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Gallagher Premiership
Sale (12) 39
Tries: D du Preez, Rodd, Reed 2, Opoku-Fordjour, Cowan-Dickie Cons: R du Preez 3 Pens: R du Preez
Leicester (11) 25
Tries: Smith, Steward. Martin Cons: Pollard, Shillcock Pens: Pollard 2
Sale Sharks produced a stunning four-try display in the second half as Leicester Tigers’ hopes of keeping pace at the top of the Premiership took a hammering.
Michael Cheika’s side began in irresistible form as Nicky Smith opened his account for the club and Handre Pollard kicked one of several penalties conceded by the hosts to seemingly take charge.
Sale responded as Dan du Preez scored on his 100th Sharks appearance and Bevan Rodd powered over to edge them ahead.
Leicester folded in the second half as Arron Reed raced over twice, and Asher Opoku-Fordjour and the excellent Luke Cowan-Dickie added further scores, with Freddie Steward and George Martin conjuring Tigers’ only responses.
Leicester went into the match having lost in their six previous visits to the Salford Community Stadium but they were firm favourites having lost only once this season.
They underlined that status by piling on the pressure, forcing five penalties and a warning from referee Adam Leal to Sale in the opening ten minutes, and Wales prop Smith forced his way over after intense pressure on the line, with Pollard adding a penalty shortly afterwards.
Sale have been struggling lately but they were boosted by the return of their England contingent, and they suddenly clicked into gear after weathering the early storm, Luke James flipping a pass for Dan du Preez to go over from close range.
Cowan-Dickie was excellent both in the pack and the loose and his break made the space that fellow front-rower Rodd needed to force his way over and give Sale a one-point lead at the break.
That was quickly extended as Reed raced over for two tries at the start of the second half but with George Ford having his thigh strapped, Rob du Preez’s inconsistent kicking kept Leicester in with a sniff.
Prop Opoku-Fordjour, fresh from his England debut last weekend, spotted a gap to pick the ball from a ruck and dash over for what looked like a killer try, especially with du Preez adding the extras.
A yellow card for Joe Heyes added to the Tigers’ woes but they struck back while down to 14, as debutant Ged Holloway intercepted and kicked ahead to launch an attack finished by Steward.
Cowan-Dickie went over for a deserved try by peeling off a maul, but George Martin’s late score had Leicester scrambling for a possible bonus point that never came.
Defeat leaves Leicester in third, five points behind leaders Bath and Bristol Bears, while Sale move up to sixth.
Post-match reaction
Sale Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson:
“We scored a couple of tries in the first half and then just came out brave.
“We’ve talked about being brave when we attack and they went out in the second half and looked to play.
“There were some good lines and tries against the best – statistically speaking – defence in the Premiership.”
Leicester Tigers head coach Michael Cheika told BBC Radio Leicester:
“We just weren’t realigned back to what’s required, especially when you come to this block of the competition, when teams are in certain positions, they know time is starting to run out and there’s a little urgency required.
“We did some good work in patches but the fundamentals of the game weren’t consistent enough – the scrum gave far too many penalties, we were dominated in the maul and defensively we weren’t at our level.
“Once those things are in place, it doesn’t matter how well you attack or what you do, because those other fundamentals are the basis of the game.”
Sale: Carpenter; Roebuck, R. du Preez, James, Reed; Ford, Warr; Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, Opoku-Fordjour, Van Rhyn, Andrews, T Curry, B Curry, D du Preez.
Replacements: McElroy, McIntyre, Harper, JL du Preez, Burrow, Dugdale, Quirke, Addison.
Leicester: Steward; Watson, Perese, Kata, Hassell-Collins; Pollard, Van Poortvliet; Smith, Clare, Heyes, Martin, Manz, Liebenberg, Reffell, Cracknell.
Replacements: Vanes, Cronin, Cole, Holloway, Ilione, Youngs, Shillcock, Wand.
Sin-bin: Heyes (54).
Referee: Adam Leal.