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Saints U18s 12 Sale Sharks U18s 26: Bright start not enough for Saints' youngsters

Travis PerkinsSponsored by Travis Perkins

Entering their penultimate game of the regular season off the back of a frustrating draw against Yorkshire Carnegie, Saints had to regroup quickly as third place Sale Sharks made the trip to Franklin's Gardens.

And it all started fairly well for the future Saints, with their response to an early Sale try coming in a clever score from Sam Cappaert and the pack adding another try with a catch-and-drive just before the break.

But it was not to be for the home side and three second-half efforts from the away team ended Saints' hopes, seeing Sale leave with the bonus point. 

Sale came out fighting and showed why they're in the third place spot early doors as they sent Gus Warr over just five minutes in. But Saints came back strongly and created good chances for themselves, only to not quite get over the line when it mattered.

The pressure eventually paid off though and when Sam Cappaert got a boot to a loose ball inside Sale's 22, there was no stopping the centre as he darted in for the score.

With Tyler Mills' conversion levelling things, Saints were instantly back on the attack. Though they didn't manage to get over straight away, the pressure was, again, too much for the Sale defence and after a strong maul made it over the whitewash, Fraser Thompson had the simple job of dotting the ball down to end the half.

But that was where Saints' scoring ended and though there were bright moments from Connor Tupai and Josh Gillespie, it was to be all Sale from here on out on the scoreboard.

Levelling the scores just four minutes into the second half through Rouban Birch, Sale pushed themselves ahead with the conversion before extending that lead as a well-worked move saw Bevan Rodd with space to finish in the corner.

Saints, to their credit, kept fighting and nearly sent Ollie Sleightholme over on the hour mark but Sale had the last word as Jack Hill crossed in the final play to earn the side the bonus point.

And with Curtis' conversion ending the game, a place in the Premiership Rugby Academies League Finals Day is now, sadly, out of Saints' reach.

Saints U18s: Sharpe; Gillepsie, Cappaert, Tupai, Sleightholme; Mills, Creighton; Thompson, Ma'asi, Hughes, Sykes, Sylvester, Finch, Wallace (capt), Addison
Replacements: McDowell, Risman, Brown, Charter, Iyogun, Connor, Betteridge, Davies

Sale Sharks U18s: Pope; Roebuck, Doherty, Curtis, Walsh; Wilkinson, Warr; Rodd, Ashman, Ford, Birch, James, Hill, Leatherbarrow, Dugdale
Replacements: L Davies, Brooks, Harper, Higginson, Roberts, Papworth, W Davies Rooney

TIMELINE
4' SALE Try Warr Conversion Curtis 0-7
23' SAINTS Try Cappaert Conversion Mills 7-7
31' SAINTS Try Ma'asi 12-7
HALF-TIME Saints U18s 12-7 Sale Sharks U18s
44' SALE Try Birch Conversion Curtis 12-14
51' SALE Try Rodd 12-19
70' SALE Try Hill Conversion Curtis 12-26
FULL TIME Saints U18s 12-26 Sale Sharks U18s

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