London Irish and Sale almost safe after entertaining draw

London Irish and Sale have almost secured their place in the Premiership as they drew 33-33 in a very entertaining game at the Madjeski Stadium today.
The lead changed hands a few times and the scintillating attack had the upper hand over the flaky defence but the result means the Exiles are now 12 points clear from London Welsh at the bottom of the table with only three games remaining.
Sale, who scored three points thanks to the try bonus-point, are closer from Welsh but with eight points in hand they seem unlikely to be caught.
London Irish overcame a ten-point deficit in the last quarter of the game thanks to a try from Max Lahiff and two penalties from Tom Homer to go 33-30 in front but Nick Macleod rescued the draw with a penalty in the last minute of the game.
The Exiles had the better start of the two teams with their big ball carriers doing the damage around the breakdown but Sale didn’t panic and they scored four unanswered tries, two of them while David Paice was in the bin, to get back in the game.
Both side slipped off tackles too often and while it made for an entertaining game it made the outcome of the game unclear for most of the game and the draw felt like a deserved result for both team.
Irish went off to a flying start as Guy Armitage dived over after only two minutes following a rampaging run from the returning Sailosi Tagicakibau to lead 7-0.
Macleod put Sale on the board soon after with a penalty but Halani ‘Aulika extended the lead with a superb 40-metre solo effort.

After Ofisa Treviranus, who was once again outstanding around the park, put the Sharks‘ defence on the back foot, the big tighthead prop picked the ball up and raced to the line brushing off Charlie Amesbury on the way to his ninth try of the season.
But as Sam Tuitupou and Alasdair Dickinson carried the ball for over 70 yards to put Sale within grasp of the try-line, Paice was found guilty of slowing down the ball illegally and the hooker was shown the yellow card.
Macleod went for the corner and Sale made Irish pay straight away as Henry Thomas powered his way over from the resulting lineout.
It was going to a costly ten minutes for the home side as Mark Cueto touched down for his 77th Premiership try to put the Sharks in front on the half hour mark.
Homer reinstated London Irish in the lead with two penalties in quick succession but on the last play of the half the full-back gifted Sale with the ball and a couple of phases later, Kearnan Myall scored in the corner for a 22-20 lead at half-time.
Macleod picked up where he left off with a 50-metre penalty before James Gaskell claimed the bonus-point try to put the Sharks ten points clear.
But again, the gap was to be closed and Lahiff dived over from close range and Homer kicked a penalty to make it 30-30 with 25 minutes to go.
Homer, who finished the game an 18-point personal haul, eventually put the Exiles back in front with his fourth penalty of the game 15 minutes from time.
Macleod missed an opportunity to level the score with only four minutes left on the clock but he was successful on the second time of asking to rescue the draw.
For London Irish
Tries: Tagicakibau, ‘Aulika, Lahiff
Conversions: Homer 3
Penalties: Homer 4
Sin bin: Paice
For Sale
Tries: Thomas, Cueto, Myall, Gaskell
Conversions: Macleod 2
Penalties: Macleod 3
London Irish: Homer; Yarde, Armitage, Geraghty, Tagicakibau; Humphreys, Phibbs; Lahiff, Paice, Aulika; Skivington (Capt.), Evans; Garvey, Treviranus, Hala’ufia.
Replacements: Lawson, Yanuyanutawa, Halavatau, Fisher, Sinclair, Ojo, Joseph, Allinson.
Sale: Shepherd; Amesbury, Leota, Tuitupou, Cueto; Macleod, Peel; Dickinson, Jones, Thomas; Myall, Ostrikov; Braid, Seymour (Capt.), Gaskell.
Replacements: Taylor, Harrison, Buckley, Holmes, Vernon, Fowles, Cipriani, Brady.
Referee: Greg Garner
Star man: Ofisa Treviranus – London Irish
NICK VERDIER
Aviva Premiership bottom 3

	P	W	Pts
London Irish	19	6	30
Sale Sharks	19	5	26
London Welsh	19	4	18