Premiership Rugby Cup final: Sale Sharks edge out Harlequins thanks to late comeback
- Published
Dan du Preez sparked Sale's late fightback with their second try
Premiership Rugby Cup final |
|---|
Sale Sharks (10) 27 |
Tries: Langdon, D du Preez, De Klerk Cons: R du Preez 3 Pens: R du Preez 2 |
Harlequins (16) 19 |
Tries: Chisholm Cons: Smith Pens: Smith 4 |
Sale Sharks scored two late tries in a stirring comeback to beat Harlequins in a tense Premiership Cup final and win their first silverware since 2006.
Sale led 10-0 in the rearranged final, Curtis Langdon bundling over and Rob du Preez adding a conversion and penalty.
Fourteen points from the boot of Marcus Smith and a well-worked James Chisholm score put Quins 19-10 ahead.
But Dan du Preez's try and a penalty by brother Rob put Sale in front, and Faf de Klerk's score sealed the win.
Back-row forward Dan du Preez's 66th-minute try and the subsequent conversion moved Sharks within two points of the visitors at 19-17.
Rob du Preez then slotted a penalty to put the home side ahead before World Cup-winning South African scrum-half De Klerk showed typical strength and awareness to dart over in the blindside corner for the try of the night.
De Klerk and England duo Tom Curry and Manu Tuilagi all came off the bench, and their introductions played a huge part in ruining former England captain Chris Robshaw's farewell Quins appearance and ensuring Sale's first trophy since winning the Premiership 14 years ago.
Sale Sharks: Hammersley; Solomona, S James, Janse van Rensburg, Yarde; R du Preez, Cliff; Oosthuizen, Langdon, Cooper-Woolley, Wiese, JL du Preez, Ross (capt), B Curry, D du Preez.
Replacements: Van der Merwe, Morozov, John, Phillips, T Curry, De Klerk, MacGinty, Tuilagi.
Harlequins: Brown; Earle, Marchant, Northmore, Morris; Smith, Care; Garcia Botta, Baldwin, Kerrod, Lamb, Lewies, Robshaw (capt), Evans, J Chisholm.
Replacements: Elia, Thomas, Louw, Young, Dombrandt, Landajo, Esterhuizen, Lang.
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