Sale edged out Harlequins 12-11 throughout an attritional Premiership opener which noticed visiting hooker Jack Walker rating the one attempt on the Salford Group Stadium.
England fly-half George Ford kicked 4 penalties for Alex Sanderson’s males with Walker’s first-half landing and two penalties from Leigh Halfpenny accounting for the guests’ factors.
The match was a largely uneventful encounter with few try-scoring probabilities and, though Marcus Smith and Danny Care got here off the bench for the guests within the second half, Sale floor out a slender victory.
Fiji skipper Waisea Nayacalevu made his Premiership debut for Sale after becoming a member of from Toulon and, recent from serving to England to Underneath-20s World Championship glory in the summertime, Asher Opoku-Fordjour made his first Sharks begin at tighthead prop.
New Harlequins recruits Titi Lamositele and Halfpenny had been included within the guests’ beginning line-up, whereas Jack Kenningham and Nick David made their fiftieth appearances for the membership.
Fixture
Gallagher Premiership
Sale
Harlequins
Quins made a brilliant begin and pinned Sale again inside their very own 22-metre line throughout the opening exchanges, with inside centre Lennox Anyanwu making his presence felt with some robust carries.
Sale had been dealt a blow within the seventh minute when England flanker Tom Curry was compelled off for a Head Harm Evaluation and changed by Sam Dugdale.
The Sharks held agency throughout that interval of early strain on their line and ultimately made inroads into Harlequins territory.
Within the 18th minute, Sale earned a scrum penalty which Ford kicked to place them 3-0 up and two minutes later Curry returned to the sphere after passing his HIA earlier than being changed once more on the break.
The hosts continued to probe and Ford booted one other penalty to double their benefit within the twenty ninth minute, this time after Quins had been caught offside at a ruck.
However seven minutes earlier than the break, Harlequins had been rewarded for a interval of strain when Walker was pushed over in the correct nook from a line-out.
Halfpenny skewed the conversion try properly extensive however kicked a penalty to place his 8-6 up because the interval approached.
Proper on the stroke of half-time, Ford landed his third penalty for Sale to ship them in on the break with a 9-8 benefit.
After half-time, Ford started to exert a rising affect on proceedings and within the 52nd minute he nearly created a attempt for winger Tom Roebuck.
Ford expertly flighted a crossfield kick to the correct nook the place Roebuck was arriving at tempo, but it surely was barely overcooked and the chance was spurned.
Regardless of Smith and Care’s greatest efforts, tryscoring probabilities remained at a premium.
Though a penalty from Halfpenny edged Harlequins in entrance at 11-9 within the 71st minute, Ford stored his composure to seal victory for Sale along with his fourth three-pointer with 5 minutes remaining.
