Sale Sharks recorded a comfortable bonus-point win over Leeds Carnegie in the LV Cup, but the real test for both sides will come at Headingley a week tomorrow when they meet again in the Guinness Premiership.
Leeds arrived at a rain-lashed Edgeley Park last night on the back of defeats of London Wasps and Leicester, but a youthful visiting side were no match for this battle-hardened Sale team. All the points were scored in the first half as Sale ran in four tries to lead 27-3 and keep alive their hopes of progressing in the Anglo-Welsh tournament.
After an early penalty from Joe Ford had put Leeds in front, Sale asserted their authority with tries for Marika Vakacegu, Oriol Ripol, Rob O’Donnell and David Seymour.
The result was a welcome tonic for Sale before next week’s rematch in the league when Leeds will be aiming to claim a first and potentially season-defining victory over their northern foes.
Neil Back’s team are bottom of the Premiership standings but their recent impressive form — not least their victory away to London Wasps two weeks ago — has encouraged hope that relegation may not be the foregone conclusion that many pundits have been predicting. Their opponents, too, have struggled for consistency, but they dominated this encounter, albeit with the far stronger line-up.