Match Centre: Gallagher Premiership: Saracens 45-26 Sale Sharks

Saracens 45-26 Sale Sharks, StoneX Stadium

Saracens Men secured a commanding 45-26 bonus-point victory against Sale Sharks at StoneX Stadium, thanks to a stellar performance from Alex Lozowski, who scored 22 points.

The win marks their second consecutive victory in the Gallagher Premiership, setting an early tone for the season.

Strong Start from Sale Sharks

Sale Sharks started strong, claiming an early lead with a penalty from George Ford just three minutes into the game. However, Ford soon left the field with an injury, giving Saracens an opportunity to shift the momentum in their favor.

Saracens quickly capitalized on Sale’s setback as Tom Willis and Ivan van Zyl worked their way into the visitors' 22. After a resulting penalty, Lozowski slotted in the first of his many kicks, leveling the scores.

Sharks Strike Back

Despite losing Ford, Sale Sharks regrouped and struck again when Sam Bedlow sliced through Saracens’ defense, setting up Gus Warr for an easy try. Rob du Preez converted, putting Sale up 10-3. However, Elliott Daly responded with a monstrous 50-meter penalty to reduce the gap to four points.

Elliott further demonstrated his pace and skill by forcing Sale into touch deep within their own territory, leading to another Lozowski penalty, bringing Saracens to within one point of the Sharks.

Saracens’ Dominance in the Second Half

Lozowski’s accurate kicking continued to keep Saracens ahead as he added two more penalties early in the second half, extending their lead to 18-13. With Saracens holding a slim advantage, it was Fergus Burke’s clever pass that put Lozowski through a gap, allowing him to set up Tobias Elliott on the right wing for a crucial try. The conversion pushed Saracens ahead to 25-13.

Though Sale fought back with a rolling maul try by Luke Cowan-Dickie and a penalty from du Preez, Saracens’ Alex Goode produced a moment of magic as he set up Elliot Daly for a sensational try in the corner.

Sealing the Win

Jamie George put the game out of reach with a classic maul try, extending Saracens' lead to 40-19. Despite a late try from Sale’s Tom O’Flaherty, it was Daly who had the final say, diving over in the corner to secure the bonus-point win for Saracens in front of a jubilant home crowd.

The victory leaves Saracens in a strong position early in the season, while Sale Sharks will need to regroup quickly after a challenging encounter at StoneX Stadium.

Team line up:

Saracens: Daly; Elliott, Lozowski, Tompkins, Segun; Burke, Van Zyl; Carre, Dan, Riccioni, Itoje (capt), Tizard, Onyeama-Christie, Earl, Willis.

Reserves: George, Crean, Clarey, Isiekwe, McFarland, Knight, Bracken, Goode.

Sale: Carpenter; Roebuck, Nayacalevu, R du Preez, O'Flaherty; Ford, Warr; Mcintyre, Cowan-Dickie, Opoku-Fordjour, Bamber, Andrews, Dugdale, B Curry, (capt) JL du Preez.

Reserves: Caine, Onasanya, Harper, Beaumont, Birch, Thomas, Bedlow, Addison.