Overview
- The match at Kingston Park on Saturday saw Sale race into a 35-10 half-time lead after five first-half tries, putting them in position to secure seventh place with other results going their way.
- Alex Hearle scored a second-half hat-trick, with his final try in the dying seconds breaking from Newcastle's own 22 and touching down under the posts to complete a 45-42 turnaround.
- The full-time scoreline was 45-42, with Newcastle tries from Tom Christie (2), Amanaki Mafi, Hearle (3) and Alfie Lockwood and Sale tries from Tom Roebuck, Seb Kelly, Tom O’Flaherty, Joe Carpenter, Alfie Longstaff and Arron Reed.
- Sale's defeat leaves them without the guaranteed seventh-place finish and Champions Cup qualification they could have clinched with a win, while Newcastle record only their second Premiership victory of the campaign.
- The result is striking given Newcastle had conceded more than 50 points in each of their previous four league defeats, a run of 259 points shipped, and the comeback could shift confidence and selection decisions for both clubs ahead of the final round.