Leicester set sights on top two after running riot at Sale to seal Prem playoff place

This emphatic bonus-point triumph was different forcible reminder that Leicester are connected nan march again, pinch nan Tigers consummately professional, ruthlessly businesslike and objective pinch nan chances that came their way.

Whether aliases not they tin spell connected to scope nan Prem Rugby last and assistance nan trophy connected 20 June remains to beryllium seen, but that they are heading successful nan correct guidance nether Geoff Parling’s guidance is undeniable.

Leicester, overflowing pinch self-belief and a corporate desire, had to settee for 7 tries but they mightiness person scored much connected a time erstwhile they unafraid a playoff spot pinch 2 games to spare

Now they person a top-two decorativeness and a location semi-final successful their sights, which seems apt to beryllium decided erstwhile they caput to Bath connected nan last time successful a shootout for 2nd spot pinch Northampton favourite to decorativeness top.

Parling’s men, still bubbling from their 41-17 location triumph complete Saints Northampton 8 days earlier, oozed assurance from nan disconnected arsenic they made hay successful nan sunshine. They were 28-12 up and successful full power astatine nan break, nan prize constituent secured pinch first-half tries from nan skipper Ollie Chessum, Jamie Blamire, Joaquin Moro and Joe Heyes connected his 100th Leicester start.

For Sale this play cannot extremity soon enough. Alex Sanderson’s broadside are nan only squad to person reached nan playoffs successful each of nan erstwhile 3 seasons. Yet nan 2025-26 run has been 1 of awesome regression, a pronounced fto down for a nine who person not won a awesome trophy since their solitary Premiership title occurrence successful 2006.

Not overmuch has gone correct for Sale since they truthful gloriously toppled Leicester astatine a rain-soaked Twickenham almost 20 years agone nether nan guidance of Philippe Saint-Andre. This latest setback saw them suffer 4 successive location games for nan first clip successful their Prem history and marked their seventh conclusion successful their past 8 matches.

Ollie Chessum opens nan scoring for Leicester. Photograph: Colorsport/Barry Mitchell/Shutterstock

Leicester’s forwards had a section time and 2 of them mixed for nan opening people pinch little than 2 minutes played. Hanro Liebenberg embarked connected a marauding tally successful nan near transmission earlier uncovering Ollie Hassell-Collins, who showed intelligence to nonstop Chessum galloping complete nan line.

The England fastener was celebrating moreover earlier he touched down and from location nan Tigers did not look back.

Boosted by nan return of Tom Curry aft a calf wounded for his first Sale quality since January, nan hosts fashioned an initially awesome response. George Ford, Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, Joe Carpenter and Tom O’Flaherty were each progressive successful a move which culminated successful England helping Tom Roebuck scoring successful nan eighth minute.

Leicester, though, were mostly ascendant and their guardant supremacy harvested close-range tries for Blamire and Moro, nan second coming aft O’Flaherty tried to walk his measurement retired of problem wrong his ain in-goal area.

Sale had bursts of momentum and a speedy penalty-tap from Raffi Quirke created nan abstraction for flanker Jacques Vermeulen to clang complete nan line, but it was different mendacious dawn.

Leicester began knocking connected Sale’s doorway again and nan irrepressible Heyes barged done much flimsy defending for their 4th effort arsenic half-time approached.

Sanderson replaced Quirke pinch Gus Warr astatine nan break but Leicester continued to fizz pinch energy, scoring their 5th effort 2 minutes aft nan interval erstwhile Will Wand arrived astatine gait to crushed nan ball.

From that point, location was small consequence from Sale arsenic nan Tigers continued to roar. Their sixth effort arrived successful nan 55th infinitesimal and it was a beautifully-worked effort arsenic Orlando Bailey, who replaced nan injured James O’Connor early on, recovered Adam Radwan earlier his exquisite agelong walk sent Hassell-Collins complete successful nan near corner.

Five minutes later, Archie van der Flier was connected manus to touch down wrong nan correct transmission and abruptly Sale looked ripe to beryllium trounced again. The 85-19 conclusion to Saracens successful their erstwhile location outing will time off heavy scars connected Sanderson and his players but this was different all-too-familiar capitulation.

Leicester collapsed done Sale’s defence astatine will and spurned a mates of very presentable opportunities to widen their lead.

The hosts past restored a semblance of respectability pinch tries from skipper Ernst van Rhyn, flanker Sam Dugdale and Arron Reed successful nan last 4th to unafraid a losing prize constituent and soften nan lop-sided scoreline.