Sharks.......................................19

Saracens.................................30

by Neil Leigh at Edgeley Park

Probably the most significant results of the weekend for Sale arrived 24 hours after they had slumped to a fifth Edgeley Park league reverse of the season.

Because the fact that both rock bottom Worcester and second from bottom Leeds also contrived to lose their fixtures took a little of the heat out of what was a hugely disappointing result, if not performance.

With three games of a stomach-churning climax to the Guinness Premiership campaign still remaining, it’s as you were in the fight to avoid falling through the trapdoor to the Championship.

But with Sale facing a testing journey to Bath this weekend – where even the most bullish of  supporters wouldn’t be holding out too much hope for a four-point haul – the real denouement to the season is likely to arrive in a fortnight’s time when, in a pivotal 24 hours, the Sharks will host their final game of the season against fellow strugglers Newcastle before Worcester travel to face Leeds at Headingley.

The fall-out from those two fixtures could go a long way towards determining who eventually does goes down.

Hopefully by then, Kingsley Jones’ players will have heeded the lessons of how they contrived to lose from being 19-13 up to Sarries and put themselves right back in the mire.

A pulsating first half produced the most entertaining 40 minutes seen at Edgeley Park all season with Saracens belieing their reputation as the league’s kicking dullards by seeking to run the ball at every opportunity, a bold strategy that garnered a first-half try from Chris Wyles, albeit in controversial manner after what appeared to be at least one blatantly forward pass in the build-up.

His score followed hard on the heels of a well-worked sixth try of the season from Sharks flanker Sisa Koyamaibole, sparked by a trademark break by Mathew Tait and with rival fly-halfs Derick Hougaard and Charlie Hodgson kicking with aplomb and the Sale beginning to build up a head of steam, a breathless opening half ended with Jones’ side narrowly in the ascendant at 16-13 up and seemingly set for a vital third consecutive home win.

That optimism only intensified when Hodgson struck an early second-half penalty to open up a six-point gap.

Instead, Saracens decided to produce a counter-attacking masterclass – helped in part it has to be said by some baffling Sale tactics which saw them continually hoof the ball back down their grateful opponents’ throats.

Sarries full-back Alex Goode demonstrated just why he has been tipped for a glittering England career by finishing off a superb 49th minute move to score under the posts, before adding the simple conversion.

By the time he added a penalty on the hour mark, all the earlier Sale belief and swagger had been ripped asunder and it came as no surprise when, following a charge by replacement flanker Marit Burger, centre Brad Barritt sealed victory by steaming in for a third Sarries try to deny the Sharks the consolation prize of a losing bonus point.

No wonder Jones looked like he had dropped a tenner and found a 5p piece afterwards

"I thought that for 40 minutes we were good. We were good in patches in the second half, but against a side of that quality you cannot make mistakes," said the Sharks’ boss.

"We made three or four mistakes, switched off for a couple of minutes and they scored either tries or penalties.

"However, as I said after we beat Worcester last week, that wouldn’t decide who stays up or goes down and the Saracens defeat won’t either. This league is going to be a nail-biter right until the last game. I believe it’ll go down right to the wire."

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