A last-gasp Luke Smith penalty handed Saracens a nail-biting victory over
Sale.
The win, Saracens' fourth of the season, moves the Vicarage Road club from
eighth to sixth in the Zurich Premiership table.
But for Sale this was a golden opportunity missed. If they had won, they would
have levelled with Premiership leaders Leicester at the top of the ladder.
Sale, however, stay second having collected a crucial bonus point because they
scored four tries.
Right from the beginning both sides were exchanging scores. Saracens fly-half
Smith got the ball rolling with an early penalty but despite Sale being a man
down with the sin-binning of Alex Sanderson the visitors were the first on the
scoreboard with a try.
Full-back Vaughan Going benefited from a Charlie Hodgson crosskick to Mark
Cueto who fed Going on the right wing.
But the tables soon turned when Tim Horan charged down a Hodgson clearance
kick to scramble his way over the line. Smith converted to put Saracens 10-5
ahead at the break.
Sale soon bounced back. Winger Steve Hanley scored a spectacular try after 47
minutes. Forward Scott Lines fed the ball to Hanley who powered his way
through.
Number eight Pete Anglesea followed up Hanley's try minutes later and this
time England's new boy Hodgson converted to put Sale 17-13 ahead.
But Saracens were clearly not going to take defeat lying down and Darragh
O'Mahony fought back for the home side.
After a sustained Saracens attack the ball was spread wide for Horan to feed
O'Mahony on the left wing. He foiled the Sale defence with a dummy and crashed
over the line.
Smith once again converted to put Saracens 20-17 ahead but just a minute later
centre Martin Shaw touched down for Sale's fourth try.
Hodgson crucially missed the conversion and with Saracens Smith adding two
penalties to Hodgson's one in the dying minutes of the game Saracens narrowly
clinched victory.
Teams
Saracens: Winnan, Haughton,
Horan, Sorrell, O'Mahony, Smith,
Walshe, Flatman, Cairns, Phillips, A. Benazzi, Hooper,
Cheesebrough, Roques, Roche.
Not Used: Harbut, Parkes, Peacey, Cole, Hampson, Sparg, Arasa.
Tries: Horan, O'Mahony.
Cons: Smith 2.
Pens: Smith 4.
Sale: Going, Cueto, Shaw, Deane, Hanley, Hodgson, Bramhall,
Yates, Titterrell, Turner, Fullarton, Lines, Pinkerton,
A. Sanderson, Anglesea.
Replacements: Marais for Titterrell (69),
Black for Turner (70), Perelini for Anglesea (68).
Not Used: Dickens, Baxendell, Davidson, Wilkes.
Sin Bin: A. Sanderson (17).
Tries: Going, Hanley, Anglesea, Shaw.
Cons: Hodgson.
Pens: Hodgson.
Att: 6,059
Ref: Roy Maybank (RFU).
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