The Tigers had suffered one crushing blow 15 minutes before kick-off when All Black flanker Josh Kronfeld, due to make his debut, twisted an ankle during the warm-up.
The pack contained one Lion, though, with Dorian West playing at hooker to replace Richard Cockerill, who had been detained in hospital for tests after suffering a meningitis scare.
According to Leicester manager Dean Richards, West had been ? badgering to play for weeks?. Richards can expect a lot more badgering this week, with Martin Johnson and the other Lions anxious to be let off the leash against Wasps on Saturday, although the club don?t want them to return for a fortnight.
Leicester, who have made Europe their main objective, responded to Wilkinson?s two early penalties with two tries in rapid succession. Andy Goode seized the first and Geordan Murphy?s slanting break gave Freddie Tuilagi a run-in with no-one close enough to disturb the turquoise beads in his dreadlocks.
However, Newcastle?s rejuvenated team then took a series of wrong options which cost them at least three tries.
Walder?s blunder, four minutes before half-time, was the most glaring. He was flattened as he went for a gap when he should have moved the ball left and given Tuigamala a simple try in the corner.
Newcastle director of rugby Rob Andrew said: ?We gave them too much respect to begin with. If that had gone on they would have squeezed the life out of the game and it would have been a pretty dull affair. If England could score five goals in Munich, then I knew we would find a way through eventually.?
Walder ensured that they did with a strike from more than 30 yards.
Anyone jumping to conclusions should remember that the last time Leicester made a losing start, two seasons ago, they won the title by a street.
