Sharks show their teeth

Sale re-established their championship credentials with a 20-14 victory over Leicester at Edgeley Park.

The Sharks had targeted this fixture against the current champions as a chance to kick-start their season, and roared on by a full house they duly obliged.

Sale probably just edged an absorbing contest between the champions of the last two years but Leicester will feel they could have won, had Andy Goode's goal-kicking been as reliable as has come to be expected.

Former All Black Luke McAlister was the game's outstanding performer with a world class display both in attack and defence. He may have been the difference between the two teams, although that difference was even slimmer than the six-point winning margin.

Impressive

Charlie Hodgson knocked over a couple of early penalties as Sale were rewarded for an impressive start, before Goode halved the deficit.

The opening exchanges were distinguished principally by impressive breaks from Leicester's Aaron Mauger and Sale's Julien Laharague, although neither produced a scoring chance.

Laharague thought he had scored a try on 29 minutes but the video ref ruled he had been held up over the line by Tom Varndell, although Leicester were caught offside at the resulting scrum and Hodgson stretched the lead to 9-3.

On 37 minutes Sale did manage to score and it was a classic. The chance was set up by a chip over the top by Hodgson, Sebastien Chabal charged up the middle and sucked in defenders and the ball was quickly spirited out wide for Hodgson to put Rory Lamont in at the corner.

Sale looked to be in complete control, but a typically dogged Leicester responded immediately.

They forced a knock-on from the re-start, Ollie Smith took a great line from the scrum and Johnny Murphy finished the visitors' first sniff of a try superbly.

Leicester started the second half strongly and quickly earned a penalty which Goode slotted over.

Attritional

The game was becoming increasingly attritional and on 56 minutes Goode should have tied it up, only to miss a straightforward penalty chance.

He made amends by kicking a far more difficult one four minutes later, but Hodgson put Sale straight back on top a minute later.

Varndell had the chance to put Leicester ahead but knocked on in collecting his chip over the top.

The Tigers won a penalty from the resulting scrum but Goode was once again wayward, hitting the post from close range.

That was probably the games' pivotal moment and after the outstanding McAlister landed a long-range penalty on 77 minutes, the Sharks were able to run down the clock without too much further alarm.