Leicester Tigers secured their place in the Premiership playoffs with a dominant 47-33 victory over Sale Sharks at the AJ Bell Stadium, moving to within a point of second-placed Bath. The bonus-point win, their first in Salford since 2018, keeps alive hopes of a top-two finish ahead of a final-day showdown at Bath.
Joe Heyes, celebrating his 100th Leicester start with a try, credited the team's unity for their form. 'The lads are hanging out more with each other off the pitch than at any time since I’ve been here,' he said, revealing a recent wild butchery course organised by the Rugby Players Association. 'There’s a massive connectivity there and it showed again today.'
Leicester ran in seven tries, with Heyes crossing just before half-time to cap a period of pressure. Earlier scores came from Ollie Chessum, Jamie Blamire, and Joaquin Moro, while Will Wand, Ollie Hassell-Collins, and Archie van der Flier added tries after the break. Sale, who have now lost four successive home league games for the first time, responded through Tom Roebuck, Jacques Vermeulen, Ernst van Rhyn, Sam Dugdale, and Arron Reed.
Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson took solace from a strong finish that secured a losing bonus point. 'Had the game lasted for another 10 minutes, we could have won that,' he said. 'The lads never threw in the towel, they dug in, and there was a brilliant impact from the bench.'
Leicester head coach Geoff Parling urged his side to enjoy the moment. 'We’ve got to celebrate this win and our destiny is in our own hands,' he said. 'To win here for the first time since 2018 is a big moment.'
