Hugh was looking for a confidence-boosting performance ahead of Friday's Celtic League opener against the Dragons but he was left with more questions than answers in terms of deciding on his best starting line-up.
Hugh said in today's : "We looked pretty useful in the first 10 minutes and made some decent line breaks to get in behind them.
"But then we allowed them to dominate us. We were probably a bit guilty of being over-enthusiastic and impatient and that led to unforced, basic mistakes.
"We didn't look as sharp as we should have. Newcastle certainly did, despite the fact that had just come off the plane after their Japanese tour.
"When we did have them under pressure we let them off the hook, gave them easy territory and too many penalties. And when they had the openings they took their chances.
"They scored four tries from set-pieces, so that is something we will have to look at closely before the Dragons come to Hughenden.
"There were some plus points. Falcons now have a big physical pack and I thought we scrummaged very well against them. But our line-out game wasn't too good.
"They were a bit more streetwise than us and it has raised the awareness of our guys. They now know what standard they have to reach to play top quality rugby and we got the kind of kick in the pants we need.
"It was better to get it at Newcastle than at Hughenden on Friday."