the Aviva Premiership.

A first-half brace from Fijian winger Vereniki Goneva and an opening score by Argentinian centre Juan Pablo Socino effectively secured Newcastle a fourth win from their first five fixtures.

It is their best start to a top-flight season since they ended up winning the title under Rob Andrew's stewardship in the inaugural Premiership campaign.

With Saracens failing to gain a bonus point from their win at Worcester, Welch's crucial score took the Falcons to the top of the tree for the first time since September 2004.

On that occasion, they managed to stay there for a week. This time the tenure could be shorter, depending on Exeter's fate at Leicester and Northampton's at home to Harlequins on Saturday.

The new leaders also face an acid test away to champions Exeter on Saturday week.

Irish plundered late tries from replacements Conor Gilsenan and Tom Fowlie but remain second from bottom with four defeats and one win from their opening five games.

Irish started promisingly, taking a third-minute lead with a penalty by full-back Tommy Bell.

However, once the home side got points on the board, scrum-half Tane Takalua levelling with a 15th-minute penalty, Newcastle regained the momentum that took them to a dramatic 33-32 win at Bath.

With 19 minutes on the clock, Socino pierced the London Irish defence line-break from 40 metres out, racing in unopposed.

Two minutes later Newcastle No. 8 Nili Latu launched a blistering break down the left, the former Tonga captain releasing Takalua with a wonderful pass out of the back of his left hand and the scrum-half shipping a scoring pass inside to Goneva.

Takalua converted both tries, putting Newcastle 17-3 up. The gap stretched to 24-3 after 26 minutes, Takalua again converting after Goneva just managed to land the ball on the line from close range, a score confirmed by TMO Stuart Terheege.

Four minutes into the second half Takalua miscued a penalty attempt but the priority for Newcastle was the try bonus.

It arrived in the 59th minute, the TMO confirming a score for Welch from a driven maul in the right corner.

With 13 minutes remaining, winger Alex Lewington set up Gilsenan for Irish's first try.

Then, in the 70th minute, Fowlie barged over, Bell converting both scores for the Exiles, whose run of Premiership defeats on the road now stands at 17 in a row.