Sale Sharks and Saracens play to a draw

Sale Sharks and Premiership leaders Saracens could not be separated and played to a 36 all draw at the AJ Bell Stadium in the Aviva Premiership.

Both teams scored five tries each so they both earn three point each from the contest – two for the draw and one for the bonus point.

Danny Cipriani missed a late conversion that would have proved decisive . Sale surged into an early 17-0 lead through tries from Sam James, Johnny Leota and Tom Arscott, but Saracens roared back to go ahead before the interval at the AJ Bell Stadium.

Jim Hamilton and Chris Wyles, who scored a pair of tries, touched down, while Charlie Hodgson and Ben Spencer added the conversions.

Hodgson, on his last appearance at the club where he started his career, also kicked a penalty before he was forced off with a head injury.

Cipriani kicked three penalties in the second period, but scores by Nick Tompkins and Mike Ellery moved the visitors 36-26 ahead.

TJ Ioane and Arscott crossed late on to haul Sale level again, but England international Cipriani was off-target with both conversions, the last of them following a 79th-minute try.

Final Score Sale Sharks 36 (17) Saracens 36 (22)

Scorers

Sale Sharks
Tries – James, Leota, Arscott (2), Ioane
Pen – Cipriani (3)
Con – Cipriani
Drop –

Saracens
Tries – Hamilton, Wyles (2), Tompkins, Ellery
Pen – Hodgson, Spencer (3)
Con – Hodgson
Drop –

Match Officials
Referee :Tim Wigglesworth (102nd Premiership game).
Assistant Referees: Matthew O’Grady & Simon McConnell.
TMO: Trevor Fisher.

Teams

Sale Sharks

15. Mike Haley, 14. Will Addison, 13. Sam James, 12. Johnny Leota, 11. Tom Arscott, 10. Danny Cipriani, 9. Peter Stringer, 1. Ross Harrison, 2. Tommy Taylor, 3. Vadim Cobilas, 4. Bryn Evans, 5. Andrei Ostrikov, 6. Cameron Neild, 7. David Seymour (c), 8. Mark Easter.

Replacements: 16. Neil Briggs, 17. Eifion Lewis-Roberts, 18. Brian Mujati, 19. Jonathan Mills, 20. TJ Ioane, 21. Chris Cusiter, 22. Joe Ford, 23. Mark Jennings

Saracens

15 Ben Ransom , 14 Mike Ellery , 13 Marcelo Bosch , 12 Nick Tompkins, 11 Chris Wyles , 10 Charlie Hodgson (c), 9 Ben Spencer , 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Jacques Burger, 6 Kelly Brown , 5 Jim Hamilton, 4 Hayden Smith , 3 Petrus Du Plessis , 2 Jared Saunders ,1 Titi Lamositele ,

Replacements:16 Dave Porecki , 17 Richard Barrington , 18 Juan Figallo, 19 Kieran Low , 20 Michael Rhodes , 21 Henry Taylor , 22 Nils Mordt , 23 Nathan Earle