European slot secured for Sharks
SALE secured their place in the European Champions Cup for next season with a hard-fought 16-7 comeback victory over Wasps at the Coventry Building Society Stadium.
The win also kept alive the Sharks’ slim hopes of a play-off spot, but a number of other results have to go their way this weekendif they are to climb to the necessary fourth place.
Robert Du Preez kicked three penalties and converted a try from Akker Van Der Merwe, while Wasps crossed over through Gabriel Oghre as Jimmy Gopperth added the extras.
The first quarter was scoreless with opportunities at a premium as the game was played out between the opposing 22s.
Wasps suffered a setback when scrumhalf Dan Robson was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knockdown, but Sale could not capitalise as flanker Tom Curry knocked on with the try-line beckoning.
A couple of penalties allowed the home side to relieve the pressure before they picked up the first score when Oghre finished off a driving line-out with Sale captain Jono Ross sin-binned for attempting to drag it down.
Robson returned in time to see the Sharks collect their first points when Du Preez kicked a 35-metre penalty.
Gopperth could have nullified those points but he was off-target with a long-distance penalty before Ross returned, to be greeted by a second success from Du Preez to leave Alex Sanderson’s men trailing 7-6 at the end of a featureless first half.
Sale centre Manu Tuilagi, who will team up with the England squad tomorrow, was substituted at half-time with Rohan Janse Van Rensburg introduced and - on the resumption Wasps received a major blow.
From the kick-off, competition for possession left lock Elliott Stooke prone on the floor with a serious leg injury and he was carried off on a stretcher to be replaced by James Gaskell.
Wasps’ woes continued when number eight Alfie Barbeary was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on, with the Sharks immediately taking advantage when Van Der Merwe crashed over from close range.
Barbeary returned in the hope that he may shore up the Wasps pack, but his side were still only six points adrift going into the final quarter.
That became nine when the home side infringed again at a scrum for Du Preez to kick his third penalty before the hosts built up their best period of pressure.
However, the Sale defence held firm before Gopperth missed a long-range penalty which would given his side a valuable bonus point.