Alex Wills, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Jacques Vermeulen (two), Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, Raffi Quirke and Nathan Jibulu every rating tries as Sale Sharks comprehensively beat Harlequins in Prem Rugby’s Boxing Day fixture; Marcus Smith and Jack Walker rating Quins tries in defeat
Final Up to date: 26/12/25 7:52pm
Jacques Vermeulen scored twice as Sale Sharks comprehensively beat Harlequins on Boxing Day
Sale emphatically ended a run of 4 straight Prem Rugby defeats by thumping fellow strugglers Harlequins 43-17 in a bonus-point win on the CorpAcq Stadium in Salford.
Alex Sanderson’s Sharks had been hammered at Northampton within the final of these 4 losses eight days in the past however they lastly returned to profitable methods and condemned Harlequins to an enormous defeat.
The Londoners have now misplaced six of their eight league video games this season and their play-off hopes are already starting to fade, however this victory reignited Sale’s prospects of a top-four end.
Harlequins led 17-12 on the break by tries from Marcus Smith and Jack Walker however Sale, who scored by Alex Wills and Luke Cowan-Dickie within the first half, ran riot within the second half.
Jacques Vermeulen scored twice in fast succession to seal the bonus level and Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, Raffi Quirke and Nathan Jibulu additionally touched down as Sale ran in 31 unanswered second-half factors.
England internationals George Ford, Bevan Rodd and Joe Carpenter returned to Sale’s line-up as Sanderson made 5 adjustments to his staff following final week’s 47-21 loss away to Saints.
James Harper and Hyron Andrews additionally got here again into the XV to bolster a pack that featured Tom Curry at quantity eight.
Quins, in the meantime, had been hammered 40-14 towards Bristol Bears on the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham final weekend.
However they caught Sale chilly by forging forward early on when, after winger Rodrigo Isgro was denied in the correct nook, Smith collected possession and dived over from shut vary within the second minute.
Smith transformed his personal attempt however Sale responded strongly and bought off the mark with a well-worked attempt by Wills within the eighth minute. After good work from Ford, Rob du Preez threw a advantageous cross out to Wills and he crossed within the left nook.
Ford missed the conversion and Smith then kicked a penalty for Quins earlier than Sale scored their second attempt when Cowan-Dickie crashed over from shut vary.
This time Ford transformed to place Sale 12-10 forward however Walker went over from a line-out to attain on the stroke of half-time for Quins and Smith’s conversion made it 17-12 on the break.
The second half was one-way site visitors as flanker Vermeulen took centre stage with two finishes inside the house of eight minutes within the third quarter of the match.
That secured the bonus level and Ma’asi-White completed off some pleasant dealing with for his or her fifth earlier than scrum-half Raffi Quirke pounced on a mistake to attain Sale’s sixth.
There was nonetheless time for alternative hooker Jibulu to crash over from shut vary as Sale celebrated returning to profitable methods in type.
For Sale, Ford and Du Preez claimed two conversions apiece and for Harlequins Smith registered two conversions and a penalty.
