BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | English | Sale scrape past Saints

Sale 24-21 Northampton

Sale Sharks opened their Zurich Premiership campaign with victory over highly-fancied Northampton in a thrilling encounter at Heywood Road.

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Saints' Spanish winger Oriol Ripol touched down in the 80th minute following a period of sustained pressure to level the scores.

I don't often say this but the wrong side won

Saints coach Wayne Smith

But just as Wayne Smith's side thought they had done enough to earn a draw, England's second-choice fly-half Charlie Hodgson scored with a sweetly-struck drop goal to clinch the win.

Hodgson was the star of the show for the Sharks, kicking 21 of his side's 24 points and showing some neat touches in open play which must have impressed watching England boss Clive Woodward.

Sale's Alex Sanderson tackles Northampton's Matt Dawson
Alex Sanderson gets to grips with Matt Dawson

Despite being the more adventurous of the two sides the Manchester club could not cross the Saints' line, while Northampton scored their first try of the night after just 76 seconds.

Paul Grayson fired a perfectly-weighted cross-field kick and England winger Ben Cohen collected to score.

Grayson added the conversion but within six minutes the Sharks had reduced the deficit courtesy of a Jos Baxendell drop goal and a Hodgson penalty.

Both fly-halves kicked three penalties apiece as Saints took a 16-15 lead seven minutes into the second half.

Grayson's last penalty came after Sharks' flanker Pete Anglesea was despatched for foul play, but Saints were soon a man short as well.

Prop Robbie Morris was given 10 minutes for a similar offence, with Hodgson kicking the penalty to edge the hosts back in front.

It was obvious from that performance that Northampton are a quality side

Sharks coach Jim Mallinder

Substitute Chris Budgen then joined his team-mate and front-row colleague Morris in the sin bin when he was shown a yellow card for interfering with the ball on the floor.

That handed Hodgson another easy penalty chance and he duly stretched the Sharks' lead to 21-16.

But as the game neared its conclusion Northampton came alive and they laid siege to the home side's line.

They were helped by another sin-binning, this time for Sharks' substitute Dan Harris, but although Ripol went over Hodgson ensured Sale took the points.

Sale: Robinson, Cueto, Baxendell, Deane, Hanley, Hodgson, Redpath, Yates, Titterrell, Stewart, C. Jones, Schofield, A. Sanderson, Pinkerton, Anglesea.
Replacements: Marais, Thorp, Lines, Perelini, Harris, Going, Walshe.

Northampton: Beal, Ripol, Tucker, Jorgensen, Cohen, Grayson, Dawson, Smith, Thompson, Morris, Hunter, Williams, Blowers, Pountney, Soden.
Replacements: Richmond, Budgen, Hepher, Seely, Vass, Brooks, Sleightholme.

Referee: Steve Leyshon (RFU)


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