Rugby Union May 26, 2026

Leicester Tigers seal Prem Rugby play-off place with 47-33 bonus-point win at Sale Sharks

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Leicester Tigers seal Prem Rugby play-off place with 47-33 bonus-point win at Sale Sharks

Leicester secured a place in the Prem Rugby play-offs with an emphatic 47-33 bonus-point victory at Sale that left them a point behind second-placed Bath.

Geoff Parling's Tigers are shaping up as major title contenders and had too much quality for a Sharks side whose top-four hopes have long since ended.

Leicester captain Ollie Chessum opened the scoring, but England team-mate Tom Roebuck replied for Sale before Jamie Blamire added a second try for the visitors.

Tigers number eight Joaquin Moro and Sale flanker Jacques Vermeulen traded tries and Joe Heyes added a fourth for the visitors who went in at half-time with a 28-12 advantage.

The try-fest continued after the break as Leicester ran in further scores from Will Wand, Ollie Hassell-Collins and Archie van der Flier before Sale rallied in the final quarter.

They touched down through captain Ernst van Rhyn, Sam Dugdale and Arron Reed to secure a losing bonus point but Leicester departed with their first win at Sale since 2018.

Alex Sanderson's hosts were boosted by the return of England back-rower Tom Curry and scrum-half Raffi Quirke for their penultimate home game of the season.

Leicester's starting line-up was unchanged from the team that beat Northampton last weekend.

Heyes made his 100th start for the club while Hamish Watson and Olly Cracknell both returned to the bench.

It took Leicester less than two minutes to open the scoring as flanker Hanro Liebenberg broke down the left flank and found Hassell-Collins who in turn sent Chessum racing over the line.

Former Sale fly-half James O'Connor added the conversion but Sale hit back in the ninth minute when Roebuck dived over from close range.

George Ford could not convert and Leicester, with their big pack driving them forward, scored twice more as the first half unfolded.

The first of those came in the 14th minute when Blamire was driven over the line from close range and eight minutes later they struck again with another forward-based try, this time Moro touching down from close range.

Orlando Bailey, who replaced the injured O'Connor early on, converted both tries to put Leicester 21-5 ahead.

But Sale replied on the half-hour when Quirke's quick penalty tap created the space for Vermeulen to thunder his way over the line from close range and Ford added the conversion.

Heyes touched down from close range and Bailey converted to make it 28-12 at the break.

Wand then dived for their fifth, Hassell-Collins scored in the left corner from Adam Radwan's long pass and Van der Flier added their seventh from close range.

Yet Sale refused to throw in the towel and scored close-range efforts through Van Rhyn, Dugdale and Reed to grab a bonus point on a day when they were largely outclassed.

Tags:

rugby-union news

Share this article

Related Posts

Georgia rugby doping scandal: Six players banned after urine-swapping scheme investigation

Georgia rugby doping scandal: Six players banned after urine-swapping scheme investigation

Six players from Georgia's rugby team have been handed long bans - including one for 11 years - for their involvement in a urine-swapping scheme to ch...

Nations Championship: England open tournament with July 4 South Africa clash before facing Argentina and Fiji

Nations Championship: England open tournament with July 4 South Africa clash before facing Argentina and Fiji

England will open their Nations Championship campaign with a 2019 World Cup final rematch against South Africa on July 4 in Johannesburg.Steve Borthwi...

Women's Six Nations 2026: Fixtures, results, schedule, dates and more as England clinch another championship title

Women's Six Nations 2026: Fixtures, results, schedule, dates and more as England clinch another championship title

All the results for the 2026 Women's Six Nations as England defended their title against France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.Saturday April 11S...

Scott Hastings: Scottish rugby great and former British and Irish Lions centre dies aged 61

Scott Hastings: Scottish rugby great and former British and Irish Lions centre dies aged 61

Scottish rugby great Scott Hastings has died at the age of 61.The British and Irish Lions centre won 65 caps in an 11-year Test career that began in 1...

Champions Cup final LIVE! Leinster vs holders Bordeaux-Begles updates, latest scores, team news, commentary from San Mames, Bilbao

Champions Cup final LIVE! Leinster vs holders Bordeaux-Begles updates, latest scores, team news, commentary from San Mames, Bilbao

Juventus rivalling Spurs for Liverpool's RobertsonJuventus have made a move for Andy Robertson in an attempt to rival Tottenham's interest, according...

Eddie Jones banned for four matches by Japan RFU for 'verbal abuse' towards officials during U23 tour of Australia

Eddie Jones banned for four matches by Japan RFU for 'verbal abuse' towards officials during U23 tour of Australia

Japan head coach Eddie Jones has been handed a six-week ban and had his salary docked for directing "verbal abuse" towards officials during an U23s' t...