Northampton boss Jim Mallinder paid tribute to his side's defensive effort after overcoming Sale in the LV= Cup.
Saints boss delighted with Sale success
Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder paid tribute to his side's defensive effort after they held on for a 20-14 victory over Sale in the LV= Cup at Edgeley Park.
Saints led throughout but were forced to spend long periods of both halves defending in their own 22 as Sale battered away at their line.
And Mallinder was delighted to secure a victory which sees his side close in on a semi-final spot. They hold a four-point lead at the top of Pool Four with one round of games to play.
He said: "I was very pleased. We talked about making sure we were good in defence. There is a narrow pitch here which means attacking opportunities are limited so you have to keep your discipline and we did that well.
"We were unfortunate to lose Besty (Neil Best) to the sin bin but I thought our discipline was good.
Exciting
"We were glad to get our two tries and Stephen Myler's kicks gave us that little bit of leeway that we needed.
"We were disappointed that we conceded that late try to give Sale an exciting finish, but we held out."
Saints were 10-0 up inside the opening quarter thanks to a try from centre Chris Mayor and a conversion and penalty from fly-half Myler.
Wing Paul Diggin extended that lead at the start of the second half and Myler added a second penalty, before Charlie Hodgson and Sisa Koyamaibole went over for the hosts as the Sharks launched a spirited fightback to set up a tense final few minutes.
Mallinder also praised his centre pairing of Joe Ansbro and Mayor, who did a great job of giving the Saints a good attacking platform with their powerful carrying.
"I am particularly pleased for our two centres, they ran direct and tackled extremely well tonight," he said.
Smashed
Sale now need to win at Bath next weekend and hope other results go their way if they are to progress.
And boss Kingsley Jones was less than impressed with his side's display, despite their strong second-half effort, blaming a poor start for their defeat.
"I lost my cool with the team at half-time although I was pleased with the way we fought back," he said.
"But we forced the ball and dropped passes.
"I don't think we were there mentally from the start. The first try we conceded was very soft and gave them a 10-0 lead.
"There are no excuses. We started poorly, it was a game we could have won and it's not as if we were smashed off the park in every department. We had the better of territory and possession.
"But fair play to Northampton, they took their chances."
