Northampton Saints were narrowly defeated in their opening game of the 2023/24 Gallagher Premiership season away at Sale Sharks.
Tommy Freeman’s early try got the men in Black, Green and Gold off to a flying start but Tom Roebuck, Tom O’Flaherty and Ethan Caine responded for Sale, in addition to a Rob Du Preez penalty which cancelled out an earlier Fin Smith effort, to take a ten-point lead in at the break.
A cagey second half yielded only one scoring action when James Ramm went over brilliantly from distance, setting up a grandstand finish that so nearly ended with a late killer blow, but despite multiple phases of Northampton attack with the clock in the red it was Sale who hung on to claim victory.
FIRST HALF
Freeman started Saints’ Premiership account for the 2023/24 campaign, diving over superbly in the corner after Tom James took an quick penalty quickly to get Northampton’s attack flowing inside the first two minutes.
The home side responded with an almost identical effort immediately though, sending Sam James through a gap in Saints’ line before putting the ball wide right to see Roebuck over in the corner.
Smith and Du Preez’s conversions levelled the scores, but the momentum stayed with Sale and O’Flaherty was soon diving over for Sharks’ second after sustained pressure in Saints’ 22 eventually opened up a gap for the winger.
Smith had a chance to make it a two-point game on the 20-minute mark but the fly-half sent his nudge just wide of the mark – however he redeemed himself less than five minutes later, sending his second effort through the sticks to make it 12-10.
Du Preez pushed Sale’s lead back out to a score with a penalty of his own before the home side sent a driving maul over the whitewash, with Caine dotting down at the base just before half-time.
SECOND HALF
The teams emerged from the interval with the score 20-10 in Sale’s favour but the sides spent some 28 minutes exchanging blows before Saints eventually broke the deadlock.
Coles scooped a James chip and broke through Sale’s line, the lock had Ramm on his shoulder and the winger raced in from the halfway line to score in the corner.
Smith sent the touchline conversion just shy of the mark to leave Saints five points adrift.
Phil Dowson’s side then spent the final five minutes camped in the Sale 22, earning multiple penalties and forcing a yellow card for Rob du Preez, but couldn’t muscle their way over the line as Sale held firm and Saints were left only with the consolation of a losing bonus point.
LINE-UPS
SALE: 15 Carpenter, 14 Roebuck, 13 James, 12 Bedlow, 11 O’Flaherty, 10 R du Preez (c), 9 Quirke; 1 McIntyre, 2 Taylor, 3 Schonert, 4 van Rhyn, 5 Hill, 6 JL du Preez, 7 Dugdale, 8 D du Preez.
Replacements: 16 Caine, 17 Harrison, 18 Harper, 19 Wiese, 20 Beaumont, 21 Warr, 22 Curtis, 23 Reed.
SAINTS: 15 George Hendy, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Fraser Dingwall (c), 12 Rory Hutchinson, 11 James Ramm, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Tom James; 1 Ethan Waller, 2 Curtis Langdon, 3 Trevor Davison, 4 Alex Moon, 5 Alex Coles, 6 Angus Scott-Young, 7 Tom Pearson, 8 Sam Graham
Replacements: 16 Robbie Smith, 17 Alex Waller, 18 Elliot Millar Mills, 19 Tom Lockett, 20 Chunya Munga, 21 Archie McParland, 22 James Grayson, 23 Tom Seabrook.
