A second successive hat-trick for Sale winger Steve Hanley helped book a
Tetley's Bitter Cup semi-final against Newcastle.
Victory over struggling Waterloo was never in doubt, it was merely a question
of by how many and the home side did not disappoint their loyal fans.
Unfortunately only 2,028 braved the elements at Heywood Road which will be of
some concern to RFU bosses as well as to the club as they prepare for the
semi-finals.
Sale ripped into their opponents from Liverpool straight from the whistle with
winger Jason Robinson opening the floodgates after seven minutes.
More tries flooded in during an impressive first half from prop Adam Black,
inside centre Mel Deane and outside centre Martin Shaw.
Fly-half Charlie Hodgson did not miss a kick all day and the home side went in
31-0 ahead.
After the break Hanley showed the Waterloo defence a clean pair of heels as he
extended Sale's lead from the kick-off and added another 10 minutes later.
Deane ran in his second before Waterloo hit a rich vein of form to score twice
in five minutes through replacement scrum-half Craig Aikman.
Hanley ran in number three with just a couple of minutes remaining and Hodgson
slotted over kick number nine to round off a 100% performance which sees Sale
through to the last four.
Fans' thoughts now turn to a possible repeat of Sale's 1997 Twickenham
appearance against Leicester but semi-final opponents Newcastle will provide far
stiffer opposition than today's visitors.
Sale:
Tries: Robinson, Black, Deane 2, Shaw, Hanley 3.
Cons: Hodgson 8.
Pens: Hodgson.
Team: Going, Hanley, Shaw, Deane, Robinson, Hodgson, Redpath,
Black, Jackman, Bell, Manson-Bishop, Whittle, Lines, Appleyard,Perelini.
Replacements: Davidson for Going (52), Little for Deane (61),
Knight for Redpath (56), Rusk for Jackman (56),
Thiel for Bell (40), Fletcher for Whittle (40),Morris for Perelini (29).
Sin Bin: Morris (63).
Waterloo:
Tries: Aikman 2.
Cons: Telford.
Team: Brennand, Harrison, F. Payne, Telford,
Edwards,Handley, Morris, M. O'Keefe, Holt, Dennehy, White, Allica,
Wolfenden, Pilkington, Blyth.
Replacements: Lunt for Telford (78), Griffies for Edwards (73),
Aikman for Morris (61), Nicholas for Holt (78),
Reay for Dennehy (53), McGowan for Allica (49),Mercer for Pilkington (69).
Att: 2,228
Ref: Brian Campsall (RFU).
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