The curtain came up and the spotlight came down, fixing in on the two fly-halves. It was the duel within the duel that so many had been looking forward to on Premiership final day, George Ford and Owen Farrell together on the Twickenham turf again. The two schoolmates are ever inextricably intertwined, two-thirds of England’s fly-half puzzle about which so much will be written in these next few months before Steve Borthwick’s side embark on their Rugby World Cup adventure.
It lived up to the billing. On a day for big performers – Tom Curry and Manu Tuilagi in defeat; Max Malins, Maro Itoje and a hatful of other Saracens in victory – both fly-halves stood out. Sale arrived intent to grind out the victory, kicking and chasing and exerting pressure at scrum time. For a spell early in the second half, it appeared to be working, with Ford pulling the right levers as Sale worked their way into a winning position.
