SALING HOME

Windy. Wet. A far cry from May’s Premiership final between the two sides, Sale hosted Saracens at the AJ Bell, looking to put right their spring shortcomings. Impeccable home form would bode well for the Sharks, while Sarries looked to return to winning away, following recent defeat to the Bulls in South Africa. Ford vs Farrell the obvious match-up, but the battle of the packs perhaps the most mouth-watering.

19:45. Kick-off.

An early penalty from a confident Sarries was the highlight for most of their first half. 17 minutes on the clock, Sale struck the line first. Line-out, maul, and a surge from Agustin Creevy, in what would signal the start of a dominant, bullying display from the Sharks’ pack. A heavyweight encounter followed for the remainder of the first half - both sides trading punches, but Sale the clear powerhouse. A surprise then when, with the clock in the half-time red, a ropey George Ford pass was stolen mid-flight by the intercepting Ivan Van Zyl. A 40 metre sprint to the line, unopposed.

Saracens up 7-10 at the break. Lucky.

Back out for the second 40, Sale looked immediately to banish their end-of-half mistake. Linespeed and industrious tackling rapidly forcing a Saracens error. A regular sight for Saracens viewers this season, a blocked Farrell grubber - this time sitting up for centre Rob du Preez to stride towards the Saracens’ 22. A mistake however, going to ground, when a pass outside would surely have sent clinical finisher Tom Roebuck over the line. Inconsequential perhaps, as Sale and Roebuck crashed over from the resulting scrum. A slick set piece move with Fly Half Ford at the centre, exploiting the inside shoulder of new Saracens Lucio Cinti.

Less than 5 minutes later, another blow to the away side. A high tackle from Alec Clarey. Off for 10. Within seconds, the dominant Sale pack would shift into over-drive against Sarries’ depleted 7 - repeating their first score with bulldozing power and efficiency. Line-out, maul, then the crash over from replacement hooker Cowan-Dickie.

A comfortable 9 point gap, closed only slightly by a Farrell penalty.

Sale also looked to continue their supremacy of the windy night skies - a hard chasing Roebuck vs a struggling Cinti. Conversely, in the first half, Sarries seemed to profit far more from playing ball in hand - quick taps and offloads outshining their kicking game. It’s no wonder then that their second try came from a line-break - a rampaging Maro Itoje picking from the base of the ruck, galloping into the Sale 22 to put Gareth Simpson over.

The gap only 2, but a scoreless last 15. Scrum penalties had plagued Sarries throughout the night, but as they looked to chase the game, their set-piece crumbled entirely.

22-20. Not quite a Christmas cracker it promised to be.

Individually, perhaps only a freshly barbered Maro stood out for the Men-in-Black(-in-white). Resilient tackling, energetic and popping up with star moments. Theo Dan too continued to impress from the bench, and one wonders if his form merits starting over our beloved George. But once again, like much of the season, the Saracens scrum faltered too often - the same penalties pinning them back in their 22. The Sale pack licking their lips at every opportunity. Onto the final game of 2023. 2 premiership losses on the trot. Saracens will need to bounce back.

SALE SHARKS

Carpenter, Roebuck, R Du Preez, Tuilagi (Bedlow), Reed, Ford, Warr; Harrison, Creevy (Cowan-Dickie), Schonert (Asher Opoku-Fordjour), Wiese, Hill (Beaumont), Van Rhyn, Curry, J-L Du Preez

SARACENS

Goode, Cinti, Tompkins, Hartley, Maitland (Parton), Farrell, Van Zyl (Simpson); M Vunipola (West), George (Dan), Clarey (Mulipola), Itoje, McFarland (Knight), Gonzales, Christie, B Vunipola (Tizard)

SCORERS:-
SALE: Tries: Creevy, Roebuck, Cowan-Dickie; Conv:Ford (2) Pen: Ford

SARACENS: Tries: Van Zyl, Simpson; Conv: Farrell (2); Pens: Farrell (2)

Referee: Ian Tempest