Gritty Sale Edge Harlequins in Slugfest Opener to Start Premiership Campaign with Victory

Salford – Sale Sharks kicked off their Gallagher Premiership campaign with a tense 12-11 victory over Harlequins at the Salford Community Stadium, with George Ford's precision kicking proving the difference in a low-scoring, hard-fought affair.

In difficult, wet conditions that plagued both sides with handling errors and missed opportunities, Sale came away with the win thanks to four penalties from Ford, including the decisive kick with just six minutes left on the clock. The Sharks, last season's play-off semi-finalists, have now won their opening league fixture for the fifth consecutive year.

Harlequins, making a fast start in hostile territory, thought they had scored a second try through Jack Kenningham, but the effort was ruled out after a lengthy TMO review, leaving them to settle for a losing bonus point. The visitors led briefly in the second half after Leigh Halfpenny, making his Premiership debut, drilled a superb long-range penalty, but Ford held his nerve to guide Sale to victory in a match that never fully ignited into a spectacle.

Ford’s Boot Makes the Difference

The match had all the makings of a forward-dominated battle, with both teams struggling to find fluency in attack. Sale’s fly-half Ford opened the scoring with a penalty after 17 minutes, and though Harlequins applied pressure, it was Ford who added another to extend the hosts' lead. However, Quins fought back, deservedly crossing for the game’s only try when Jack Walker powered over from a rolling maul five minutes before the interval.

Halfpenny, who was brought into the Quins starting lineup in place of the injured Nick David, missed the conversion but slotted a penalty shortly after, putting the visitors ahead for the first time. However, they immediately gifted Sale a chance to retake the lead, conceding a penalty straight from the restart. Ford obliged, nudging Sale 9-8 ahead at the break.

The second half was equally scrappy, with both teams showing determination in defense but lacking composure in attack. Harlequins' second try was denied after TMO intervention, and despite the introduction of playmakers Marcus Smith and Danny Care, they struggled to create clear-cut opportunities.

Halfpenny’s monster penalty from halfway, with just nine minutes remaining, appeared to have won it for Quins. But Ford responded with his fourth and final kick, sealing a hard-earned victory for Sale.

Sale’s Resilience Shows Through

Sale's director of rugby Pat Sanderson admitted it was far from a flawless performance, acknowledging the room for improvement if the team hopes to challenge at the top of the table later in the season.

"It wasn’t enthralling, but it was a gritty, hard-fought win – a win being the operative word. We know we have to be better if we're going to compete at the end of the season, but I think both teams could say that," Sanderson reflected post-match.

Meanwhile, Harlequins head coach Danny Wilson was left to rue the missed opportunity, particularly the disallowed try that could have swung the contest in Quins' favor.

"I thought we had scored from Jack Kenningham’s touchdown and that went against us," Wilson said. "Ultimately, we lost the game, but I was really pleased with how physical we were defensively. I thought we knocked them back and won the physical battle – a very tough place to come and do that."

Key Moments and What’s Next

Tom Curry’s early injury scare in his first home game in almost a year was a cause for concern, but the England flanker returned to the field and completed the first half. Both teams struggled with turnovers and handling errors, with Jean-Luc du Preez's rare line break and Ford’s near-perfect crossfield kick adding to Sale’s near misses.

Sale’s resilience, combined with Ford’s calm kicking under pressure, ultimately saw them through, but they’ll know sterner tests lie ahead. For Harlequins, there will be frustration at coming so close to ending Sale’s remarkable home record, having lost just one league match at the Salford Community Stadium since October 2022.

Both teams will look to sharpen their attacking play in the coming weeks, with Sale eyeing further momentum and Harlequins keen to convert their physical dominance into points when they return to action.

Final score: Sale Sharks 12, Harlequins 11.