Saracens………………..33
Tries: Goode 4, McFarland 27, Earl 42, Tompkins 75
Conversions: Goode 28, 76
Penalties: Daly 25, 46; Goode 37
Tries: Curry 4, Penalty 15, Carpenter 61
Conversions: Du Preez 62
Penalties: Du Preez 10
Saracens won a seventh game on the trot at the start of the season as they battled past Sale with a starring performance from Alex Goode.
Goode, who at 34 became Saracens’ most capped player with 339 appearances, scored an early try before his penalty and conversion helped his side recover from 15-5 down to lead 18-15 at the interval.
Saracens got the first score after the break, and Elliot Daly landed the second of two long-ranged penalties to take their advantage to 11.
And though Sale hit back with a Joe Carpenter try and threatened for a winner, Saracens sealed it as he fumbled to allow Nick Tompkins to wrap things up.
Coach Mark McCall was full of praise for Goode after the game, and said the performance was typical of a player he believed regularly produced high-class performances.
“Alex’s performance against Sale was as it always is, because I don’t think there’s been a more consistent player in the Premiership for the last 10 years,” said McCall.
“I can’t remember a bad game and he performs at a consistently brilliant level.
“We watched a highlights video of him on Friday and you could hear a pin drop in the room because our younger players, who haven’t really seen it all, were amazed by what they saw.
“He’s been an incredible player but also an incredible person for the club as well. He enjoys a final and he also enjoys a post-final.
“But he’s also wonderful with our younger players. He’s got huge rugby IQ and our younger players are lucky that he takes the time he does with them.”
Sale stumble after getting off to a flyer
Much like their overall season up to now, things started so promisingly for Sale but seemed to go awry just as they were being talked about as potential winners.
They scored inside five minutes as Ben Curry scored from the back of a maul, but Goode’s arcing run and finish brought Saracens back level soon after.
But with Saracens being dominated at the breakdown and unable to contain the Sale maul, Rob du Preez sent over a penalty before a penalty try from a maul left Saracens 10 points down and down to 14, as Ben Earl was sinbinned in the same act.
It looked as if Saracens were there for the taking. The Sharks had started at breakneck speed in comparison to their defeat against Harlequins last week, but instead it was Saracens who stole the initiative.
Daly’s first penalty, followed by an impressive score from Theo McFarland from 30 yards out, which showcased all of his agility and skill after he had cut a fine hard line, brought them level before Goode knocked over his solitary penalty.
Du Preez’s miss on the stroke of half-time ensured Saracens retained a lead they had by no means robbed, but Sale would have felt they had thrown away a real opportunity to have put last year’s runners-up away.
League leaders do what they do best in second period
Saracens have had a real knack for grinding out wins when they have previously been trailing or struggling in games, coming back from 17-0 down at Quins, fighting back from 16-points behind against Gloucester in the second half and edging Exeter with a late Goode penalty last week.
Had Sale capitalised while a man up, they could well have had the hosts rattled with a three-score lead or something similar to that, but Saracens were full of confidence by half-time.
And it immediately showed, Ben Earl cutting through after being set up by Goode, and the lead going out to 11 as Daly landed a 58-metre kick.
But his sinbin, and another to Tompkins gave Sale a route back in, and though Tommy Taylor was denied a try for a double movement, Carpenter’s simple finish in the corner brought them back within a score.
They were metres away from the lead, but white line fever took hold of both Dan Du Preez and Gus Warr as Sale went in search of a winner, before Tompkins put the seal on proceedings and made it a magnificent seven for the hosts.
Saracens: Goode 9, Lewington 7, Lozowski 7, Tompkins 8 (Hallett 78), Daly 6, M Vunipola 5 (Maitland 14, 6), Van Zyl 6 (de Haas 78), Mawi 7 (Flynn 68, 6), Dan 8 (Lewis 68, 7), Judge 5 (Riccioni 43, 6), Hunter-Hill 7 (Kitchener 78), McFarland 8, Christie 7 (Knight 78), Earl 8, Wray 7
Sale: Carpenter 7, Reed 5 (McGuigan 62, 6), S James 6, S Hill 6, O’Flaherty 7 (Reed 75), R du Preez 6, Warr 5 (Simpson 80), McIntyre 6 (Harrison 55, 7), Taylor 7 (Ashman 56, 7), Schonert 7 (Harper 56, 7), Wiese 7 (Postlethwaite 32, 7), Beaumont 6, Ross 7 (Dugdale 59, 6), B Curry 8 (Curtis 78), D du Preez 6
Star Man: Alex Goode (Saracens)
