Sale followed up their Powergen Cup quarter-final win at Leicester with a
powerhouse display in the Zurich Premiership at Edgeley Park.
Chris Jones, Barry Stewart and Mark Cueto scored tries and Braam van Straaten
kicked 16 points as Saracens were put to the sword.
Sharks dominated this game from start to finish, were solid in the tight and
controlled the line-out.
The back row of man-of-the-match Alex Sanderson and Stuart Pinkerton was
tremendous with Jones deservedly getting on the scoresheet.
But this was a whole team performance which will give added confidence to the
Sharks, who had struggled for form early in the season, before they begin their
Heineken Cup campaign against Cardiff in two weeks' time.
Two penalties from van Straaten as Saracens were penalised for slowing the
ball up emphasised Sale's early domination as they put pressure on the Sarries
line with some forceful pick-and-drive play. From a line-out Jones was driven
over for the opening try, van Straaten adding the extras.
Saracens made a rare incursion into Sale territory and with the home side
coming offside Andy Goode kicked the first points for his side with a penalty in
front of the posts.
But Sale came back again through Bond. Again Sarries slowed the ball up but
this time the referee had had enough and Ben Russell was sent to the sin-bin
giving van Straaten an easy strike at goal and putting the home side 16-3 ahead
at the interval.
In the second period Bryan Redpath came on for Nick Walshe.
Van Straaten added a fourth penalty and, with Redpath now dictating
operations, Sale began to turn the screw. Stewart was driven over from a
line-out with van Straaten converting.
In the closing minutes Charlie Hodgson slipped a neat grubber through a flat
defence and, with Richard Haughton making a hash of it as he went down on the
ball, Cueto hacked on to score the third try. Hodgson's conversion were the
outside half's first points in the league this season.
Teams:
Sale: Going, Cueto, van Straaten, Bond, Mayor, Hodgson, Walshe,
Sheridan, Cairns, Stewart, Fullarton, Schofield, A. Sanderson,
Pinkerton, C. Jones.
Replacements: Baxendell for van Straaten (67),
Redpath for Walshe (48), Yates for Sheridan (47),
Titterell for Cairns (56), Turner for Stewart (61),
White for Schofield (56).
Not Used: Lund.
Tries: C. Jones, Stewart, Cueto.
Cons: van Straaten 2, Hodgson.
Pens: van Straaten 4.
Saracens: Haughton, Bailey, Johnston, Little, O'Mahony, Goode,
Williams, Bergamaschi, Marsters, Broster, Raiwalui, Chesney,
Roques, B. Russell, Randell.
Replacements: Cech for Little (67), Castaignede for Goode (40),
R. Russell for Marsters (30), Sparks for Broster (70),
Skirving for B. Russell (73).
Not Used: Legge, Kirton.
Pens: Goode.
Sin Bin: B. Russell (36).
Att: 5,487
Ref: M. Fox (RFU).
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