Saracens 65-14 Sale: England future star Noah Caluori blows Sharks out of the water

Saracens winger Noah Caluori was the star of the show; the 19-year-old scored five tries on his first PREM start, for which he received the POTM award. Caluori was joined on the scoresheet by teammates Juan Martin Gonzalez, Hugh Tizard, Fergus Burke, Ben Earl, and Sharks' Bevan Rodd and Rob Du Preez. Referee Matthew Carley had a busy evening, handing out a yellow card to Tom O'Flaherty, a 20-minute red card to Luke Cowan-Dickie, and a penalty try to Saracens.

Rodd powered over from a few metres for the first try of the game after some lovely build-up play from the Sharks, giving Sale a 7-0 lead after six minutes.

In the 12th minute, Saracens hit back through a driving maul after a scrum penalty, with Gonzalez dotting it down in the corner.

Sale put together a well-worked move resulting in Du Preez cruising over the line to give Sale a two-score lead after 19 minutes.

Saracens hit back immediately from the restart. Caluori was played in the air, giving Saracens a penalty which Farrell put straight through the posts to make it 14-8.

Caluori’s aerial dominance over O’Flaherty and his opposite man Arron Reed became a theme of the first half. Reed played Caluori in the air again 26 minutes into the game, leading to a lineout on the Sale 22m line. Caluori peeled off the back of the lineout and splashed over the line to give Saracens their first lead of the game after a Farrell conversion. 15-14.

With the clock in the red at the end of the first half, Farrell placed a cross-kick perfectly into the Sale dead ball area. O’Flaherty was unable to legally compete with the imperious Caluori. Saracens received a penalty try and O’Flaherty a yellow card. The score at half-time was 22-14 to Saracens.

Saracens started the second half the same way they ended the first. Tizard scored in the corner for Saracens after 43 minutes. Cowan-Dickie received a 20-minute red card for a high shot on Tom Willis whilst attempting to make a try-saving tackle. This was the beginning of the end for Sale.

Caluori took full advantage of Sale’s ill-discipline, scoring two tries in quick succession, completing his hat-trick on his first Premiership start and giving his team a 41-14 lead at the 50-minute mark.

Saracens didn’t take their foot off the gas in the last 20 minutes. Late tries from Burke, Earl, and two more for Caluori compounded Sale’s misery and provided a perfect celebration of Saracens captain Maro Itoje’s 200th appearance for the club.