Sale 8 (3)
Tries: McAlister
Pens: McAlister

Leicester reached the semi-finals of the EDF Energy Cup with an emphatic win at a rain-sodden Welford Road.

Johne Murphy's try after just four minutes gave the Tigers the initiative in a match where the weather conditions dictated much of the play.

Andy Goode's penalty gave Leicester a 10-3 half-time lead, and his side had too much know-how after the break.

Dan Hipkiss, Tom Varndell and Tom Croft all crossed to render Luke McAlister's try for Sale a mere consolation.

Leicester won the tournament last season, and this powerful performance, against an in-form Sale side, served notice that they have every intention of holding onto the trophy.

The heavy rain ensured that there would be plenty of kicking, and Goode's series of early up-and-unders put Sale under pressure.

Goode then played a part in his side's first try as he linked with Geordan Murphy to put Johne Murphy over in the right-hand corner, and the fly-half then kicked the conversion.

McAlister, making his second appearance since arriving at the club from New Zealand, kicked a penalty after 11 minutes to cut the gap, but Leicester were still dominating possession and territory.

Ollie Smith's sharp break created another try-scoring opportunity for Leicester, but Goode's kick to the left corner was too strong for Johne Murphy.

Goode made amends with a 38th-minute penalty for a seven-point lead at the break, but he missed with a drop-goal attempt six minutes into the second half.

Tigers began to tighten their grip on their match as Sam Vesty's jinking 30m run through midfield ended with Goode supplying the pass for Hipkiss to score under the posts.

Sale briefly threatened a comeback when McAlister finished off an overlap out wide on the left, but Leicester soon reasserted themselves.

The Tigers had a Varndell try ruled out on 64 minutes for a forward pass, but a Goode penalty put them 12 points clear soon after.

Leicester's third try effectively settled the match, with Goode intercepting McAlister's chip on his own 22 before offloading for Varndell to score from half-way.

Croft grabbed another interception try in injury time to put the finishing touch to an impressive victory.

"We're improving each game, but we need to be at a very high level next week (against Toulouse in the Heineken Cup).

"The team was really solid throughout the game against Sale. We put in a very good performance and I'm satisfied.

"We had to be sure than we controlled possession and we did that."

"We were playing catch-up rugby and took some risks and they punished us.

"I thought we could get the game back after Luke McAlister's try, but there was an interception and that was it.

"We matched them for much of the game and I was pleased with the pack but the last few minutes were disappointing."

Leicester: Geordan Murphy; Johne Murphy, Ollie Smith, Dan Hipkiss, Tom Varndell; Andy Goode, Frank Murphy; Marcos Ayerza, Benjamin Kayser, Julian White, Louis Deacon, Ben Kay, Martin Corry (capt), Lewis Moody, Jordan Crane.
Replacements: George Chuter, Alex Moreno, James Hamilton, Tom Croft, Ben Youngs, Sam Vesty, Ayoola Erinle.

Sale: Mark Cueto; Julien Laharrague, Luke McAlister, Rudi Keil, Rory Lamont; Charlie Hodgson, Sililo Martens; Lionel Faure, Scott Lawson, Eifion Roberts, Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, Christian Day, Jason White (capt), Magnus Lund, Nathan Bonner Evans.
Replacements: Sebastien Bruno, Stuart Turner, Dean Schofield, Sean Cox, James Jones, Richard Wigglesworth, Chris Mayor.