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Luke Cowan-Dickie marks England return with double in Sale win
By PA
England wing Tom Roebuck scored two tries as Sale secured a breathless 31-27 bonus-point win over Gloucester at the Salford Community Stadium.
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The 23-year-old, named earlier in the day in Steve Borthwick’s England training squad, struck either side of half-time as the Sharks bounced back from last week’s defeat at Saracens.
England colleague Luke Cowan-Dickie also crossed twice in a five-try show from Sale as they held off Gloucester’s late surge.
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Gloucester, who lost last week’s hat-trick hero Christian Wade to a first-half rib injury, grabbed two bonus points with a 78th-minute try from Max Llewellyn but could not breach the Sale defence in added time.
Sale led 14-8 at half time, coming from behind after Tomos Williams had given Gloucester the lead with a sixth-minute try. The Welsh scrum-half finished off a flowing move started by half-back partner Gareth Anscombe with a lovely step off his right foot after a deft back-of-the-hand pass by Jack Clement in the build-up.
Roebuck, who won his first England cap off the bench against Japan in June, replied for Sale 11 minutes later, scooping up Robert du Preez’s pass to slide over in the right-hand corner.
Roebuck turned provider four minutes before the break, scything though from Du Preez’s inside ball before putting scrum-half Gus Warr away for the try.
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Full-back George Barton put over a penalty just before the break to keep the visitors in touch.
Sale, already without the injured George Ford and Tom Curry, lost centre Will Addison to an eye issue before the break.
Roebuck went over again in the 48th minute, crossing after Arron Reed’s bending run in midfield had pulled apart Gloucester’s defence.
Gloucester stayed true to this season’s promise to play from anywhere and they conjured a breakaway try from their own half just before the hour-mark with Williams grabbing his second after hacking on replacement Charlie Atkinson’s kick.
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Du Preez’s 50-22 put Sale in position for a lineout drive score from Cowan-Dickie in the 64th minute. The pack, beefed up by the appearance off the bench of 21st 10lb second row Le Roux Roets, rumbled 15 metres for the try.
Cowan-Dickie went over for his second in the 71st minute off a smart blind-side lineout play, taking Reed’s pass to go over with Gloucester’s defence splintered.
Replacement Caolan Englefield grabbed a third try late on for Gloucester and they added a fourth from left wing Llewellyn with Warr in the sin-bin but time ran out on them.
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