Matchday Live

Sale Sharks returned to title-challenging form with a 31-27 victory over a free-flowing Gloucester side.

Alex Sanderson’s three years has seen the Sharks place a premium on physicality, and a Gloucester willing to attack from anywhere were suffocated for large periods of the game, before a late flurry of tries set up a nervy finish for the hosts.

They had coasted into 31-15 ahead by the 70^th minute from a 14-8 half time lead, but late tries from Caolan Englefield and Max Llewellyn set up a grandstand final two minutes.

The hosts, however, reaped the rewards from a dominant display, their defence largely robust and their attack clinical for the first time this season, this was Sharks at their recent best.

Exemplifying the contrasting gameplans from the off, Gloucester opened the scoring as a long stint of possession gave Christian Wade a chance to work his footwork and create space for a Tomos Williams score.

Sale’s response was swift, territory earned through the omnipresent combination of Gus Warr’s box kicking and Tom Roebuck/Arron Reed’s aerial prowess to give the former a set piece platform to bustle into the 22, and score after 12 phases of masterfully quick ball.

The formula repeated itself, this time a lineout move putting Roebuck through on an inside line on second phase, the winger feeding Warr on the scrum half line to score five minutes before half time and ensure Sale’s defensive efforts were fairly reflected on the scoreline.

That momentum was carried over into a frantic start to the second half, Sam Dugdale winning a turnover penalty to give his forward pack an attacking lineout from which, with clean maul ball, Arron Reed was given space to fly round the 13 channel and give Roebuck another walk in.

The visitors were able to respond ten minutes later, however, as Charlie Atkinson found some rare space from a bouncing ball to chip ahead for Williams to score, but their  four point deficit was short lived as a Rob du Preez 50/22 moments later allowed Luke Cowan-Dickie to score a maul try, the forwards holding form well under significant pressure.

Sharks then rinsed and repeated the formula, a Tumy Onasanya jackal providing the attacking lineout which was thrown to the back by Cowan-Dickie to open space on the blindside, that Reed duly took to offload back to the hooker for his second.

A Gloucester bonus point soon followed to set up a tense final two minutes, Caolan Englefield and Max Llewellyn both crossing to take Gloucester within four, but, typical of the evening’s performance, Sale’s defensive line held strong, man of the match Arron Reed bundling Barton into touch to confirm the five points.