Northampton 25-34 Sale: Superb Solomona seals win with hat-trick
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 05/03/18 10:49am
Denny Solomona scored a first-half hat-trick as Sale claimed victory at Northampton for the first time in 12 years with a 34-25 win.
The Sharks had lost on their past nine visits to Franklin's Gardens, with their losing streak stretching back to May 2006.
But a superb first-half showing that saw Solomona run riot and Marland Yarde also register a try, left the Saints shell-shocked and trailing 31-6 at the interval.
Northampton did eventually respond after the break with Michael Paterson, Rob Horne and Heinrich Brussow scoring, but it was too little too late, despite two Sale sin-bins.
Saints' staff and supporters had worked together to clear snow from the ground to get the game on and when the contest did kick-off Sale started the stronger.
After Ben Foden was bundled into touch five metres from his own line, the Sharks set up a move that was eventually finished by Solomona wide on the right.
Faf de Klerk kicked the conversion from the touchline and the Sharks held a 7-0 lead after just seven minutes, with Northampton having earlier lost skipper Christian Day to injury.
Tom Wood was also added to the home side's injury list and Sale enjoyed the better of the early exchanges with De Klerk adding a penalty.
Piers Francis kicked a penalty to get his team on the board. But Sale responded with a fine score after Yarde started a move that was finished by Solomona.
Francis cut the deficit with another Northampton penalty, but Sale refused to bend and Solomona registered his hat-trick try in the 34th minute after being released by De Klerk.
The scrum-half kicked the conversion and then set up a fourth score for Sharks soon after when Yarde booted ahead the former's box-kick before gathering to dot down.
With De Klerk again adding the extras, the visitors held a 25-point advantage at the break.
However, Northampton flew out of the blocks at the start of the second-half with lock, Paterson, scoring two minutes after the restart while Sale's Jono Ross was in sin-bin.
The hosts then scored again after a fine pass from Francis found Horne on the right.
Sale were losing their composure and they found themselves reduced to 14 men again in the 54th minute when full-back Mike Haley was sin-binned for deliberately tripping Horne.
De Klerk landed another penalty, but Northampton kept coming and Brussow scored nine minutes from time, but Sale had amassed enough points to hang on.
