It may be a cliche, but this really was a game of two halves. The first was a dire watch, one bereft of spark or inspiration. The second was a riot as two title-chasing teams shook off the fog of perhaps too much Christmas merriment and gave a sell-out crowd what was promised on the tin: five tries, one a decisive penalty try, and a famous home victory that takes Northampton top of the Premiership.
Both coaches would have had plenty of unpleasant words to share with their charges at the break but at least Sale’s boss, Alex Sanderson, had a seven-pointer to help the medicine go down. That came in the 38th minute – the game’s first score –thanks to some athletic work from Tom Roebuck, who plucked a high ball on the gallop to set Sale moving in Northampton’s 22. With a penalty advantage, George Ford tucked his shoulder and sucked in a defender, creating space for the onrushing Joe Carpenter on his outside to score.
