Sale Sharks overpower Harlequins in the second half to earn 43-17 win

Sale Sharks 43-17 Harlequins, Salford

Harlequins were overpowered in the second half as Sale Sharks ran out convincing 43-17 winners in Salford on Friday night.

The visitors began brightly and were rewarded almost immediately. Marcus Smith’s cross-field kick put Rodrigo Isgró within touching distance of the line, and when Sale overthrew at the ensuing lineout, Smith reacted sharply to gather and score. He added the extras to give Quins an early 7-0 advantage.

Sale answered quickly, with Alex Wills finishing out wide to open the home side’s account. Smith then extended Quins’ lead with a penalty, but the momentum soon shifted. A series of infringements allowed the Sharks to build pressure, and Luke Cowan-Dickie drove over from the back of a rolling maul to edge Sale ahead.

The physical battle continued through the remainder of the first half, though it was Harlequins who struck last. After opting for the corner, they executed their own maul effectively, Jack Walker forcing his way over to send the visitors into the interval holding a narrow 17-12 lead.

That advantage disappeared quickly after the restart as Sale raised the intensity. Sustained possession eventually opened a gap for Jacques Vermeulen to cross and reclaim the lead, before the back-row forward struck again minutes later to give the hosts breathing space.

From that point on, the Sharks were in full control. Reketi Ma’asi-White powered over from close range, and the highlight of the contest followed soon after as Raffi Quirke - operating on the wing - chased down his own kick, capitalising when Marcus Smith slipped while attempting to collect near his own line.

Former Harlequin Nathan Jibulu rounded off the scoring as Sale completed a dominant second-half showing, leaving Quins unable to halt the flow of points.

The result strengthens Sale’s push up the Prem table, and provides a significant lift for Alex Sanderson’s side. For Harlequins, it was another sobering evening and attention now turns to a swift response ahead of their upcoming trip to a free-flowing Northampton.

Team line up:

Sale: Carpenter; O'Flaherty, Du Preez, Louw, Wills; Ford, Quirke; Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, Harper, Bamber, Andrews, Vermeulen, Van Rhyn, T Curry

Reserves: Jibulu, McIntyre, John, Burrow, Dugdale, Warr, Ma'asi-White, Wehr

Harlequins: David; Isgro, Beard, Northmore, Murley; Smith, Porter; Hobson, Walker, Williams, Petti, Treadwell, Kenningham, Lawday, Cunningham-South

Reserves: Musk, Wenger, Delgado, J Green, Dombrandt, Friday, J Evans, Bradley