Liam takes honours – and a yellow card
Sale Sharks .......... 3pts Penalties: De Klerk 32 Saracens .............. 13pts Tries: Williams 12 Conversions: Spencer 13 Penalties: Spencer 39, 50
SARACENS, with a big defensive effort spearheaded by venerable dogs of war Juan Figallo and Schalk Burger, squeezed the life out of a Sale side that simply ran out of ideas in the end.
Steve Diamond’s team might have lacked accuracy on the night but they hammered away for the full 80 only to be met by a Saracens defensive line that was more wall-like on this occasion rather than wolfpack.
The visitors soaked up the pressure seemingly without stress with Figallo, currently surplus to Pumas requirements with them not considering European-based players, and the wily Burger outstanding.
Conditions were pretty decent in the first half but Saracens, shorn of their current England men, were strictly on business and there was no extravagant or high risk play.
During the opening ten minutes they set out their stall by patiently going through the phases – 30 in one attack – without really looking likely to score.
That is until Liam Williams finally got his hands on the ball on the right wing in an attack that seemed as if it was going nowhere on the Sale 22 until he conjured up a dramatic cut back on the angle and left poor Marland Yarde wrong footed.
Williams was away and, with his gas, needed no second invitation as he lasered in on the try line.
Will Spencer converted and for most of the half it remained the Liam Williams show with the Wales wing rolling up his sleeves and getting involved with the dirty work. In fact he ended up getting a little bit too involved.
After a couple of fine tackles and a turnover the adrenaline was pumping and there was a brief flare up between the packs. Burger was guilty of a neck tackle/judo throw and Sale hooker Rob Webber let him know he was not best happy as they rolled harmlessly on the turf. Williams looked on before sprinting in and launching himself into the forwards which kicked off a mass outbreak of handbags.
After calming things down referee Luke Pearce correctly decided that Williams needed to cool down for ten minutes and so, rather harshly, did the relatively innocent Webber. Faf De Klerk kicked the resulting penalty for Sale but that was soon cancelled out by a short range effort by Spencer which saw the visitors lead 10-3 at halftime.
The second half produced a huge amount of effort from Sale but nothing could budge the wellorganised Sarries defence.
Yarde, making up for his pretty average defending in the first half which allowed Williams to waltz in, came off his wing to make one glorious midfield break but just failed to link up, while late in the half Mike Haley and Ben Curry combined dangerously down the left flank before the defenders again arrived in numbers.
Sale could make little inroads and will be bitterly disappointed they couldn’t even force a late penalty to earn a losing bonus.
Sarries, however, can be quietly pleased with a good job as they negotiate this tricky Six Nations period.