England rookie scores hattrick as Sale thrash Newcastle

Sale bounced back from last week’s defeat at Bath to claim a thumping 57-5 win and condemn Newcastle to a third straight loss.

Alex Sanderson’s Sharks scored five first-half tries to establish firm control against a Red Bulls side who have won just two league matches in the past two seasons.

Sharks centre Rob du Preez opened the scoring and wing Tom Roebuck added a second before his England team-mate Luke Cowan-Dickie registered a third inside the opening quarter.

The bonus-point try arrived in the 33rd minute when captain Ernst van Rhyn scored on his 50th appearance for the club.

It was all too easy for the hosts as they powered their way into a 31-0 interval lead, but Newcastle had something to cheer when wing Elliott Obatoyinbo touched down.

Fixture

Gallagher Premiership

Sale

57 - 5

Full-time

Newcastle

All Stats and Data

However, Sale ran in four further tries from Roebuck, whose second-half brace saw him complete a hat-trick, Nathan Jibulu and Arron Reed, while George Ford kicked six conversions.

Sale’s summer signing Marius Louw and academy graduate Tristan Woodman made their first Gallagher Prem Rugby starts, while Scotland wing Reed came into the side to make his first league start of the season.

Cowan-Dickie made his first appearance since playing for the British and Irish Lions and started ahead of Jibulu, who had begun the season with two tries in two games.

Boeta Chamberlain started at fly-half for Newcastle in one of six changes, with fit-again centre Max Clark returning to the side.

Sale were dominant from the outset and led in the eighth minute when South African Du Preez dived over inside the right channel from close range.

The hosts began to motor and grabbed a second try when Roebuck drove in from the right flank to confidently score a neat individual effort.

The Red Bulls could not quell the home tide and centre Clark was sin-binned for persistent offending in the 14th minute.

Sale were denied a try by the TMO, but moments later Cowan-Dickie bustled over from close range for a third home score.

Sale captain Van Rhyn then outmuscled the visiting defence to crash over for a fourth try before Reed got on the scoresheet as half-time approached after grounding Du Preez’s teasing grubber kick.

That made it 31-0 at the break but Newcastle hit back in the 50th minute when Obatoyinbo muscled his way over in the left corner.

But the momentum remained with Sale and Roebuck went through another gap to score his second and the hosts’ sixth soon after, with Ford kicking his fourth conversion.

Jibulu then powered over to score before setting up Reed for his second, but Roebuck went home with the match ball after scoring his third in the closing stages, with Ford converting for his sixth goal.