Premiership leaders show Bok-laden Sale who's boss
PREMIERSHIP FRIDAY WRAP: Premiership leaders Exeter Chiefs proved to be too strong for a Springbok-laden Sale Sharks team at the AJ Bell Stadium on Friday.
The Chiefs ran in four tries for a 32-22 bonus-point win. It is Sale's second defeat in a row since the 2019-2020 Premiership season restarted last weekend.
For the Chiefs, it was their 11th win of the season and they are looking comfortable on top of the standings with six rounds of the competition still to play before the play-offs.
England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie scored the pick of the tries for last year's runners up.
"Everyone in the Sale team knew it was coming, and he still scored it, there's very few people that have got the ability to convert that kind of power and drive over that distance," Chiefs coach Rob Baxter said.
Meanwhile, Fiji centre Remi Radradra scored his first Bristol Bears try since joining from Bordeaux-Begles over the off-season in Friday's 33-24 win at Gloucester in the English Premiership.
Radradra, who signed a three-year deal with the Bears after the French club said they failed to match them financially, crossed after 28 minutes after a quiet debut last weekend as his new side kept hold of second place.
"I don't think he has to live up to anything, that boy," Bears coach Pat Lam said.
"When the guys do their jobs it gives Semi the space and we saw what he can do and he's determined to do better than that. So it's exciting," the former Samoa back-rower added.
Former All Blacks full-back Charles Piutau, who reportedly earns £1million ($1.31million), a season was rested with a busy schedule ahead including two midweek fixtures over the next month in a re-scheduled season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Max Mallins, Henry Purdy, Harry Thacker and Ben Earl also crossed in the Bears' first win at Kingsholm in 14 years.
In Friday's other fixture, Wasps leapfrogged the Sharks to third despite trailing by five points at half-time to overcome Worcester Warriors 32-17.
On Saturday, champions Saracens, who will be relegated at the end of the campaign due to salary cap breaches, head to Harlequins, London Irish host Northampton and Leicester welcome Bath.
Sale Sharks 22-32 Exeter Chiefs
The scorers:
For Sale Sharks:
Tries: Curry, R du Preez, Solomona
Cons: R du Preez 2
Pen: R Du Preez
For Exeter Chiefs:
Tries: S Simmonds, Vermeulen, Hogg, Cowan-Dickie
Cons: J Simmonds 3
Pens: J Simmonds 2
Yellow card: Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 57)
Teams:
Sale Sharks: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Byron McGuigan, 13 Sam James, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Marland Yarde, 10 Rob du Preez, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Jono Ross (captain), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Jean-Luc du Preez, 3 Will-Griff John, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Coenie Oosthuizen.
Replacements: 16 Curtis Langdon, 17 Ross Harrison, 18 Jake Cooper-Woolley, 19 James Phillips, 20 Ben Curry, 21 Will Cliff, 22 AJ MacGinty, 23 Denny Solomona.
Exeter Chiefs: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 Olly Woodburn, 10 Joe Simmonds (captain), 9 Jack Maunder, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Dave Ewers, 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Jonny Gray, 3 Harry Williams, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ben Moon.
Replacements: 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Billy Keast, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Jannes Kirsten, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Gareth Steenson, 23 Tom Hendrickson.
Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant referees: Tom Foley & Jack Makepeace
TMO: Trevor Fisher
Gloucester 24-33 Bristol Bears
The scorers:
For Gloucester:
Tries: Balmain, Harris, Varney
Cons: Twelvetrees 2, Cipriani
Pen: Twelvetrees
For Bristol Bears:
Tries: Malins, Purdy, Thacker, Radradra, Earl
Cons: Sheedy 4
Teams:
Gloucester: 15 Louis Rees-Zammit, 14 Ollie Thorley, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Jonny May, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 Jake Polledri, 7 Lewis Ludlow (captain), 6 Ruan Ackermann, 5 Matt Garvey, 4 Ed Slater, 3 Fraser Balmain, 2 Jack Singleton, 1 Val Rapava-Ruskin.
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Logovi’I Mulipola, 18 Jack Stanley, 19 Danny Drake, 20 Jack Clement, 21 Stephen Varney, 22 Tom Seabrook, 23 Charlie Sharples.
Bristol Bears: 15 Max Malins, 14 Alapati Leiua, 13 Semi Radradra, 12 Siale Piutau, 11 Henry Purdy, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Andy Uren, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Ben Earl, 6 Steven Luatua (captain), 5 Chris Vui, 4 Joe Joyce, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Harry Thacker, 1 Jake Woolmore.
Replacements: 16 Will Capon, 17 Yann Thomas, 18 Max Lahiff, 19 Ed Holmes, 20 Dan Thomas, 21 Harry Randall, 22 Tiff Eden, 23 Luke Morahan.
Referee: Luke Pearce
Assistant referees: Phil Watters & Dean Richards
TMO: Claire Hodnett
Wasps 32-17 Worcester Warriors
The scorers:
For Wasps:
Tries: Willis, Oghre, Barbeary, Cruse
Cons: Miller 3
Pens: Miller 2
For Worcester Warriors:
Tries: David, Cutting
Cons: Weir 2
Pen: Weir
Teams:
Wasps: 15 Rob Miller, 14 Paolo Odogwu, 13 Michael Le Bourgeois, 12 Ryan Mills, 11 Marcus Watson, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Ben Vellacott, 8 Tom Willis, 7 Gabriel Oghre, 6 Ben Morris, 5 James Gaskell (captain), 4 Tim Cardall, 3 Biyi Alo, 2 Tom Cruse, 1 Simon McIntyre.
Replacements: 16 Alfie Barbeary, 17 Tom West, 18 Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 19 Theo Vukasinovic, 20 Sione Vailanu, 21 Sam Wolstenholme, 22 Jacob Umaga, 23 Matteo Minozzi.
Worcester Warriors: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Noah Heward, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Will Butler (captain), 11 Nick David, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Gareth Simpson, 8 Cornell du Preez, 7 Tom Dodd, 6 GJ van Velze, 5 Andrew Kitchener, 4 James Scott, 3 Richard Palframan, 2 Beck Cutting, 1 Callum Black.
Replacements: 16 Isaac Miller, 17 Lewis Holsey, 18 Joe Morris, 19 Justin Clegg, 20 Caleb Montgomery, 21 Jono Kitto, 22 Jamie Shillcock, 23 Oli Morris.
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
Assistant referees: Adam Leal & Rob Warburton
TMO: Keith Lewis
Additional source: AFP