MATCH REPORT | Sale Sharks 19 - 85 Saracens Men (PREM R13)
Saracens returned to winning ways in the North West with an outstanding victory over Sale Sharks, keeping their Gallagher PREM play off hopes alive ahead of their return to StoneX Stadium in six days time.
The Original Club of North London secured a first half bonus point, running riot at the CorpAcq Stadium against an off colour Sale Sharks side.
The game started with intent as the visitors took an early lead. Rotimi Segun was set free by Charlie Bracken just past the halfway line, and Saracens continued to apply pressure inside the Sale 22. Segun eventually found a gap, powering through to score the opener in what would prove to be a breathless first half.
Sale attempted to respond quickly through Tom O'Flaherty with a set piece move, but after getting within inches of the line, Saracens held firm to keep them scoreless in the opening period.
The tries continued to come for Saracens, with Noah Caluori adding to his impressive tally against the Sharks. His first came after Max Malins broke through before offloading to Maro Itoje, who then found Caluori to sprint over.
Saracens' power game then came to the fore, with both Tom Willis and Rhys Carre crashing over from close range during the second quarter, as they dominated the collision area.
With the bonus point secured inside 30 minutes, Sarries raised the tempo further. An audacious chip and chase from Fergus Burke was gathered by the fly half, who converted his own try to leave Sale stunned.
To add further pressure, Caluori continued to cause problems for the Sharks, flying over in the corner to acrobatically finish a slick move and round off a remarkable first half that saw six Saracens tries.
The second half began with Sale showing renewed energy following the break. Tom O'Flaherty crossed in the corner after a strong passage of play that took his side out of their own 22.
However, Saracens quickly reasserted control. Charlie Bracken was next to score, running an excellent support line for Caluori, who flicked the ball back inside after finding space out wide.
Caluori was involved again five minutes later, completing his hat trick by intercepting a Rob du Preez pass on halfway and sprinting clear.
As in the reverse fixture, he was not finished there. The winger added two more tries in the following ten minutes, the second another acrobatic finish in the corner, taking his tally against Sale into double figures this campaign.
Further tries from Nathan Michelow and Max Malins in quick succession saw Saracens continue to score at an extraordinary rate heading into the closing stages.
A consolation score from Tom O'Flaherty briefly lifted the atmosphere, but Saracens responded immediately as Ben Earl crossed following another break from Malins.
Sale had the final say through Asher Opoku Fordjour, who powered over from close range to complete the scoring.
Saracens return to the StoneX next Saturday for what is now a season defining clash against Leicester Tigers. The game is almost sold out so get your tickets now before disappointment!
