Sale do not Faf around in transfer market

SALE have pulled off a significant coup by signing South Africa scrum-half Faf de Klerk on a three-year contract.

The 25-year-old will step into the boots vacated by veteran No9s Mike Phillips and Peter Stringer.

“I am made up that Faf has decided to join us next season,” said Sale director of rugby Steve Diamond.

Sale ended their season on Saturday with a 27-24 victory over Bath, whose director of rugby Todd Blackadder accepts “questions need to be asked” by owner Bruce Craig after the club’s failure to make the Premiership play-offs.

“He pours a hell of a lot of his own money into this club. He has its best interests at heart. He wants us to do well and I feel like that too. We all do,” said Blackadder. “We can’t be happy with fifth or sixth every year. It’s not good enough when you have a squad with the quality we have.”

Leicester’s win at Worcester booked them a 13th straight semi-final, in which they face Wasps, who beat a weakened PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFFS

Exeter v Saracens Wasps v Leicester

PREMIERSHIP FINAL

Twickenham

Saracens side to finish the regular season in top spot.

“To finish top of the table is massive for the club and we want to push forward,” said Wasps try-scorer Elliot Daly.

Saracens’ defeat means they will travel to Exeter for their play-off after the Chiefs made it eight bonus-point wins in a row at Gloucester.

Harlequins’ bonus point in defeat at Northampton earned them the last automatic Champions Cup slot. Saints will enter the European play-offs if Gloucester lose to Stade Francais in Friday’s Challenge Cup final.

Bristol’s relegation was confirmed – as was the departure of Jason Woodward to Gloucester – when London Irish and Yorkshire Carnegie, who both meet the promotion criteria, made the two-legged Championship final.

NEIL SQUIRES