Sale Sharks player ratings vs Leicester | 2025/26 Gallagher PREM

Sale Sharks player ratings: Slow out the blocks Sale looked one-dimensional at times and coughed up the ball far too much to remain competitive against a ruthless Leicester side.

Admittedly, they fought back valiantly late in the second half but it was too little too late after conceding five tries before the hour mark. There were moments of excellent attacking rugby from Alex Sanderson’s side, but handling errors, loose possession and defensive lapses left them chasing the game from the opening exchanges.

Here’s our Sale Sharks player ratings:

1. Asher Opoku-Fordjour – 7.5
One of Sale’s better performers. Scrummaged really well against Heyes and brought real aggression in contact before departing just after the hour.

2. Alfie Longstaff – 6.5
Worked relentlessly defensively with 18 tackles. Did plenty of unseen graft in a beaten pack.

3. James Harper – 5.5
Conceded too many costly penalties and struggled to build momentum. A difficult evening overall.

4. Ernst van Rhyn – 8
Strong carrying game and deserved his try after powering onto Gus Warr’s pass under the sticks. One of Sale’s more effective forwards.

5. Ben Bamber – 6.5
Massive defensive workload with 17 tackles. The England prospect tried to bring physicality throughout but he was probably outshone here by Ollie Chessum and George Martin, and there’s no shame in that.

6. Jacques Vermeulen – 7
Took his try well after Sale reacted quickly from the tap penalty. Busy around the breakdown and defensive line.

7. Sam Dugdale – 8
Carried aggressively and eventually got his reward with a close-range score late on. One of the few forwards consistently bending the line.

8. Tom Curry – 7
Typical combative display. Won possession from a goal-line dropout and tackled everything that moved before being withdrawn early in the second half.

9. Raffi Quirke – 6
Although the question marks around his fitness, there were a few bright moments around the fringes and reacted quickly for the Vermeulen score but never fully controlled proceedings before being replaced by Gus Warr.

10. George Ford – 6.5
A mixed night from the tee after missing the early conversion badly. Still produced flashes of class and distributed nicely when Sale finally found rhythm late on.

11. Tom O’Flaherty – 7
Produced excellent hands for Roebuck’s first-half finish and later stripped Tigers brilliantly near the line with an excellent defensive read.

12. Rekeiti Ma’asi-White – 7
Made significant dents off limited possession and his direct carrying caused Tigers problems whenever Sale managed quick ball.

13. Luke James – 5.5
Some nice attacking involvements during Sale’s late rally but fell off too many tackles defensively.

14. Tom Roebuck – 7.5
Excellent finish in the corner for Sale’s first try and consistently looked dangerous with five defenders beaten.

15. Joe Carpenter – 7.5
A real mixed bag. Outstanding carrying threat at times and repeatedly split Tigers open, including the break that led to van Rhyn’s try. But three turnovers in the first half hurt Sale.

Replacements – 8
Gus Warr injected real tempo and helped create two tries with sharp distribution and support running. Arron Reed immediately added pace and danger too, eventually scoring late after another lively cameo. Seb Kelly also contributed positively during Sale’s improved final quarter.