Sale find their form in time for tough cup test in France

Sale warmed up for their Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final against Racing 92 with a bonuspoint win that kept their flickering Premiership play-off hopes alive.

Alex Sanderson’s side had lost their previous three games on home territory in all competitions. After this five-try success, though, the Sharks will head to Paris on Sunday next week with renewed belief that they can defy the odds.

Sale had twins Ben and Tom Curry available after injury, with the former starting in the back row and the latter coming off the bench. A number of key players, including England centre Manu Tuilagi and captain Jono Ross, will return in the French capital after being rested.

“We were preserving ourselves for next week – we didn’t talk about it, but it’s always there, subconsciously,” Sanderson admitted. “There is no doubt we’re underdogs, but there is no one in our camp who doesn’t think we can go and win.”

Newcastle led in the eighth minute through hooker George Mcguigan’s try. Joel Hodgson’s conversion attempt flew wide. Sale fashioned an impressive response, with Akker van der Merwe crossing.

Robert du Preez’s conversion put the hosts ahead, but Newcastle scored again through Hodgson, who converted his own try. Sale struck back when Van der Merwe dived over again and Du Preez converted, but Hodgson added a penalty to make it 15-14 at half-time. In the 42nd minute, Ben Curry crossed, but Newcastle notched their third try through winger Mateo Carreras.

Former Newcastle full-back Simon Hammersley and fellow replacement Ewan Ashman added Sale tries before Matias Orlando had the final say in the scoring stakes.

Dean Richards, the Newcastle director of rugby, said: “We were never going to roll over and die.”