Category News

Gallagher Premiership

Sale (20) 41

Tries: D du Preez, McElroy, Hill, Ma’asi-White, Quirke Cons: Ford 5 Pens: Ford 2

Bristol (5) 27

Sale Sharks moved a step closer towards securing a Premiership play-off spot with a bonus-point victory over top-four rivals Bristol Bears.

Sale move up to third, one point ahead of fourth-placed Bristol, both with one game left to play on 31 May.

A bonus-point victory in Sale’s final match away to lowly Exeter Chiefs would secure a play-off spot for a third consecutive season.

Bristol had looked well beaten, but they produced a strong late rally to come away with a bonus point themselves as they ran in five tries.

Harry Randall crossed in the first half, then Viliame Mata, Siva Naulago and crucially Harry Byrne and Kalaveti Ravouvou in the last three minutes.

Sale were smarting from a narrow loss at second-placed Leicester Tigers seven days earlier and began with a spring in their step.

An early Ford penalty had the hosts in front and their attack had been threatening to break through Bristol’s defensive line, but it took until the 23rd minute for the first try.

Wave after wave of attacks had been repelled but the Sharks eventually worked the space for Ben Curry to send over number eight Du Preez in the corner.

The visitors had spent little time in the opposition half, but showed exactly what they are about with a brilliant opportunist score from Randall.

The 27-year-old scrum-half spotted a gap between two forwards and a burst of pace and a superb line took him over for the try, a reminder of why he will be in contention to start England’s Tests in Argentina and USA this summer.

Bristol sent on three replacement forwards at half-time, including their sole Lions player, Ellis Genge and were rewarded with their first spell of sustained pressure and a try for number eight Mata.

However, Sale’s response was emphatic as second row Hill, whose departure at the end of the season was announced this week, was simply unstoppable in charging over from five metres out.

Naulago scored a classic winger’s try in the corner to keep Bristol interested, but the all-important fourth try arrived from centre Ma’asi-White with Sale’s power and speed too much to handle.

Replacement Quirke then capped an excellent team display with a superb individual score, as he showed his electric ability at number nine.

However, Bristol were desperate for something to take back to the West Country and their trademark fast-and-loose rugby had its reward in the last five minutes.

Sale: Carpenter; Roebuck, R du Preez, Ma’asi-White, O’Flaherty; Ford, Warr; Rodd, McElroy, Opoku-Fordjour, van Rhyn, Hill, JL du Preez, B Curry, D du Preez.

Replacements: Longstaff, McIntyre, John, Bamber, Dugdale, Quirke, Bedlow, Wills.

Bristol: Lane, Ravouvou, Janse van Rensburg, Williams, Ibitoye; MacGinty, Randall; Woolmore, Oghre, Kloska, Caulfield, Batley, Grondona, Harding, Mata.

Replacements: Capon, Genge, Lahiff, Dun, Owen, Marmion, Byrne, Naulago.

Jannik Sinner set up a blockbuster Italian Open final against Carlos Alcaraz, after the world number one fought from behind to beat American Tommy Paul.

Playing on home soil in his first tournament since a three-month doping ban, Sinner was made to fight before eventually overcoming the 11th seed 1-6 6-0 6-3.

In front of a packed and partisan centre court in Rome, the 23-year-old stretched his unbeaten run to 26 matches and moved one win away from being the first Italian to win their home open since Adriano Panatta in 1976.

Earlier on Friday, Alcaraz dashed home hopes of an all-Italian final by beating Lorenzo Musetti 6-3 7-6 (7-4).

Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz looks in good shape for the French Open later this month as he reached a fourth final of the season by winning in straight sets in just over two hours.

For Musetti, it was a fifth straight loss to the Spaniard having also lost on clay in the Monte Carlo final last month.

The 23-year-old gave up three breaks of serve and made 29 unforced errors in the first set, and was warned by the umpire after slamming his racket into the clay.

Both men exchanged breaks at the start of the second set and Musetti moved 4-3 ahead with some spectacular shots, but Alcaraz broke back in game eight – causing his furious opponent to smash his ball into the stands.