Leicester Tigers seal playoff spot, close in on top two with Sale rout

Leicester Tigers secured their place in the Premiership playoffs with a bonus-point victory at Sale on Saturday, moving within a point of second-placed Bath and setting up a final-day showdown for a top-two finish.

The Tigers ran in seven tries at the Salford Community Stadium, winning 42-31, and confirmed their playoff berth with two matches to spare.

Joe Heyes, who scored the fourth try shortly before halftime, spoke after the match about the team’s off-field bonding, including a wild butchery course that he said has fostered a strong sense of connectivity.

“It’s no amazing secret recipe, but the lads are hanging out more with each other off the pitch than at any time since I’ve been here,” Heyes said.

“We’re playing golf and on Thursday we did a wild butchery course, provided by the Rugby Players Association, and were butchering wild deer and rabbits. I’ve got eight legs in a big chest freezer and I enjoy it even though I’ve got a bit of a weak stomach. But there’s a massive connectivity there and it showed again today.”

The victory was Leicester’s first in Salford since 2018, and their fourth win in the last five league matches.

Sale, who reached the playoffs in each of the previous three seasons, have now lost four successive home league games for the first time and are languishing in midtable.

“Had the game lasted for another 10 minutes, we could have won that,” said Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson. “I’m never happy with a loss, particularly at home, but the lads never threw in the towel, they dug in and there was a brilliant impact from the bench.”

Sanderson added: “We played a brand of rugby that we’re going to lean into and get better at. Yes, there was frustration during the first half but I’m quite proud of the boys for digging in as they did against a very good team.”

Leicester opened the scoring in the second minute when Hanro Liebenberg broke down the left and fed Ollie Hassell-Collins, who sent Ollie Chessum over for the first try.

Sale responded with a try from England wing Tom Roebuck after a flowing move involving George Ford, Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, Joe Carpenter and Tom O’Flaherty.

But Leicester’s forward dominance produced close-range tries for Jamie Blamire and Joaquin Moro, and Heyes barged over for the bonus-point fourth try just before the interval.

Sale flanker Jacques Vermeulen scored from a quick tap penalty, but Leicester went further ahead when Will Wand touched down two minutes after the restart.

Orlando Bailey, who replaced the injured James O’Connor, found Adam Radwan, whose long pass sent Hassell-Collins over in the left corner for the sixth try in the 55th minute.

Archie van der Flier scored Leicester’s seventh try five minutes later, finishing inside the right channel.

Sale added three tries in the final quarter through captain Ernst van Rhyn, flanker Sam Dugdale and replacement Arron Reed to secure a losing bonus point.

The result was never in doubt, however, as Leicester maintained control throughout the second half.

Sale Sharks lineup: Carpenter; Roebuck (Davies 72), James, Ma’asi-White, O’Flaherty (Reed 51); Ford, Quirke (Warr 41); Opoku-Fordjour, Longstaff (Austin 59), Harper (Bell 56), Van Rhyn, Bamber, Vermeulen (Andrews 44), Dugdale, Curry (Kelly 51).

Tries: Roebuck, Vermeulen, Van Rhyn, Dugdale, Reed.

Leicester lineup: Steward; Radwan, Wand, Bailey (Whiteley 57), Hassell-Collins; O’Connor (Kata 12), Van Poortvliet; Smith (Van der Flier 51), Blamire (Clare 51), Heyes (Hurd 51), Martin (Henderson 51), Chessum, Liebenberg, Reffell, Moro (Cracknell 49, Watson 72).

Tries: Chessum, Blamire, Moro, Heyes, Wand, Hassell-Collins, Van der Flier.

Referee: Hamish Smales. Attendance: 7,251.

Leicester head coach Geoff Parling said: “We’ve got to celebrate this win and our destiny is in our own hands. We’ve now confirmed in the top four and to win here for the first time since 2018, a place where a lot of the players haven’t won before, is a big moment so let’s enjoy it.”

The final-day trip to Bath on June 1 will likely decide second place, with both teams level on 65 points but Bath holding a superior points difference.

Leicester’s victory also kept their slim hopes of overtaking league leaders Saracens alive, though the London club remain eight points clear at the top.

Sale, meanwhile, face an early end to their season, with no playoff berth and only pride at stake in their remaining fixtures.