MATCH REPORT | Saracens Women 54 - 0 Sale Sharks Women (PWR R16)
Saracens Women stole the show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium beating a tough Sale Sharks side in their final game before the international break.
The Women in the Black rose to the occasion on the biggest stage to round off the penultimate block of fixtures.
The game got off to a frantic pace with Sale firing warning shots early on. After a loose ball was picked up by Erica Jarrell-Searcy, the Sharks second rower looked to run the length of the pitch if it weren't for an incredible cover tackle from Jess Breach.
Breach was firmly in the action moments later, as Saracens looked to run it from under their own posts. The full-back sprinted round the defenders before offloading to Olivia Apps on half-way who finished the job for a worldie of a score to kick off Showdown VI.
The tries then rained in, with slick hands putting both Poppy Cleall and Gabrielle Senft over just moments apart, giving the hosts a 19 point lead inside the first 10 minutes.
Sale then did manage to get a grip back on the game, with successive penalties pinning Saracens in their own 22. However, the North Londoners repelled both attempts for the line holding the Sharks up over the whitewash in an impressive feat of defensive resilience.
Five minutes later, Saracens were back up the other end. A penalty gave Sarries the chance to kick to the corner, with the lineout then functioning to perfection allowing Marlie Packer to dive over for the bonus point score.
Things went from bad to worse for Sale as Beatrice Rigoni then saw yellow for a deliberate knock-on. Which gave Saracens the platform to inflict further damage. Another close range effort this time from Liz Crake put the hosts well and truly in the driving seat at the break.
The second half got off to a slower speed with neither side managing to string many good passages of play together. Both teams also rung the changes making for a stop-start affair at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The game then sprung into life on the hour mark, with Kelsey Clifford crashing over from close range after a barrage of carries close to the line. Moments later, some slick hands from Amelia MacDougall, Georgia Evans and eventually Lotte Sharp saw the winger race over for Sarries seventh try of the day.
The icing on the cake came through some set-piece magic, Jess Breach the beneficiary of a clever move off the back of the scrum dotting down under the sticks as the clock went into the red.
The biggest win however was the attendance, a record for a Saracens Women game at 16,001. The result also confirmed Saracens Women's home semi-final in June, tickets will be available soon for that clash on Sunday 14th.
Saracens now head into the international break second in the PWR with good momentum heading into the final two league games in May.
