Sale ease past Saracens to clinch play-off spot

Gallagher Premiership

Saracens: (3) 10

Tries: Riccioni Cons: Farrell Pens: Farrell

Sale: (10) 20

Tries: Roebuck, du Preez Cons: Ford 2 Pens: Ford 2

Sale secured their play-off place with as they earned a rare away victory at Saracens to end the regular season with five straight wins.

After a cagey opening, Sale hit the front through Tom Roebuck’s converted try before Owen Farrell and George Ford exchanged penalties to give the Sharks a 10-3 half-time lead.

Ford booted the visitors further ahead before Rob du Preez intercepted Alex Lewington's loose pass to walk in and extend the lead to 17 points.

Marco Riccione's close-range try cut the deficit, but it proved too little, too late as a first home defeat since December saw Sarries drop two places to fourth and lose home advantage for the play-off semi-finals.

Both sides could yet meet for the second season running in the Premiership final, with Saracens now facing a tough semi-final trip to table-topping Northampton on Friday, 31 May, while third-placed Sale head to Bath the following day.

Saracens had already secured their play-off spot last weekend, but needed a win to secure home advantage for the semi-finals.

Sale, meanwhile, knew defeat - at a ground where they had lost 11 of 12 previous visits - combined with victories for any of the three sides below them, would cost them their place.

Sharks had lost seven of their previous eight matches on the road, while Sarries had lost just once this season at home.

But the hosts failed to fire for much of the match, as departing stars Owen Farrell and the Vunipola brothers made an underwhelming farewell to the StoneX.

A stop-start, edgy opening 20 minutes betrayed what was at stake for both sides, with Sarries - who lost retiring Sean Maitland to injury in the warm-up - happy to put boot to ball.

The visitors lost Manu Tuilagi to a knock after just 17 minutes in an attritional, physical encounter, but struck first when Roebuck’s step inside outfoxed the home defence and gave him a clear run under the posts.

Farrell’s penalty cut the lead to 7-3 almost immediately, and Sarries enjoyed a huge let-off shortly before the break when England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie collected an overthrown lineout but spilled the ball before touching down.

Yet Ford kicked the visitors further ahead after Sharks’ dominant pack earned a third scrum penalty of the half against the head, and then stretched the lead to two scores with another three points early in the second half.

Sarries continued to misfire and their prospects of a home semi-final were in real jeopardy when Lewington struggled to handle the awkward bounce of Sam’ James’ deep kick and gave du Preez a crucial score.

Sarries finally sparked into life after director of rugby Mark McCall rang the changes, with prop Riccioni going over on 66 minutes - teed up by fellow replacement Theo Dan’s line break.

Farrell’s conversion cut the gap to 10 points, but the visitors’ defence held out impressively under some intense, if belated, Sarries pressure.

Saracens: Daly, Lewington, Cinti, Tompkins, Parton, Farrell, van Zyl, M Vunipola, George, Judge, Itoje, Tizard, Gonzalez, Earl, Willis.

Replacements: Dan, Mawi, Riccioni, Isiekwe, McFarland, B Vunipola, Davies, Goode.

Sale: Carpenter, Roebuck, R du Preez, Tuilagi, O’Flaherty, Ford, Warr, Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, Harper, Wiese, Andrews, Curry (c), Dugdale, JL du Preez.

Replacements: Taylor, McIntyre, John, Bamber, van Rhyn, Quirke, James, Reed.

Referee: Luke Pearce.