Sale hold off Quins comeback to reach Champions Cup last eight

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Sale will play either Leinster or Edinburgh in the Champions Cup last eight next weekend

BySteve MatherBBC Sport journalist

Published29 minutes ago
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Investec Champions Cup last 16

Harlequins (0) 17

Tries: Cunningham-South, Dombrandt 2 Con: Smith

Sale (16) 26

Tries: Cowan-Dickie 2 Cons: Ford 2 Pens: Ford 4

Sale Sharks held off a second-half comeback from Harlequins to progress to the Champions Cup quarter-finals.

In a game played in blustery conditions, Sale fly-half George Ford's boot was vital and he kicked three penalties as well as converting Luke Cowan-Dickie's 33rd-minute try to give his side a commanding 16-0 lead at the break.

Another Ford penalty stretched the advantage to 19 points but half-time substitute Chandler Cunningham-South made a big impact for Quins in an improved second-half display and he got them on the scoreboard after 48 minutes.

Sharks hooker Cowan-Dickie added his second before Alex Dombrandt's double gave Quins hope of a miraculous comeback - but they had given themselves too much to do as they fell to the latest defeat of a disappointing season.

Sale will face the winner of Sunday's fixture between Leinster and Edinburgh next weekend.

Chandler Cunningham-South scores a try for Harlequins

Image source, PA MediaImage caption,

England international Chandler Cunningham-South scored a try in an impressive performance after coming on as a half-time substitute

Sharks' England fly-half Ford found the conditions tricky initially as he hit the post with a simple-looking penalty, before both sides missed good chances to grab the first try, with Quins held up over the line before Sharks back row Jacques Vermeulen dropped the ball with the line at his mercy.

Ford opened the scoring after 20 minutes with a successful penalty from almost the exact same spot from where he had missed his earlier attempt and he added two more soon after to make it 9-0 by the half-hour mark.

Quins had been warned over repeated infringements by referee Luc Ramos and when Will Evans was sin-binned, Sale took full advantage as Cowan-Dickie rumbled over at the back of a line-out maul.

An interception led to a chance for the hosts to get on the scoreboard but when the ball was moved wide to Nick David, the full-back was tackled into touch in the act of scoring and it was ruled out, keeping Quins scoreless at the break.

The second half began with Ford adding his fourth penalty to stretch the lead to 19.

Quins desperately needed to respond and they finally did so in the 48th minute when Cunningham-South powered his way over the line.

But it failed to provide the spark they were searching for and Sale were straight back on the offensive with a series of phases near the Quins line that resulted in Cowan-Dickie's second and Jack Kenningham being yellow-carded.

Dombrandt then benefited from some excellent footwork from Jarrod Evans as the Wales fly-half created a gap for his skipper to go through and score a second Quins try.

The same duo combined for their third, although this time helped by an error from O'Flaherty, who looked to have Evans' kick covered before dropping it over his own tryline, allowing Dombrandt to pounce and make it 26-17 with 13 minutes remaining.

However, the hosts were unable to reduce the deficit further in the closing stages.

Reliable Ford leads Sale to victory

It has largely been a season to forget for both sides, with Quins second-bottom of The Prem, while Sale are seventh but have almost no chance of making the play-offs being 23 points away from fourth with six games to play.

Sale's most recent Prem win was against Harlequins on Boxing Day and they got the better of them again by playing the tricky conditions better and being clinical when chances came their way.

If you were choosing a fly-half for a game like this, Ford would be high up on the list and his reliable boot, barring an early miss, kept the scoreboard moving for Sale, building their lead slowly but surely out of Quins' reach.

The Champions Cup had provided Harlequins with some bright spots in a troubled campaign so this home defeat by another out-of-form team will be a bitter blow.

Sale have at least kept their season alive by making the quarter-finals but they face a tough assignment in the last eight.

Line-ups

Harlequins: David; Isgro, Northmore, Bradley, Murley; Smith, Townsend; Kerrod, Walker, Delgado, Treadwell, Williams, Petti, Evans, Dombrandt (capt).

Replacements: Turner, Hobson, Streeter, Cunningham-South, Carr, Kenningham, Friday, Evans.

Yellow cards: Evans (32), Kenningham (53)

Sale: Carpenter; Roebuck, Louw, Ma'asi-White, O'Flaherty; Ford, Warr; Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, Opoku-Fordjour, Van Rhyn (capt), Bamber, Vermeulen, Dugdale, Du Preez.

Replacements: Jibulu, McIntyre, Harper, Logan, Gilmore, Hanson, Davies, Wills.