Match action - starts
NORTHAMPTON blew Sale away to leave Steve Diamond admitting he was embarrassed and shocked at a defeat by nine tries to two.
“I did not see that coming,” said Sale’s director of rugby after watching his team concede a record number of points in a Premiership match, overtaking a 58-5 drubbing by Wasps 19 years ago.
“We were not right between the ears. It was a bit like the opposite of King Midas – everything we touched turned to rubbish.”
The thrashing was all the more remarkable considering Diamond’s team had beaten Saracens in their last Premiership match before the break.
Northampton led 32-10 at half-time and then piled on a further five tries in the second half.
Apart from a knee injury for Dan Biggar, just about everything went right for Northampton.
Among the outstanding performances was another top-class display from scrum-half by South African Cobus Reinach, who terrorised Sale to score the first two tries.
He was backed up by a ball-hungry team inspired by back rowers Tom Wood and Lewis Ludlam. They were joined by the versatile George Furbank who stepped up from full-back to take over from Biggar in the 20th minute.
Substitute Tom Collins was another to thrive and contributed two tries, including the final one when Northampton turned defence into attack far too easily.
By half-time Saints had tucked away a try bonus point, Sale’s riposte being a penalty try in the 34th minute.
Sale could have been closer but they butchered a three-on-one midway into the half. It was such a shocker – Rohan Janse van Rensburg failing to find Faf de Klerk with Byron McGuigan in support – that it should be in a coach’s clippings on how not to play rugby.
In contrast, Northampton took their chances in between two early penalty goals by Biggar to one from AJ MacGinty.
When Biggar hobbled off Northampton led 20-3 and the match was beginning to break up. Reinach demonstrated his wicked speed in scoring those first two tries.
He supported the abrasive Ludlam for the opening score and followed up by racing clear.
It was giddy stuff and the tries kept coming, Wood darting over for the third when Sale were caught flat-footed. To finish the half Collins grabbed the fourth outwide.
Northampton stopped any hopes of a Sale secondhalf comeback as wing Ahsee Tuala helped himself to the fifth.
Denny Solomona rewarded a brief Sale flurry by scoring their second try but after that it was all Northampton.
In the last 20 minutes wing Taqele Naiyaravoro, Furbank, centre Rory Hutchinson and Collins put themselves on the scoresheet.
Piers Francis kicked six conversions to show he was a worthy stand-in for Biggar.