Sanderson elated as Premiership leaders Sale edge Saracens

English Woman's Journal - Sanderson elated as Premiership leaders Sale edge Saracens

SPORTS 22.12.2023

Sanderson elated as Premiership leaders Sale edge Saracens / Photo: Pascal GUYOT - AFP/File

Sale supremo Alex Sanderson was understandably delighted after the English Premiership leaders won 22-20 at home to fellow title contenders Saracens on Friday.

Change text size:

The match had been billed as a clash of two childhood friends in Sale's George Ford and fellow England fly-half Owen Farrell, who recently announced he would miss the Six Nations after deciding to take a break from international rugby "to prioritise his and his family's mental wellbeing".

But the fixture was about more than the two stand-offs, with northwest club Sale posting their 12th straight home league win thanks to tries from Agustin Creevy, Tom Roebuck and Luke Cowan-Dickie and seven points from the boot of Ford.

Sale are now four points clear at the top heading into the weekend's fixtures, with Sanderson saying: "There is a sense of relief, but I'm so happy the lads made good of their intentions against a really good Saracens side.

"I suppose it makes Christmas that bit sweeter for us -- we'll all enjoy our Christmas morning now."

Farrell kicked 10 points for Saracens but tries from Ivan van Zyl and Gareth Simpson were only enough for the London club to claim a losing bonus point as Saracens suffered successive Premiership defeats after going down to Northampton earlier this month.

"We knew it would be a difficult game away at a quality side like Sale," said Saracens chief Mark McCall.

"Having said that, I'm proud and pleased of the way we played throughout the 80 minutes.

"The players showed real energy and they kept fighting right until the end, and we almost clawed our way back to claim a victory.

"We're not too far away, we're getting there. We've got some really tough fixtures coming up, but also we've got a few players to come back into the reckoning over the next few weeks."

Bristol won 21-13 away to Newcastle in Friday's other Premiership match as the Falcons suffered a 12th straight defeat.

T.Wright--EWJ

FA Cup Second-Round Draw Confirmed for Non-League and Midlands Clubs

The FA Cup second-round draw has been finalized, setting up crucial ties for non-league teams aiming to reach the third round proper. Several clubs from the Midlands, including Burton Albion and Kidderminster Harriers, have secured their next opponents following recent victories over lower-league opposition.

Panthers expected to begin 2027 NRL season away from new stadium

The new Penrith Stadium is expected to be ready in time for the opening round of the 2027 NRL season, but it’s still likely the Panthers is expected to be on the road for their early matches. There is no delay to the build of the new $309 million venue but there’s a lack of appetite for risk around weather delays through the summer.

Tayyab Arif hits 57 on Pakistan Test debut against Sri Lanka

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — Tayyab Arif smashed an aggressive half-century on debut and provided a new-look Pakistan lineup a confident start to the first cricket test against Sri Lanka on Monday. The 20-year-old Tayyab struck nine boundaries and a six in his 57-run knock as Pakistan reached 137-2 at lunch on a greenish wicket that lured Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis to bowl first after winning the toss.

English Woman's Journal - Sanderson elated as Premiership leaders Sale edge Saracens