Key events
Half-time musings
This looks there for the taking for Saracens if they can sort out the scrum issues from the first half. Sale are defending with vigour, but the second quarter had Sarries repeatedly in the opposition 22 and pressure being ruthlessly applied.
Sale are managing to stay somewhere near in touch on the scoreboard due to the aforementioned Sarries ill-discipline at set piece, but the northern outfit are yet to be ahead in the game, and the way things are shaping up this looks an increasingly distant possibility.
HALF TIME! Saracens 20 – 13 Sale
40+1 mins. Another Sarries attack makes its way to Daly to chipsand chase but he can’t get to the ball ahead of Gus Warr, who grounds it in-goal to end the half.
38 mins. It’s becoming an increasingly ominous performance from Saracens, with Sale struggling to get out of their half. The latest raid by Sarries ends with Daly tickling a diagonal grubber into touch in the Sharks’ 5m zone, but pressure is released as Itoje is pinged for closing the gap at the lineout.
37 mins. A Ford kick is claimed on the left touchline and just as it looks like Goode will be pushed into touch, he somehow pops it to Lozowski who is suddenly free and runing into the Sharks half. On the next phase, Curry recovers to win a turnover at the breakdown and snuff out the danger.
TRY! Saracens 20 – 13 Sale (Max Malins)
34 mins. The ball is fired into the backs early from the lineout, and there’s a bit of sevens-style run and check, with short offloads before Farrell pops a short pass to Malins off his left shoulder for the winger to run a diagonal line to score.
Farrell adds two.
33 mins. Tom Curry’s sin-bin is over and he returns to the field. Sale actually won the 10 minutes he was off, which is a great achievement.
But he’ll have some defending to do as Daly booms a penalty punt right up to the Sale 5m line.
TRY! Saracens 13 – 13 Sale (Akker Van Der Merwe)
31 mins. Sale are peppering the Sarries line with short carries that are repelled repeatedly by the defence before Akker Van Der Merwe drives hard from inches out and is convinced he’s grounded it. Ref Pearce wants a closer look and the TMO confirms the Sale hooker’s view.
Ford converts.
28 mins. Another scrum on halfway, this one for Sale, is reset multiple times. Ref Pearce is trying to chivvy them along to forming it up more quickly and it’s comical how much both packs are ignoring his request. Finally, it’s another penalty against Saracens and Mark McCall will be very worried at how the set piece is going for his side.
MISSED PENALTY! Saracens 13 – 6 Sale (George Ford)
23 mins. More breakdown shenanigans has Ford aiming for the posts again, but this one drifts just right.
YELLOW CARD! Tom Curry (Sale)
22 mins. And off he goes.
PENALTY TRY! Saracens 13 – 6 Sale
21 mins. We get back underway fairly handy, attacking on the blind side up the right from a scrum. Goode dinks a grubber through for Malins who is at top speed and heading towards grounding it before Tom Curry flies into tackle him. It was a lovely hit, the only issue being Malins didn’t have the ball and was about to score.
Pearce immediately gives a penalty try and wields a yellow card in the direction of the England flanker
It’s been an even contest both on the scoreboard and on the eyes, with both sides having some reasonable forays into opposition territory. It’s boiling out there, and that plus the occasion has led to a circumspect opening from both teams.
Sean Maitland was injured, pre-demo, and he’s off for Elliot Daly.
Match interrupted by protest
20 mins. Just Stop Oil have arrived on the pitch with their orange powder and the game is brought to a temporary halt.
Safe to say the Twickenham crowd are not exactly sympathetic to their cause.
PENALTY! Saracens 6 – 6 Sale (George Ford)
18 mins. “YEEEEEEEES!” scream the Sale pack as Ref Pearce awards a penalty for Riccioni folding in on his side of the scrum. George Ford again tees the ball up and slots it from 30 metres.
All square again.
Sweltering day for rugby @bloodandmud and you’d think this is going to be a real chess game for the first 50 but with the heat surely even these amazingly conditioned teams will tire in the end. Two great benches for backs. It could be an electric finish….
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) May 27, 2023
PENALTY! Saracens 6 – 3 Sale (Owen Farrell)
14 mins. Manu Tuilagi has woken up and has a couple of big drives in midfield; but the second one ends with Farrell ripping the ball off him and then Goode booms a 50:22 into Sale territory.
Possession is won at the lineout before Sharks are again sloppy at the breakdown to give Farrell a chance to take three points from the tee – which he duly takes.
An incredible turnaround from what was shaping into a decent attack for Sale.
10 mins. Some minutes lost to a scrum on halfway that ends with a Sarries penalty after McIntyre collapses on his side of the scrum. From the lineout, Tom Curry hits Jamie George hard and there’s some head contact that knocks the England hooker out cold.
George bent double coming into the tackle, so there’s no foul play, says Ref Pearce.
He’s awake and walking off, but that’s the end of his game as Theo Dan replaces him.
PENALTY! Saracens 3 – 3 Sale (George Ford)
6 mins. Saracens struggle to capitalise on the early lead as Itoje drops the kick-off and puts Sale on the attack in the 22. Farrell ends up on the worng side of the ruck and the the ref is not happy he’s making enough effort to get out of there. Penalty given.
Ford’s turn to call for the tee, and he evens things up.
PENALTY! Saracens 3 – 0 Sale (Owen Farrell)
4 mins. Farrell puts a huge up and under onto the Sale 22 which Carpenter can only flap at allowing Lozowski to yoink it and feed Mawi for a strong carry. A few phases later after some more drives around the ruck Earl is short metres from the line but is held by the Sharks defence.
Inevitably, the Manchester team drift offside and Farrell beckons for the tee and opens he scoring.
Kick Off!
George Ford booms it deep to get us underway and Saracens have an immediate penalty for Sam Dugdale not rolling away after chasing the kick-off.
Officials for today, for those interested.
Referee: Luke Pearce
Assistant Referees: Karl Dickson & Christophe Ridley.
TMO: Tom Foley.
Here come the teams out of the tunnel into the shimmering air of the stadium, Sale led by captain Jono Ross in his final appearance for the side. A win would be some way to sign off.
Pre-match reading
Ugo Monye is torn between going with the favourites or putting faith in the inspiration narrative. This makes more sense when you read it here.
Get involved by letting me have all your emotions and thought in word form either on email or tweet and I’ll give them due consideration.
Teams
Saracens
15 Alex Goode, 14 Max Malins, 13 Alex Lozowski, 12 Nick Tompkins, 11 Sean Maitland, 10 Owen Farrell (c), 9 Ivan Van Zyl; 1 Eroni Mawi, 2 Jamie George, 3 Marco Riccioni, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 Hugh Tizard, 6 Nick Isiekwe, 7 Ben Earl, 8 Jackson Wray
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Christian Judge, 19 Callum Hunter-Hill, 20 Toby Knight, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Duncan Taylor, 23 Elliot Daly
Sale Sharks
15. Joe Carpenter, 14. Tom Roebuck, 13. Rob du Preez, 12. Manu Tuilagi, 11. Arron Reed, 10. George Ford, 9. Gus Warr; 1. Simon McIntyre, 2. Akker van der Merwe, 3. Nick Schonert, 4. Jean-Luc du Preez, 5. Jonny Hill, 6. Tom Curry, 7. Sam Dugdale, 8. Jono Ross (C).
Replacements: 16. Ewan Ashman, 17. Bevan Rodd, 18. Coenie Oosthuizen, 19. Josh Beaumont, 20. Tom Ellis, 21. Raffi Quirke, 22. Sam James, 23. Tom O’Flaherty
Preamble
As the song sort of goes, in the summertime when the weather is high, you can join us here in Twickenham for the denouement of the Gallagher Premiership season, as Sale Sharks take on Saracens. Yes, Mungo Jerry’s version was a bit more snappy, but one can’t help but call the song to mind on a glorious day for rugby under a beaming sun in south west London .
While we’re on a nostalgia bent, Sale will have memories of 2006; then-captain Jason Robinson stretched right up and touched the sky with the Premiership trophy – the last occasion of such triumph for the Greater Manchester club. The nearly 20 years since has for the most part been a tale of flirting with the play-offs with a sole semi-final appearance in 2021, losing to Exeter Chiefs in a humdinger. This season has seen a gnarly squad containing experience and young promise consistently deliver results under coach Alex Sanderson, with the George Ford inspired indefatigable and classy performance to defeat Leicester in the semi summing 2023 Sale up.
Saracens have a had a better 20 years, certainly, but not without some bumps. And by “bumps” I mean systematic cheating of the salary cap and relegation as punishment. But however they reached this point – or how lean the last three years have been compared to the preceding decade – the north Londoners remain a formidable squad with plenty of experience of winning matches like this one. Mark McCall will be planning that their talent, table-topping form, and lesser likelihood of being overawed by the occasion will bring them their first post-ignominy championship.
North vs South, nearly men vs regular winners, Ford vs Farrell – there’s much to add to the intrigue and anticipation and after a few hours, more pints, and many expended litres of sweat (and that’s just me. HONK!) a new name will be on the trophy.
