This was always going to be an epic struggle as the two best defences and the two highest scoring attacks in the division squared up to each other at Leicester Road. Form was with the visitors who had won all their last 11 encounters but Hinckley had only lost once at Leicester Road and were smarting from defeat in the mud earlier in the season.

In the end, the Hornets outscored the visitors by 3 tries to 2 but too many mistakes, an outstanding kicking performance from sale fly half Chris Johnson and a poor kicking return from the Hornets saw Sale take the honours.

The opening exchanges were brutal. Both teams were looking to out-muscle their rivals but first blood went to Sale. Poor lineout work by Hinckley (something that the Hornets were guilty of for much of the afternoon) gave Sale the opportunity to hack on from their own half and the resultant scramble saw Hinckley carry over the line to give Sale a 5m scrum. A series of pick and drives from the scrum by the Sale forwards eventually saw No. 8 Jake Barron force his way over the line for the opening score. Johnson converted to give Sale a 0-7 lead after 12 minutes.

For much of the rest of the half, both sides continued to probe but some robust defence at both ends meant that neither was able to convert chances into points. It was not until the 37th minute that there was any further score when Johnson converted a penalty for Sale after the Hornets had been caught offside on their own line.

Two minutes later Hornets cut the deficit when a series of pick and drives on the Sale line saw Dave Peck score. The conversion was missed but Hornets were back in touch at 5-10 with half-time imminent.

Hornets would not have been unhappy with that as a half-time score but two penalties in quick succession for offences at the breakdown gave Johnson the opportunity to extend the Sale lead and Hinckley found themselves instead going into the break 5-16 down.

The second half didn’t start well either when Hornets prop Oscar Harper was yellow carded and Sale went for the corner. Good defensive work saw Hinckley initially clear their lines but a loose ball on halfway was hacked on by Sale and Scott Hamilton was bundled into touch in the Hornets’ 22. Good work by the Sale forwards drew the penalty under the posts and Johnson once more converted 5-19.

From the kick-off, however, Hornets were able to draw a penalty 30m out and Wilson duly converted what was to be the Hornets’ only successful kick of the match.

It was enough, however, to allow Hinckley to generate some momentum. A tip tackle saw Sale lose a man to the bin, and a second followed 10 minutes later. Pressure eventually told on 70 minutes when Alex Salt went over in the corner after Mitch Lamb had been hauled down just short.

At 13-18 with 10 minutes to go, Hinckley were back in it but, as Hinckley chased the game, a wayward pass from Tom Wheatcroft in the Hornets’ 22 was picked off by Sale Wing Arron Reed who scored under the posts. Johnson’s conversion took it to 13-26 and all seemed lost for the Hornets.

But if nothing else, Hinckley are fighters. From the kick-off, Hornets forced their way back into the Sale 22 and a third yellow card for Sale saw them down to 13 men. From the resultant line-out, Hinckley looked to be in under the posts but the ball was lost over the line and Sale seemed to have survived. For once, however, poor work from the Sale pack saw the ball turned over and Callum Dacey went over for Hinckley but it was all too late, and Sale held on for a famous victory.

On balance, Sale deserved their victory. Director of Rugby George Chuter acknowledged that too many mistakes cost Hinckley the game. Sale took their chances when they came and demonstrated why they have conceded fewer points by far than any other team in the League. Defeat does not mean that Hinckley are out of the promotion race (they are still second in the table), but, with other teams in the chasing pack having games in hand, the task has become much more difficult.

Next up is the local derby with South Leicester at Welford Road who will be desperate to re-assert local bragging rights after losing at Leicester Road earlier in the season.

Nick Robinson