Fortunately for Leicester Tigers winger Anthony Watson, Sale Sharks centre Manu Tuilagi realised the joke right before he unleashed the right hook on his England teammate.
The Salford-based team emerged victorious with a 21-13 win over Leicester Tigers, paving their way for an encounter against Saracens at Twickenham on May 27th.
Sale Sharks head coach, Alex Sanderson, aspires for this Premiership final qualification to mark a significant milestone for both the club and rugby union in the northern region of England.
“The potential, and our reach in the north, is expanding – I’m so proud of that,” said rugby director Sanderson.
“You need occasions like this and moments like this, so people can come back, so people want to start playing and get involved in it.
“My job is to get the team to perform at the weekend. But I have many different hats to wear.
“There are bigger crowds coming in and the buzz is better.
“It’s certainly a humbling addition to the role in that maybe you are inspiring some lad to pick up a ball.”
“Trouble ahead” – Top five Gallagher Premiership clubs with the most debt
Debt is something that plagues every rugby club. Struggling Worcester, who went out of business this season, wouldn’t have even made the top five with their debt of £28.3m.
#5. London Irish – £37.5m
