Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Newcastle had conceded more than 50 points in their past four Prem defeats
ByAlex HoadBBC Sport England- Published30 May 2026, 21:52 BST
The Prem
Newcastle (10) 45
Tries: Christie 2, Mafi, Hearle 3, Lockwood Cons: Connon, Healy 4
Sale (35) 42
Tries: Roebuck, Kelly, O'Flaherty, Carpenter, Longstaff, Reed Cons: Ford 6
Alex Hearle completed a second-half hat-trick with the final play of the game as Prem basement-boys Newcastle Red Bulls stunned Sale Sharks with an incredible fightback.
With Harlequins and Gloucester both losing, victory would have sealed seventh place for Sale and Champions Cup rugby next season.
They still hold a four-point lead over eighth-placed Gloucester heading into their final fixture at home to Bristol and qualification remains in their hands.
For Newcastle, it was only their second league victory of the season and first since 2 January.
The Sharks flew out of the blocks and scored their first try from Tom Roebuck's angled run after 61 seconds.
They raced into a 35-10 lead at half-time with some clinical finishing amid some suspect defending from a Red Bulls side who had shipped 259 points across their past four league games.
The hosts improved after the break as Sale stuttered and Newcastle registered their biggest points haul in five years as Hearle's double, two from Tom Christie and another from Freddie Lockwood pulled them within four points after Arron Reed's try had kept the Sharks' noses in front.
However with the clock ticking past 80 minutes Newcastle broke from their own 22 with Hearle picking up a pop-pass on halfway to race under the posts and complete the club's biggest ever Prem comeback victory.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Seb Kelly dived over for Sale Shark's second try after just five minutes at Kingston Park
As so many of Newcastle's games have been this season, it looked like one-way traffic from their opponents from kick-off.
Making his first start at outside centre with Luke James unwell, Roebuck crossed with a minute on the clock, cutting inside from the left after a hand-off from Reed, with George Ford notching the extras.
Newcastle's Simon Benitez-Cruz saw a try chalked-off for a forward pass before Seb Kelly barged over for his first Prem try at the other end on six minutes after a slick break down the left from Reed was stopped just short of the line.
The hosts got on the board on 10 minutes following a series of close-range drives with Christie diving under a pile of bodies to touch down on the whitewash.
O'Flaherty scored the third Sale try 15 minutes in after a basketball-style tip back from the touchline from Roebuck, with Ford notching the extras from out wide.
Joe Carpenter secured the bonus-point try inside 24 minutes after taking a short pass from Ford on the charge, with the England fly-half adding the extras.
The recalled Amanaki Mafi bulldozed down the blind side from a close-range scrum to reduce the arrears for Red Bulls as the heavens opened, though the conversion was missed once again and Sale added their fifth try through Alfie Longstaff after a rolling maul from a line-out, with Ford kicking his fifth conversion from the right.
Sale struggled to get going after the turnaround and the hosts made them pay as Hearle burst onto Harrison Obatoyinbo's pass to plunge over by the posts, with Brett Connon slotting his first conversion to make it 35-17.
Lockwood picked up after Christian Wade was stopped a metre short of the line after gathering a long diagonal kick and dived into the corner and Ben Healy converted from the touchline to make it an 11-point game with 25 minutes remaining.
Roebuck thought he had picked up his second score after driving forward and then winning the race to Newcastle-bound Raffi Quirke's grubber kick towards the line but it was ruled-out for a knock-on from O'Flaherty and the hosts then produced a defiant goalline stand to keep the Sharks at bay, with Roebuck held up on the line and then knocking on under the posts.
The waves of pressure continued and Reed eventually crossed after quick hands from Quirke, Ford and O'Flaherty, with Ford adding the conversion.
However Newcastle raced back and with 13 minutes remaining a brilliant flick from Healy sent Christie diving over for his second score in the right corner.
Healy turned provider once again on 72 minutes with a delayed pass to send Hearle over for his second to the right of the uprights and then notched the conversion to make it a four-point deficit.
After one win in 547 days the hosts were not going to settle for a close call and broke away from their own 22 after the clock ticked over to 80 minutes with Hearle on hand to collect a short pass and blaze away from halfway untouched to spark wild scenes in the final game of the season at Kingston Park.
'Everybody associated with club deserves that victory'
Interim Newcastle head coach Stephen Jones told BBC Radio Newcastle:
"Defensively we gave them too much time on the ball and we addressed that in the second half.
"Credit to the group, to be brave, stay in the fight, we carried more purpose in the second half and we looked good off the back of it.
"The mentality and bravery of the boys to be able to ask the question, 70 metres from the line (in the final minute), I loved the intent and we got our reward off the back of it. Everybody associated with the club deserves that victory.
"For me it's more important that the players and staff get their reward for their hard work than me getting my first win, but doing it in the manner we did was special."
Newcastle: E Grayson; Wade, Hearle, Arnold, H Obatoyinbo; Connon, Benítez Cruz; Connor Hancock, McGuigan (c), Palframan, Hodgson, Scott, Leatherbarrow, Christie, Mafi.
Replacements: Fletcher, Clark, McCallum, Cardall, Lockwood, Elliott, Healy, Hutchison.
Sale: Carpenter; O'Flaherty, Roebuck, Ma'asi-White, Reed; Ford, Warr; Opoku-Fordjour, Longstaff, Harper, van Rhyn (c), Bamber, Dugdale, Kelly, Logan.
Replacements: Austin, McEachran, Bell, Andrews, Woodman, Quirke, Davies, Bedlow.
Referee: Cristophe Ridley
