Sale hang on to beat Exeter and reach play-offs

Gallagher Premiership

Exeter (5) 26

Tries: Brown-Bampoe, Hodge, Haydon-Wood, Capstick Cons: Hodge 3

Sale (20) 30

Tries: Ma'asi-White, Rodd, Cowan-Dickie Cons: Ford 3 Pens: Ford 3

Sale secured 3rd spot successful nan Premiership and a play-off semi-final astatine Leicester pinch a 30-26 triumph complete Exeter successful a tense brushwood astatine Sandy Park.

Paul Brown-Bampoe's 20th-minute effort concisely put nan location broadside successful beforehand earlier Sale's superb onslaught kicked into cogwheel arsenic Rekeiti Ma'asi-White and Bevan Rodd went nether nan posts to thief springiness Sharks a 20-5 lead astatine nan break.

Josh Hodge pulled a effort backmost for nan hosts soon aft nan restart and, erstwhile Will Haydon-Wood trim nan spread to 4 points Sale looked worried.

Dan Frost had a 4th Exeter effort disallowed for a sound connected pinch 18 minutes left, but erstwhile Chiefs favourite Luke Cowan-Dickie forced his measurement complete pinch 12 minutes near to seal triumph for Sale.

Richard Capstick sewage a 4th effort for Exeter pinch 3 minutes near to group up a tense decorativeness arsenic nan hosts ended nan play pinch 2 losing prize points.

The triumph ensured Sale decorativeness 3rd successful nan array aft second-placed Leicester hit bottommost broadside Newcastle astatine location - ensuring a travel to Welford Road for nan Sharks successful adjacent week's semi-finals.

An indisciplined commencement costs Exeter arsenic George Ford kicked a first-minute punishment for Sale earlier they gave up possession a mates of metres from nan Sharks statement having had nan amended of nan early play.

Brown-Bampoe capped a flowing Exeter passing move to get nan first effort midway done nan first half - though nan unconverted people came astatine a costs arsenic precocious fit-again backmost Tommy Wyatt limped disconnected having been wounded successful nan build-up.

Ford's 2nd punishment a infinitesimal later saw Sale retake nan lead earlier Ma'asi-White capped disconnected a superb passing series to spell nether nan posts arsenic Exeter struggled to take sides against Sale's fantabulous offloading.

It was much of nan aforesaid 8 minutes later arsenic Rodd was nan beneficiary aft Ford and Arron Reed mixed to create nan spread for nan Sale loose-head to score.

And it sewage worse for nan location broadside erstwhile Ethan Roots was sin-binned soon earlier nan break for bringing down a maul, but contempt being a man down they started nan 2nd half impressively.

Persistent unit yet told arsenic Ma'asi-White was sin-binned aft a number of penalties connected nan Sale statement and soon aft Hodge went complete successful nan correct area arsenic Exeter exploited nan other space.

A 3rd Ford punishment soon aft calmed Sale's nerves pinch little than 30 minutes to play, but Haydon-Wood rounded disconnected Exeter's champion attacking move of nan afternoon, Hodge and Henry Slade linked up to put nan replacement over.

Exeter thought they had taken nan lead 5 minutes later erstwhile Frost was forced over, but replays showed he had mislaid power disconnected nan shot arsenic he dived complete nan line.

Sale regained their composure and their double-digit advantage pinch 12 minutes to spell arsenic Cowan-Dickie forced his measurement complete from adjacent range.

Sale missed retired connected a 4th effort six minutes later erstwhile Gus Warr was sin-binned aft replays showed a vulnerable tackle successful nan build-up to a effort from Reed, while from nan resulting line-out punishment Exeter replacement Jimmy Roots was held up complete nan Sale line.

But Exeter did get a 5th effort erstwhile Capstick ran successful aft Slade and Tamati Tua combined.

Exeter head of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Sport:

"At nan extremity of nan time I'm disappointed.

"I deliberation we were really bully for astir 20 minutes, 3 points and really sticking successful nan fight, and past we were existent soft for 20 minutes.

"We concede those points and we showed conscionable capable conflict not to concede conscionable earlier half-time, which was important because that slowed maine to spell aft nan lads a small spot astatine half-time.

"We said we were going to guidelines up and conflict and that intends you guidelines up and conflict and I sewage it disconnected my thorax astatine half-time.

"I deliberation we did that afloat successful nan 2nd half, nan vexation successful nan 2nd half is we conscionable almost refused to fastener down for periods a beautiful elemental crippled plan."

Sale head of rugby Alex Sanderson told BBC Sport:

"The crippled was superb coming wasn't it? It was physical, it was backmost and forth, location was immoderate really bully moving successful there, for nan Exeter squad arsenic well.

"Because we had to spell done those moments successful that second-half wherever it was 23-19 to america and past 30-26 it readies you, it arms you for games for illustration nan semi-finals and finals, which are each close.

"If you tin support your caput today, erstwhile everyone other is losing theirs, nan aged Rudyard Kipling poem, you're successful specified a amended spot connected nan backmost of that, knowing what we tin hole from nan Leicester crippled and besides knowing what we tin do amended from today.

"I've been watching Exeter and they should person hit Bath, watched them past play and thought they were really bully past arsenic well, I cognize really vulnerable they are.

"I'm complete nan satellite for thee boys, we get 1 much week, 1 that we want to move into 2 much weeks."

Exeter: Hodge; Brown-Bampoe, Slade, Tua, Wyatt; Skinner, Townsend; Blose, Yeandle (capt), Iosefa-Scott, Tuima, Molina, Vermeulen, Capstick, Roots

Replacements: Frost, Sio, Roots, Tshiunza, Moloney, Cairns, Haydon-Wood, Vintcent

Yellow card: Roots (39)

Sale: Carpenter; O'Flaherty, R du Preez, Ma'asi-White, Reed; Ford, Quirke; Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, Opoku-Fordjour, Van Rhyn, Hill, J-L du Preez, B Curry (capt), D du Preez.

Replacements: McElroy, McIntyre, John, Bamber, Dugdale, Warr, James, Wills.

Yellow card: Ma'asi-White (47), Warr (74)

Referee: Christophe Ridley