Northampton Saints 47 Sale Sharks 17: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

“They (Saints) have an ability at times to just up the pace, the tempo of the game, exiting and they go a really quick lineout attack and then they spread it through and you just feel like you’re under it for such an amount of time.

“Then they end up scoring a couple tries and you’re like ‘oh when did that happen, how’d that happen?’ when in large parts you’re really in control of the game.”

Those pre-match thoughts from Alex Sanderson ended up being a prophecy as Saints did exactly what the Sale Sharks boss feared last Friday night.

The black, green and gold delivered a first-half demolition, flying into a 40-10 lead before seeing the game out in the second period.

Sale certainly gave them some help as the ball slipped through their grasp on numerous occasions.

And you wondered whether Sanderson’s pre-match warning had actually worked against his players.

He was quick to take the blame after the game, admitting he and his coaches had got things wrong.

But they are not the only ones to have found Saints too hot to handle at the Gardens, where Phil Dowson’s men have now won 12 Gallagher Premiership games on the spin.

There appears to be a bit of a fear factor for opposition sides allied with a supreme Saintly confidence that provides a recipe for Northampton success.

Because even when things go against them, Saints seem to feel they have all the ingredients they need to turn it around.

And when chances come on home turf, they are so often taken in ruthless fashion.

Saints scored a whopping 21 points while Sale wing Alex Wills was in the sin bin, punishing the away side for their player taking George Hendy out in the air.

And after that, there was no way back for the Sharks, who were well and truly tumble dryed before they headed off to get the hairdryer treatment at half-time.

The second half was largely an exercise in going through the motions but Saints did well to stop Sale taking any points from their trip south.

The Sharks are still very much strong enough to be in the top-four shake-up this season so Saints wanted to shut down their chances of stealing a point or two - and they did.

It felt like the universe had rebalanced following the derby-day frustration at Mattioli Woods Welford Road six days earlier when a combination of bad luck and bad execution cost Saints dear.

This time the luck and the execution was only good, resulting in a crushing win by a massive margin of 30 points.

And how key it was with what is beckoning this week.

Saints must go to well known bogey team Bristol Bears on Friday night. And they must do so without their England stars, who are heading off to a training camp in Girona.

Just as the likes of Fin Smith and Tommy Freeman were really starting to hit their stride they have been taken away for a camp that is so badly timed.

But Saints will have to find a way to deal with the laundry list of missing men and piece together a much better performance than the past few at Ashton Gate, where they have shipped a half-century of points on each of their two most recent Premiership trips.

Bristol are in flying form right now, despite somehow being edged out by Saracens on Saturday.

And Saints will know they have their work cut out to get anything from their venture to the west country.

However, they will feel certainly much better about battling the Bears after sinking the Sharks in such emphatic fashion.

How they rated…

GEORGE FURBANK – the skipper took a few hits but he kept bouncing back from them in style, etching his name on the scoresheet once again… 8.5

GEORGE HENDY – a welcome return from injury for this man, and he was in the thick of the action, with some of his handling sublime… 8.5

TOMMY FREEMAN - CHRON STAR MAN – set the tone for Saints during the first half, scoring early on and creating with his fantastic speed and handling. Class… 9

RORY HUTCHINSON – another really strong showing from the centre, whose physicality continues to impress, particularly in defence… 8

OLLIE SLEIGHTHOLME – he scores tries. Added another two to his tally here with some trademark opportunism – and he was only denied a hat-trick by a fine tackle from Joe Carpenter… 8.5

FIN SMITH – his kicking caused all sorts of problems for Sale as he pulled the strings with aplomb once again… 9

TOM JAMES – has become such an important player for Saints and this was a really good performance from the half-back as he controlled the game well… 9

MANNY IYOGUN – had a few issues at scrum time but was as strong as ever around the park… 7

ROBBIE SMITH – didn’t have long enough to make an impact as he was stretchered off, dealing Saints another big injury blow

TREVOR DAVISON – will look forward to trying to make a big impact for England this autumn after another strong showing here… 7.5

GAVIN THORNBURY – a very solid first start for the Irish lock as he helped to steady the Saints ship early on in the game, climbing high to take two restarts and keep Sale under the cosh… 8

CHUNYA MUNGA – another big effort from this man as he worked so hard once again, applying real pressure when Sale were trying to kick their way out of trouble… 8

ANGUS SCOTT-YOUNG – made his 50th Saints appearance and poured everything he had into it as he thundered around the field in attack and defence… 8.5

TOM PEARSON – made some huge hits that left Sale players shuddering and this was a towering display from the back row forward. England’s loss is Saints’ gain… 9

HENRY POLLOCK – a first Premiership start for this young man and he certainly made the most of it, stopping what looked a certain Sale try and impressing against a strong back row… 9

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

CURTIS LANGDON (for R Smith 5) – another all-action showing from the hooker, who just never looks tired. He is such a vital player for Saints… 9

TAREK HAFFAR (for Iyogun 55) – helped Saints to combat Sale and is such a strong carrier when he gets the chance to get hold of the ball… 7

ELLIOT MILLAR MILLS (for Davison 55) – wasted little time in getting involved and was always on the lookout to see where he could make an impact… 7

JAMES RAMM (for Hendy 55) – this is how you make an impact from the bench. Came on as a blood replacement for Furbank and set up a try with a fine pass before coming on again in the second period and scoring from a Furbank offload… 9

CALLUM HUNTER-HILL (for Thornbury 58) – good for Saints to have this man available again following a back problem, and he looked up for this… 7

TOM LITCHFIELD (for Hutchinson 58) – looked hungry for action as he threw himself into collisions and will hope for plenty more minutes in the weeks to come… 7