Sale shine as Jones late show downs Leicester

Signs that Leicester will have difficulty in maintaining their equilibrium at times during this campaign, never mind recapturing the momentum of the four previous seasons, was evident from their nervous defeat at Leeds a fortnight ago. Last night at a sold-out Heywood Road, the champions were on the receiving end of another dose of reality, this time handed out by an ebullient Sale who were never overawed or intimidated.

Sale emphasised their growing confidence in the last quarter when Chris Jones, all 6ft 6in of lock forward, latched on to a loose ball just inside the Tigers' half and galloped 50 metres for a stunning try. "For Jones to get the ball was remarkable, and for those crazy legs to get going over that distance, no other lock would have scored that try," Jim Mallinder, Sale's director of rugby, said.

As if to make public his disquiet at the way watching England coach, Clive Woodward, took 10 Leicester players for training earlier in the week, Dean Richards, the Tigers' director of rugby, left four of his first-choice men on the bench. If this was an act of self-denial, or even over-confidence from Richards, all four came on in the second half, not that it made much difference.

Sale had the better of an absorbing first half in which both the best try-scoring chances were engineered by the Sharks, though both were squandered at the final pass. Tim Stimpson had by then become the first player to score a thousand Premiership points, by opening the scoring with a penalty, to win the Zurich Golden Boot. Hodgson responded in kind, to then put Dan Harris clear, only for Jason Robinson to spill the ball with the line at his mercy.

Two more Hodgson penalties sandwiched another blown chance when Andy Titterrell made 40 metres up the left only for Dan Harris to spill the ball. Stimpson grabbed a second penalty, but Hodgson put Sale 12-6 up at the break with his fourth. Then we had a game.

Harris made 40 metres for Nick Walshe to pick up and scramble across. Back came Leicester with a sequence of pounding drives. Sale held the first 10, but Harry Ellis crossed, and both tries were converted before Healey dropped a goal to make it 19-16. Then came Jones. What a try to win a match. Even if it was left to Hodgson to finish Leicester off with a late penalty.

Sale: Tries Walshe, Jones; Conversions Hodgson 2; Penalties Hodgson 5. Leicester: Try Ellis. Conversion: Stimpson. Penalties: Stimpson 2. Drop Goal Healey.

Sale: J Robinson; M Cueto, J Baxendell, D Harris (M Deane, 60), S Hanley; C Hodgson, B Redpath (capt; N Walshe, 30); J Thorp (K Yates, 60), A Titterrell, B Stewart, C Jones, S Lines, A Sanderson (A Perelini, 36; Sanderson, h-t); S Pinkerton, P Anglesea (C Marais, 47-57).

Leicester: T Stimpson; S Booth, G Gelderbloom, J Naufahu (D Hipkiss, 76), F Tuilagi; A Healey, H Ellis; P Freshwater (G Rowntree, 51), G Chuter (D West, 51), F Tournaire (Freshwater, 70-73), M Johnson (capt), L Deacon, P Short (N Back, 58), J Kronfeld, M Corry.

Referee: T Spreadbury (Bristol).

* Leicester Tigers have announced a pre-tax profit of £644,000 for the year ending 30 June 2002. That preliminary result shows an increase of almost £300,000 on the previous 12 months.