It was just like the Alex Cuthbert of old.
When the ball reached the Exeter winger some 35 metres out, he still had lots of work to do.
There was one Newcastle player in front of him and cover coming across.
But the Wales and Lions international proceeded to roll back the years with a classic Cuthbert finish.
A swerve took him outside the despairing dive of full-back Joel Hodgson and then his pace and strength enabled him to break the tackle of replacement Cooper Vuna and reach the line.
The clap and punch of celebration that followed spoke volumes because it’s been a really tough time for the 30-year-old.
Injuries have plagued him since he joined Exeter from Cardiff Blues in 2018.
Having faced a lengthy lay-off after undergoing surgery on his hamstring in December 2019, he was then struck down by a calf muscle tear last October.
So his Premiership outing against the Falcons at Kingston Park on Sunday was his first appearance in four months.
But he certainly hit the ground running, with his outstanding finish helping reigning champions Exeter secure a valuable 15-9 victory.
It was a try that was warmly welcomed by former Wales team-mates delighted to see him back in action.
Harlequins hooker Scott Baldwin said: “Good to see the big man back doing Cuthy things”, while Sam Warburton added his congratulations in emoji fashion.
Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter was full of praise for Cuthbert’s classy contribution.
“That little bit of quality can pay dividends,” he said.
“I am really pleased for Alex because he has had a pretty nightmarish period with injuries. It has been one injury to another.
“He has got back on the field and played very well for us.
“He has got himself to where he needs to be, he is one of our best rehabbers, which allows him to come back in the condition to perform like he has and he has played a huge part in securing the win.
“He is going to add a bit of quality over these next six or seven weeks when there are going to be a lot of tough games and he is going to play a big part in those.”
Baxter says Cuthbert has shown real commitment in his efforts to get back on the field.
“He is quite a tough cookie,” he said.
“He has kind of rolled from injury to injury a lot of time he has been here, but he is one of the hardest working rehab people we have had.
“The conditioners and the physios can’t talk highly enough about how perfectionist he is and how hard he works to get himself right.
“That is all you can ask of a player. You can’t ask players not to get injured. That is not how it works. All you can do is ask them to give every opportunity to get back on the field when they can and be ready to play and he does that every single time.
“It’s just one of those things, players pick up injuries and you have got to condition them through it and get them fit to play again.
“He had a quite significant muscle tear and we just had to give him proper time.”
It’s more than three years now since Cuthbert won the last of his 47 Wales caps, with his move to Exeter having made him ineligible under the WRU 60-cap rule.
He scored 16 tries with the three feathers on his chest, including the Grand Slam-clincher against France in 2012 and two touchdowns in the 30-3 demolition of England that secured the 2013 Six Nations title, while there was also a Lions Test try versus Australia later that year.
