Grayson’s on target as Saints close it out
SALE dominated Northampton for large chunks of this bitty encounter but it was the home team’s defence and resolution which proved decisive.
Four penalties, including two long-range efforts after the break, from fly-half James Grayson and a first-half try from No.8 Teimana Harrison edged Northampton home.
It took Sale 58 minutes to get on the scoresheet and two tries, both off lineout drives, by back row JeanLuc du Preez and lock Lood de Jager, left Northampton defending desperately.
To the delight of the Saints, Sale’s final attack broke down when Tom Wood intercepted to leave Northampton celebrating.
“We were out on our feet, but so they were too,” was how Northampton director of rugby Chris Boyd summed up a seventh Premiership win which lifts his team into fifth spot only two points behind fourth-placed Sale.
The visitors paid for failing to make the most of their excellent start leaving their boss, Alex Sanderson, to concede his team “lacked composure” despite fielding a team of far greater firepower and experience.
Sanderson’s team, showing eight changes from the win over Newcastle last week, had taken command from the start.
And they took an even firmer grip when Northampton wing Ollie Sleightholme was sinbinned following a string of home penalties.
However, the Saints – starting with an allEnglish qualified XV – defended well and held up the Sharks twice near their line.
Northampton eventually escaped and it took just one neat break, off a lineout by the busy wing Tommy Freeman, to set up the first try for Harrison.
Freeman cut through off a midfield move and was stopped only a metre short by the high tackle of opposing wing Aaron Reed.
Harrison, back fit after a two-month absence due to a hand injury, was quickly in support to grab the ball and force his way over.
Grayson missed the conversion but made amends in the 32nd minute when adding a penalty to put Northampton 8-0 up at the interval.
It was more of the same at the start of the second period. Sale camped in the Northampton 22 but again could not work a way how to score.
In contrast to Sale’s frustrations, Northampton accepted every chance they received.
Grayson landed two long-range penalties to inch his team 14-0 ahead after 55 minutes.
Sale finally made the scoresheet in the 58th when their lineout ploys brought the first try through flanker Jean-Luc du Preez.
AJ MacGinty, who had missed an easy penalty by his standards earlier in the half, added the conversion only for Grayson to add his fourth kick for a lead of 17-7.
Sale, whose bigger forwards were beginning to dominate, immediately hit back through another try off a lineout, this time by South African second row giant De Jager which McGinty improved.
That left Northampton defending a 17-14 lead in a final flurry which saw the introduction again of England schoolboy scrumhalf Raffi Quirke, who made another good impression in replacing Faf de Klerk.
However, Northampton held on in a tight finish and celebrated when Wood intercepted on halfway to stop a final Sharks attack.