They like to tell you that northern rugby matters at Sale and there can be no more compelling evidence than this. Sale Sharks edged a thunderous encounter, the kind of clash of which the titans would be proud, to take their place in their first Premiership final since 2006. It was a performance of blood and thunder, equally so from Leicester, but ultimately the Sharks have George Ford in their ranks this season and the Tigers do not.
Ford was nigh-on flawless, delivering the kind of individual showing that will make England take note. “A pocket of calm amid the chaos,” was Alex Sanderson’s pithy assessment that perfectly summed up his contribution. He also kicked the crucial penalty that gave Sale breathing room on the scoreboard in the final 10 minutes.
That he gets to go back to Twickenham for another final, 12 months after a debilitating achilles injury forced him out of Leicester’s triumph prematurely, is testament to his character. A formidable Saracens side lie in wait again on Saturday week but in this mood Ford will relish locking horns with Owen Farrell and co once more.
Manu Tuilagi was not far behind Ford while Tom Curry began in fearsome fashion and somehow found another gear after a nasty hamstring to brother Ben that will surely rule him out of the final. That Sale’s two tries were scored by two local lads in Tom Roebuck and Arron Reed will also delight their director of rugby Sanderson.
Northern rugby certainly matters to Sanderson. It’s a slogan, written all over the place, that reminds you of the struggle they have for exposure in a football heartland. Equally, that they can feel ignored in a southern‑centric sport. That they were overlooked for any major accolades at the recent Premiership Rugby awards did not sit well with supporters but Sanderson has made it his mission to put Sale on the map. Bringing Ford back to the northwest always felt like a considerable coup – these are the kind of days for which he made the move – and the largest ever home crowd was further evidence Sale are making progress.
“We had to wear a lot of bruises,” Sanderson said. “I could see Jonny Hill dry-retching. He was that tired. These are British & Irish Lions players who ran their blood to water. I couldn’t be prouder of them. They drank deep from the well. We’ve worked really hard on resilience and a lot of that paid off.”
Leicester, for their part, were equally committed, just as physical and can be proud of how they have defended their title in a season in which they have been so disrupted by the loss of Steve Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield. Nor were they were helped beforehand by the loss of Handrè Pollard to injury and, with semi‑finals traditionally so difficult for the away side to win, the Tigers came up short. Richard Wigglesworth said: “We couldn’t quite get an advantage in the key areas. You are going to miss Handrè Pollard in any team but it’s not an excuse.”
The tempo was ferocious from the off and rarely let up. Leicester were on top in the early exchanges – Sale shipping five penalties in the opening 12 minutes and Jimmy Gopperth, summoned to start in place of Pollard, slotted two of them. Tuilagi gave Sale a foothold, running straight and hard and bashing his way over the gain‑line with Ford capitalising on the front‑foot ball that afforded him. He almost prised the opening on the left but Sale stayed camped in Leicester territory and, while Akker van der Merwe fluffed his lines, Roebuck made no mistake on the right after a smart pass from Rob du Preez. Ford converted to edge Sale ahead.
Tempers were never far from flaring – Tom Curry clearing Hanro Liebenberg out of the way by dumping him on the turf led to a brief melee – before Ben was forced off. He had just made a crucial turnover but collapsed in agony as three Tigers cleared him out. He left on a stretcher in obvious pain and was seen on crutches afterwards, his World Cup hopes now in significant doubt.
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Sale battled on without their captain and, with Tuilagi’s influence growing, Leicester needed a Tommy Reffell turnover to deny the Sharks a second try before the interval. Dan Cole was shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Van der Merwe in the buildup but the Tigers began brightly in the second half and Harry Potter rounded off a period of pressure after a fine long pass from Dan Kelly.
Gopperth converted for a three‑point lead but Ford soon levelled with a penalty before seizing the initiative and pinging Leicester back with his spiral bombs. He also threw the telling pass – albeit a rank one – to Reed, who did superbly well to gather the ball on the half-volley and scored. A disallowed try for Raffi Quirke denied Sale the chance to canter home but Ford’s third penalty kept Leicester at arm’s length.
