Sharks bite back to earn draw

SALE SHARKS’ ability to bounce back is something to be proud of, according to academy coach Neil Briggs after holding Saracens to a 15-15 Premiership Rugby Cup draw.

Sharks had been humbled in a 35-3 defeat to Worcester Warriors last time out but Paolo Odogwu and Will Cliff scores in each half saw them respond superbly at the AJ Bell Stadium.

It could even have been more for Steve Diamond’s charges, with Saracens relying on Max Malins’ late penalty after Joel Kpoku and Matt Gallagher’s first-half scores.

But after halting a side unbeaten so far this season, Briggs couldn’t be too disgruntled after bagging their first points of the Premiership Rugby Cup campaign.

“I’m really proud off the back of what happened last week,” he said.

“We started really well, we carried the ball really well, we were really dominant in the collisions and the breakdown in the start of the game.

“I thought we did really well to get back into it just before half time when we scored the try.

“That changed the way that half time talk went.”

Sale started the game on the attack and Cliff’s penalty in front of the posts five minutes in marked early progress.

Saracens then stole the initiative as Kpoku and Gallagher crossed but Odogwu charged over three minutes before the break to spark a resurgence.

A sustained Sale attack midway through the second half saw them kick into touch five metres from the line.

The tension mounted as a scrum was reset and a potential Josh Strauss try was disallowed by the referee, before Sale got back on the attack through multiple phases in the final five metres.

Eventually Cliff found space, broke free and scored to give the hosts the lead.

Malins’ penalty levelled the game at 15-15 with 12 minutes remaining, while a late surge from Sale in the game’s closing minutes was not enough to give the hosts the win.