MATCH REPORT | Sale Sharks Women 14-52 Saracens Women (PWR Rd 2)
Saracens Women put in a clinical performance to sweep aside Sale Sharks and maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
The evening kick-off presented a new challenge for the squad and Sale started with their wind in their sails, as a dropped ball gave the hosts an attacking opportunity in the early moments of the game.
Sophie Hopkins then went close for the visitors, as she nearly latched onto a kick through, before Saracens lost Isla Alejandro to a yellow card for a high tackle.
Saracens were under pressure at this point, but Jemma-Jo Linkins came to her side’s rescue with a crucial intervention to stop the Sharks attack.
From there, Sarries clicked into gear, as the returning Sydney Gregson made valuable metres for her side before a penalty allowed Saracens to kick into the Sharks 22.
The pack made no mistake afterwards, going through the phases until Akina Gondwe found a gap in the defence to crash over.
Sarries were flying now, with Gregson, Poppy Cleall and Bryony Field combining beautifully to set their side on their way.
With a penalty coming the way of Sarries, May Campbell then took quickly, racing over for her side’s second of the afternoon.
The Sharks were continuing to press and probe but Saracens came up with the answers every time, before they added a third in fantastic style.
After the pack had gone close, Sarah McKenna spotted space out wide and kicked cross field for Alejandro to collect and dive over.
The bonus point score followed soon after, with Emma Hardy bursting free in midfield and a sweeping move following, to allow Jemma-Jo Linkins to dive over for her first try in Saracens colours.
The second-half started in the same way that the first finished, with Lucy Lawford-Wilby bursting free on her league debut to put her side on the front foot.
Saracens were continuing to be lethal in their attack, with Gregson then picking a line and carving through, before offloading to Cleall for the number 8 to dive in.
The breakdown was proving to be a place of rich reward for Sarries, as they routinely turned over Sale ball and put themselves back on the front foot.
With tempo the name of the game, Leanne Infante took a penalty quickly and coasted in for her side’s sixth of the evening, before Sale hit back through Hopkins, as the wing gathered a bouncing ball and raced in from halfway.
That didn’t deter Saracens though and they were soon back on the front foot, with Sale’s Jo Brown seeing yellow for repeated infringements on her own try line.
Saracens continued to apply the pressure and added a seventh shortly after, with Amelia MacDougall putting in a sumptuous out the back offload to free up Linkins to score her second.
Nikita Prothero then scored an intercept to narrow the gap, but Saracens had the final say, as academy graduate Daisy Fitzgerald crashed over from the back of a maul, to mark her league debut with a score.
Sale to their credit, continued to attack until the final moments of the game, but the Sarries defence held firm to keep the hosts out and ensure they return to North London with a big win in their back pocket.
