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Sale scored six tries to all but secure a Premiership Rugby Cup semi-final with a comfortable victory over Harlequins.

A try from number eight Rouban Birch put Sale 7-5 ahead at half-time before flanker Matt Postlethwaite, Birch again and hooker Ethan Caine grew the lead.

Replacement fly-half Kieran Wilkinson scored two more tries to seal victory.

Quins took the lead through winger Curtis Barnes’ try and flanker Tom Lawday kept them in touch, but Cameron Anderson’s try was a late consolation.

A third defeat for Quins means they now cannot qualify for the last four in February.

But Sale will almost certainly be there after their greater experience made the difference.

Wilkinson, a 23-year-old academy product, came off the bench to make quite an impression.

Off first phase from a scrum he darted through the midfield and showed a smart turn of foot to find the tryline before going over for his second score with the final move of the game.

Sale: Woodward, McGuigan, Bedlow, Mills, Gourlay, Curtis, Thomas; Harrison, Caine, Harper, Bamber, Groves, Postlethwaite, Dugdale, Birch.

Replacements: Thompson, Rodd, Jones, Barrow, Murphy, Simpson, Wilkinson, Maasi-White.

Harlequins: Anderson, Barnes, Waghorn, Kolade, Cleaves, Slevin, Gjaltema; Els, Riley, Hobson, Jurevicius, Matthews, Lawday, Trenholm, Taulani.

Replacements: Musk, Garcia Botta, Litterick, Golder, Carr, Murray, Clare, Forrest.