Sale of a confident victory and a home semi-final thanks to a dissolute Gloucester

Sam James was the winner of the match in the continuation of a great Sale season. Credit: Getty Images/Dan Mullan Gloucester Rugby v Sale Sharks 2022 Results -23

Sale Sharks Rugby Director Alex Sanderson applauded the Nordic resilience his team showed by holding off the dissolute Gloucesters and winning their first home semi-final in 17 years.

Sale spent most of the match on the bench, with Tom Curry and Manu Tuilagi trapped on both sides at half-time, but enterprising second-half attempts by Jono Ross and Sam James secured them a top-two finish. Sale celebrated a top four finish two seasons ago only to lose the semi-final away to Exeter and this time Sanderson wants his team to keep their eyes on the ball.

"We had to dig deeper to get results,” Sanderson said. “It's when you fall behind that these gaps can become chasms, but not with this group. They just perked up and found a way.

“I said two years ago that at this point we were patting ourselves on the back thinking fairy tales were coming. They don't. It just gives us a better chance of doing all the work we've done.»

Gloucester found many inventive ways to turn down opportunities, not least when Adam Hastings left no one unloading begging a triline. They also gave up several shots on goal and lost 10-3 at half-time, with Jean-Luc du Pré reaching out to the guests. Just as Curry was about to return, Tuilagi was caught offside and Gloucester was finally able to break through. Johnny May broke through the middle of an unprotected crab and dropped a load for Captain Lewis Ludlow to jump over.

They briefly led with a great try. After a scramble in his own half, Hastings put Chris Harris through the hole and the Scottish center deftly turned his run to his support in Louis Rees-Zammit, who this time had the speed to finish after missing twice in the first leg. half.

Sale hit back almost immediately, taking advantage of Ben Morgan's No. 8 drunk decision in his last game at Kingsholm to hit the field. They spread the game to the left, where Arron Reed cut through the field before being taken down, but Jono Ross was on hand to take the upper hand. Ford converted a conversion and a penalty before they took advantage of a lost ball in a ruck. Ben Curry and Reed rushed down the left flank before the latter gave James the assist.

Johnny May's kill attempt was only consolation, even if it allowed Billy Twelvetris to miss the final conversion at Kingsholm, which still drew applause.