A George Ford game management masterclass steered Sale Sharks to a 28-10 bonus point win against a winless Exeter Chiefs.
The victory solidifies Sale’s playoff challenge, and seals off an outstanding year of rugby at the Salford Community Stadium in which Sale have won 10/12 games in all conditions. Those 10 have come consecutively, with both losses coming in January.
That winning run has rooted itself in a rock-solid set piece and unrivalled kicking game, and as the second half descended into torrential wind and rain, Ford showed why he’s built a reputation as a master of poor conditions as Sale dominated territory and possession.
It was, however, a tricky first half but Sale gritted their teeth to score two well-taken tries through Luke James and Joe Carpenter. That set the platform for the second, where a maul penalty try and Jonny Hill pick-and-go secured all five points.
In every sense of the word Sale stuttered into the lead when James made the most of a lovely tap on from Rob du Preez to score, stepping and dummying through the Exeter defence to put an uncharacteristically flat opening 15 minutes behind them.
There’s no doubt it was one of Sharks’ weaker opening halves of the season at Salford Community Stadium, but a recurring theme of big wins such as their last two against Leicester and Racing have been tries between the 30th and 40th minute mark.
That theme repeated itself when Carpenter latched onto a loose ball on the halfway line to pace past the Exeter blitz, sell Olly Woodburn the dummy and score his third try in three to give Sale a 14-3 half-time lead, Rob du Preez negotiating the wind well off the tee.
That wind became a near-monsoon in the second half, but no man is better equipped with swirling rainfall than Ford, a clinic in coffin corner and kicks-to-compete earning territory despite Sale running into the gale.
There was a sense of inevitability, then, when Ford’s kick earned Sale some attacking lineout ball, and the maul produced a penalty try, Exeter’s returning captain Dafydd Jenkins going to the bin.
Kicking on, scoreboard wise, was difficult in the conditions but Sharks resisted an Exeter comeback when Jimmy Roots scored a pick-and-go when Hill scored with ten to go. The former Exeter man marked his first Premiership game since January with his own pick and go, Sale retaining the ball well in spite of Exeter’s solid set-piece defence.
