Matchday Live

Sale squandered a ten-point half time lead to lose a decisive, potentially play-off deciding match to Leicester by 44-34.

Having wrapped up the try bonus point in the first half through scores from Luke Cowan-Dickie, Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, Arron Reed, and Rob du Preez, Sale were their own worst enemy in the second half as good attacking ball was coughed up and the defence leaked penalties.

Braces for Ollie Hassell-Collins and Emeke Ilione punished the visitors, and gave Tigers all five points, limiting Sale to just one to dash hopes of a home semi-final, and set up a tense final two games of the season against fellow play-off chasers Bristol, and Exeter.

With bonus points the minimum requirement regardless of the result, Sale started fast, and in typically brutish fashion when they forced a scrum penalty on Leicester’s feed, Cowan-Dickie dotting down off the consequent maul to celebrate his Lions call up.

That lead was short-lived when Tigers’ Adam Radwan converted an extended period of phase play in Sharks’ 22, before Handre Pollard knocked over a penalty.

In a topsy-turvy first quarter, Sale retook the lead through a superb Ma’asi-White score, the in-form centre ghosting through the line untouched as Rob du Preez isolated Tigers defenders in a stretched line.

A Pollard penalty would give Tigers another slender lead, but Sale’s Reed finished another top class team try when he switched back onto Ford’s inside after the fly half made another line break 40m out, attacking the line with some well-earned front foot ball by Dan du Preez and Ben Bamber.

Pollard knocked over a third penalty, but Sale scored their bonus point try on the stroke of half time, benefitting once again from the omnipresent class of Ford, the 99-cap England ten squaring up the Tigers line to put Rob du Preez through untouched.

The ten point half time cushion perhaps should’ve been added as Sale dominated the first ten of the second, but Tigers were the first to land a blow. Forcing offloads and choking up the ball, Sale could only watch on as Pollard went cross field to Ollie Hassell-Collins, the winger making the most of the open space to coast past Jean-Luc du Preez and Ford.

That man Hassell-Collins stepped up again to punish Sale mistakes on the hour mark when a charged down kick pinned Sale on their own five metre. The set piece was knocked on and Sale looked to have spared their blushes as rush defence forced a spill, but Hassell-Collins recovered it, stepped inside and dotted down.

Errors compounded on errors, and Leicester stretched their lead to eight with seven minutes to go, Emeka Ilione dotted down off a maul following a string of unnecessary penalties.

Sale did fire back immediately, scoring their first points off the half as Rob du Preez bustled down the left flank and stepped past two defenders to score.

With the try unconverted, Sale trailed by three heading into the decisive five minutes, but another Tigers maul try for Ilione at the death denied Sale the losing bonus point.