Sale boss Philippe Saint-Andre was full of praise for Luke McAlister after he played a key role in the Sharks' win at Worcester.
All Blacks star dazzles on debut as Worcester lose again
Sale boss Philippe Saint-Andre was full of praise for debutant Luke McAlister after he helped the Sharks end their losing run on the road.
The New Zealand international had a hand in his new side's first try and then kicked three second-half penalties as Sale beat Worcester 34-15.
As well as being their first success away from home in 11 Guinness Premiership games, the result also lifts the Sharks into fifth place in the table.
A delighted Saint-Andre hailed McAlister as a "terrific signing" and feels he can form a lethal combination with fly-half Charlie Hodgson.
Playmakers
"Luke McAlister is a world-class player, and it is so much easier when you have a player on the pitch like him," the Frenchman said.
"It is a terrific signing for us. Him and Charlie Hodgson are two of the best playmakers in the world.
"Charlie is back to his best, and we have a good mix. We need to cross fingers now that we don't get too many injuries.
"When we have the ball we looked so dangerous, but sometimes we didn't keep the ball enough. We lacked patience.
"To win away though, is a good feeling, and our biggest challenge is to finish in the top four - that is our target."
While Sale went home happy, Worcester were left to once again ponder where things had gone wrong.
Losing feeling
The Warriors battled hard in front of their own fans but came up short - meaning they are still yet to taste success in the league this season.
Coach Clive Griffiths admitted a slow start - Sale were 15 points up in as many minutes - had not helped the home side's cause.
"We were very competitive tonight, but Sale were clinical," he said. "They had an extra bit of edge out wide.
"We are down, but we are not out. We needed to be at the top of our game, but we weren't.
"At 15-0 behind, we were always up against it. We didn't get a good start, but we will keep going."
