Northampton Saints 14 Sale Sharks 34: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

Here we had a truly world class player, who, prior to lockdown, was voted by many supporters as Saints' player of the season so far.

But on Tuesday night, the Wales star made a hugely uncharacteristic mistake that led to a try at a key time and was eventually forced off injured during the second half.

It really was a microcosm of 2020 for the black, green and gold.

Players who performed so well during the first half of the season and up to the middle of January appear to have been beamed up and replaced by imposters.

Saints' confidence levels have been completely drained by a shocking run of defeats, and they simply can't find a way to get the momentum back.

Not only that, but Chris Boyd's squad has been badly depleted by injuries, with problems stacking up week on week.

It has been a true horror show, with no one man singled out but a collective failing in confidence the first port of call when apportioning blame.

Biggar is a fierce competitor and, whatever supporters may think during these dark times, so are all of his team-mates.

But they just cannot buy belief and without that they are shadows of their former selves.

Their game plan thrives on chutzpah, but they are completely devoid of it.

Even in warm-up drills, passes seem to regularly go astray and balls continue to get dropped.

In matches, Saints shoot themselves in the foot before the opposition can fire the gun.

They pull themselves back into contention only for another thing to go wrong and undo any good work they have done.

Chris Boyd compared his team changes on Tuesday night to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.

It is an interesting comparison but one you feel is fair with Saints' ship continually springing new leaks with no sign of a way to fix them.

And with their ability to play slick, free-flowing rugby lost as confidence ebbs away, they get overwhelmed as other teams suck them into a power struggle.

That is not Saints' way of playing, but in the Premiership, it is something you have to contend with more often than not.

And Saints have not been able to.

Sale, who scored six tries on the night, were brutal in the collisions, driving Saints back at every opportunity and penning them in their own half for long periods.

It was not a typical story as it has been Saints who have bossed a lot of territory and possession since the restart but failed to find the cutting edge when it mattered.

But during the first half at Franklin's Gardens on Tuesday night, the Sharks stopped them getting out of the deep end, continually submerging them in a sea of red shirts.

It was a ferocious start from the away side and it set the tone as they bagged a bonus point before half-time.

But by the time Biggar saw the ball slip between his legs, allowing Luke James to score his second, Saints had hauled themselves back into it and were just five points down.

Then it became 10, and if Rob du Preez had brought his kicking boots to Northampton, the eventual margin of defeat would have been much more than 20.

Saints need this season to end. Badly.

But the big problem is that the next one is just around the corner.

They will not have much time to reset the bruised bodies and the battered minds.

The pressure will only increase if they can't get out of this slump at the start of next season, with this proud club currently staring down the barrel of 12 defeats in 14 matches.

Seven successive home defeats have been racked up during a chastening period for everyone involved.

And how Saints need a spark.

When they endured a similar period to this at the end of 2017, Alan Gaffney and Alan Dickens teamed up and Saints managed to grab wins against Gloucester and Clermont Auvergne.

It didn't completely turn the boat around but it at least laid a foundation of some belief for when Chris Boyd arrived.

And the Kiwi boss was making such good progress until the London Irish defeat back in late January.

Since then, Saints have won just twice.

The merciless season has seemed never-ending (it will finally conclude at Gloucester on Sunday) and the defeats have appeared as relentless as almost every opposition side.

There is a big rebuilding job to be done, with the mental side of things the part that Saints have to work on first and foremost.

How they do it remains the million dollar question.

But one thing is for sure, the coaches have to find a way to inject some belief back into this group before another Sale fixture rolls around the start the new campaign in November.

How they rated...

GEORGE FURBANK

Pouched pretty much every high ball as he really improved in that area but had a slightly tougher time with handling in open play, though he kept pushing until the end... 5.5

AHSEE TUALA

Etched his name on the scoresheet with a nice finish and did well to escape danger on one occasion... 5.5

MATT PROCTOR

Thundered about during the first half, making some decent tackles but his impact on the game wasn't as big as he would have hoped... 5

FRASER DINGWALL

Slipped Ahsee Tuala through a gap tidily and defended well but one or two passes went astray... 5.5

TAQELE NAIYARAVORO

Tried to carry the fight to Sale with some big carries but they stopped him well and he couldn't find his support runners... 5

DAN BIGGAR

Saw the ball slip away as Luke James scored but aside from that, the fly-half was largely secure and he showed a typically large amount of desire before being forced off... 5.5

ALEX MITCHELL

One of Saints' better performers as he cleverly grabbed a try and also kept the tempo high, but he didn't find favour with the referee... 6.5

MANNY IYOGUN

Carried well as he constantly looked to get his hands on the ball, and also held his own in the scrum... 6

SAM MATAVESI

Made some strong carries and ensured Saints' lineout remained blemish-free in a decent display... 5.5

OWEN FRANKS

Wasn't really able to have a say and was replaced 15 minutes into the second half... 5

DAVID RIBBANS

Showed plenty of hunger and produced a nice offload for Mitchell's try... 6

API RATUNIYARAWA

Paid the price for Saints' persistent offending during the first half and wasn't really able to get in the game aside from that... 4.5

COURTNEY LAWES

Didn't have time to make an impact on the game as he was forced off with an ankle injury inside eight minutes

LEWIS LUDLAM

Worked his socks of for his team, but nothing quite went his way on a night when Sale grabbed the spoils... 5.5

SHAUN ADENDORFF

Kept pushing on and putting his body on the line as he showed his determination... 5.5

Replacements (who played for more than 20 minutes)

NICK ISIEKWE (for Lawes 8)

A big performance from the lock as he stole a lot of lineouts and made a fine saving tackle on Simon Hammersley... 7

JAMES FISH (for Matavesi 56)

Not an easy game to come into as Saints were playing catch-up when he came on... 5.5

EHREN PAINTER (for Franks 56)

Conceded one breakdown penalty but made up for it with a big win at the scrum... 5.5

CHRON STAR MAN - Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks)