Northampton Saints 24 Sale Sharks 5: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings
Jim Mallinder’s men finally gave their supporters something to shout about - and shout they did - with a largely convincing victory against a stale Sale side.
For the majority of the match, the visitors, who have now lost seven matches in succession, played like Saints have on so many occasions this season.
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Hide AdThey huffed and puffed, lacking the necessary invention to find a way through the home defence, until Denny Solomona’s impressive individual effort.
And in the end, Saints scored a third try to put the icing on the Christmas cake.
It was not a flawless performance by any means, but it is a start.
It is a welcome boost at the end of a tough 2016, which has seen Saints win 19 of their 36 matches.
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Hide AdAnd it is a platform to build on ahead of the New Year’s Day trip to Gloucester.
Saints, boosted by the return of their international stars, who were rested for the 60-13 drubbing in Dublin, looked like they had rediscovered some of the swagger of old.
Ben Foden, Tom Wood and Luther Burrell all scored for the first time this season.
And while that tells a tale in itself, monkeys have been removed from the backs of the players for the festive period.
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Hide AdScrum-half Nic Groom spoke of the ‘desperation’ he and his team-mates showed.
They were desperate to produce a performance they felt they had always been capable of.
They were desperate to send their supporters home happy.
And they were desperate to begin scaling the Aviva Premiership table.
They did all of that as the Sharks were sunk.
And now Saints must go to Gloucester and do it all again.
If they can do that, they will be in great shape for the battle with Bristol.
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Hide AdAnd that could see them claim the three wins they were looking for when naming the team to take on Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.
If Gloucester and Bristol go the same way as Sale, Mallinder’s decision to keep players fresh will have paid the desired dividends.
And things will look a lot rosier in the Gardens.
But Saints players, coaches and supporters won’t get too ahead of themselves.
For now, they will just savour the scent of victory after what has been a tough year.
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Hide AdAnd they will look ahead to the new one with far more optimism than they possessed a week ago.
How they rated...
BEN FODEN