Sale's poor start to the Zurich Premiership season continued as Fraser Waters
scored a first-half hat-trick to help Wasps to a narrow win at Edgeley Park.
Sale gamely clung onto the visitors' coat tails with four Braam van Straaten
penalties and Graham Bond's converted try as the Sharks chased their first home
win of the season but it was not enough.
The fiery encounter began with Waters drifting in on the blind side to score
his first try. Stand-off Mark van Gisbergen drilled over the touch-line
conversion.
The sides swapped penalties before Waters went over again after John Rudd had
cleverly kept the ball in play.
Van Gisbergen converted but three van Straaten penalties in 10 minutes brought
Sale back into the game at 12-17. However, Waters was unstoppable as he crossed
in his favourite corner to complete his hat-trick.
Sale finally found their bite as the half drew to a close and Bond's mixture
of power and pace took him over. Van Straaten's fifth successful kick narrowed
the gap to five points as the Wasps took a 24-19 lead into the half-time
interval.
The second period enjoyed a low-key opening. Van Straaten was desperately
unlucky to see his 45 metre penalty fail to go the distance as his team
struggled to break down a well-marshalled Wasps.
From an almost identical position van Gisbergen's penalty carried and gave the
visitors an eight-point cushion.
Former Sale favourite Phil Greening was replaced by Trevor Leota after 53
minutes and the front-row giant had an immediate impact, forcing Sale back even
further with a series of penetrating runs.
But it was second-row Simon Shaw whose deft hands played in Rudd, who was
allowed to run under the posts past a static home defence.
Sale's pack belatedly spluttered into life and drove over with Matt Cairns
claiming the try to set up a nail-biting finale with Wasps 36-24 ahead with 10
minutes to go.
Van Gisbergen's penalty three minutes from time put the defending champions 11
points clear, a gap which Sale could only narrow with a late penalty try.
Teams
Sharks: Going, Cueto, Mayor, Bond, Hanley, van Straaten,
Walshe, Sheridan, Titterell, Turner, Fullarton, Schofield,
A. Sanderson, Pinkerton, C. Jones.
Replacements: Devlin for Mayor (58), Yates for Sheridan (58),
Cairns for Titterell (58).
Not Used: Stewart, Lund, Hoyle, Wigglesworth.
Tries: Bond, Cairns, Penalty.
Cons: van Straaten 3.
Pens: van Straaten 4.
Wasps: Voyce, Roiser, Waters, Denney, Rudd, van Gisbergen,
Howley, Payne, Greening, Dowd, Shaw, Birkett, Volley, O'Connor,
Scrivener.
Replacements: Richards for Voyce (49), Roberts for Rudd (67),
Leota for Greening (53), Purdy for Shaw (80),
Lock for Scrivener (47).
Not Used: Clarke, Mackenzie.
Tries: Waters 3, Rudd.
Cons: van Gisbergen 4.
Pens: van Gisbergen 3.
Att: 5,803
Ref: G Ashton-Jones (RFU).
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