Sale Sharks into first Premiership final since 2006 with win over Leicester Tigers
Sale Sharks reached their first Premiership final since 2006 yesterday with a 21-13 win over defending champions Leicester Tigers at the AJ Bell Stadium.
In front of a capacity crowd of 12,000 on the outskirts of Manchester, Jimmy Gopperth, 39, put the visitors 6-0 ahead with to early penalties before man of the match George Ford converted Tom Roebuck’s try to hand Sale a 7-6 lead at half-time.
Leicester winger Harry Potter and Sale’s Aaron Reed exchanged tries in the second forty – Gopperth converting Potter’s score – but three successful Ford penalties put the game to bed for Sale.
Their reward is a trip to Twickenham in a fortnight’s time to take on Saracens, who beat Northampton Saints 38-15 on Saturday.
The Sharks have not won the English domestic title since 2006.
“They [the team] had to wear a lot of bruises,” said current Sale and former Saracens head coach Alex Sanderson after the win.
“We knew that was going to be the case. I couldn’t be more proud of them and they showed a bit of maturity today.”
The final presents an opportunity to see George Ford versus Saracens’ Owen Farrell go up against each other in the biggest game of the English domestic season.
Farrell has wrestled the England No10 shirt off Marcus Smith across the Six Nations earlier this year but Ford has spent much of the season injured.
It is one of the many storylines to look out for as England count down to the Rugby World Cup later this year in France.