It was a frantic opening few minutes of turnovers - an overthrown Saints lineout, a Charlie Hodgson intercepted pass, not to mention the odd ball won at the breakdown. But when Saints managed to keep hold of the ball they made an immediate breakthrough.

Sale found Joe Ansbro too hot to handle when he took Chris Mayor's pass at full pelt, although they managed to hang onto the Scot's coat tails. The defence remained outnumbered and when Chris Ashton popped up in support his simple pass to Mayor put the centre over for the opening try. Stephen Myler converted and with only four minutes on the clock the visitors were seven points to the good.

However the Sharks won the kick off and after Dean Schofield offloaded nicely to Sean Cox it took excellent ruck defence to stop the hosts replying immediately. There was bad news for Sale, who lost prop Jack Forster due to an injury picked up in the move, made all the worse by the Saints' appetite for attack.

There was plenty of ambition and energy from the men in green, typified by Paul Diggin's drive into midfield, but not as much as Sale, who turned down two kickable penalties at the end of the opening quarter. The attitude was commendable, but when the Saints counter-rucked and won a penalty points certainly looked to have been the better option, particularly when Myler - who had also landed a 14th-minute penalty - kicked his team to the home goal line.

Having held Sale out, the Saints were themselves rueing a golden opportunity after 22 minutes. Ashton and Scott Gray had done the hard work by turning David Doherty over deep in the Sharks' 22; unfortunately a rare wayward Alan Dickens pass went behind the backs to allow the home outfit to not just clear their lines but go a man up as well when Neil Best was yellow carded for taking Chris Jones out off the ball.

However some heroic defence stopped Sale taking advantage of the Irishman's absence. Ashton bundled Cox into touch five metres out and both Eifion Roberts and his captain Schofield were held up inches away from the line, work rewarded when the ball popped out and Juandre Kruger hoofed play upfield.

With the game still poised at 10-0 at half-time the next score was going to be crucial. It fell to the Saints, but not before both teams had tried their hardest to give the other the ball with a series of turnovers, and like the first half the score came when the visitors kept hold of the ball. The try was a fine solo Paul Diggin effort, the winger weaving and jinking his way to a touchdown by the posts, which made Myler's conversion all the more straightforward.

However Sale have not been nilled on their own ground since January 2004, and this record will continue for at least another few weeks thanks to Charlie Hodgson, who wriggled over for his team's first points with 54 minutes on the clock. The fly half also converted, but his opposite number Myler landed a penalty three minutes later to give Saints a 20-7 lead going into the final quarter.

Mayor and Ansbro came agonisingly close to creating a third try for the visitors when they next got their hands on the ball, the former's pace bisecting a pair of defenders and the latter just failing to hold onto the pass under pressure.

But whereas it was a Saints mistake that let Sale off the hook, it was more excellent work on the back foot that stopped the hosts making the most of a spell of pressure just past the hour. Forwards and backs were felled equally well and although Sale were edging the possession and territory a second score looked a long way off, so much so that some home fans were heading for the exits with 10 minutes to go.

They missed a thrilling finish, sparked by Sisa Koyamaibole's 74th-minute try. The number eight's power created the score, and with Hodgson's conversion Sale were just six points behind. A searing break took the Sharks to the line and had their supporters on their feet.

But a fumble gave Saints a scrum and director of rugby Jim Mallinder played his trump card. Senior Academy prop Alex Waller had been given valuable experience, but with Sale on the ascendant in the scrum and Soane Tonga'uiha still unused the big Tongan was sent on to shore up the set piece.

This move paid off immediately as Saints won a penalty and cleared their lines. Sale stole back the lineout but Saints again nicked a turnover and Myler sent the ball to the stands and bring the final whistle.

Teams:
Sale Sharks - Vakacegu; Cohen, Kennedy, Bishop, Doherty (Ripol 48mins); Hodgson, Wigglesworth; Roberts, M Jones (Schwalger 78mins), Forster (Halsall 6mins), Schofield (capt), Cox (Gaskell 51mins), C Jones (Fearns 58mins), Seymour, Koyamaibole

Scorers - Tries: Hodgson, Koyamaibole; Cons: Hodgson (2)

Northampton Saints - Reihana; Ashton, Mayor, Ansbro, Diggin; Myler, Dickens (Dickson 66mins); Mujati (Waller 61mins (Tonga'uiha 78mins)), Sharman (Long 66mins), Murray, Fernandez Lobbe (capt)(Wilson 58mins), Kruger, Best, Gray (Giles 76mins), Wilson

Scorers - Tries: Mayor, Diggin; Cons: Myler (2); Pens: Myler (2)

Yellow card - Best (22mins)

Referee - Nigel Owens (WRU)

Attendance - 6,506

TIMELINE:
3mins SAINTS Try Mayor Con Myler 0-7
14mins SAINTS Pen Myler 0-10
22mins SAINTS Yellow card Best
HALF-TIME SALE 0 SAINTS 10
42mins SAINTS Try Diggin Con Myler 0-17
54mins SALE Try Hodgson Con Hodgson 7-17
57mins SAINTS Pen Myler 7-20
74mins SALE Try Koyamaibole Con Hodgson 14-20
FULL-TIME SALE 14 SAINTS 20