Mallinder salutes Saints fans after Sale win

Ben Foden, Tom Wood and Luther Burrell scored as Mallinder’s men cruised to a comfortable Aviva Premiership victory at Franklin’s Gardens.

Sale did manage to respond through a superb Denny Solomona score, but they were to fall to their seventh successive defeat in all competitions.

For Saints it was a welcome end to their four-match losing streak in front of a far more atmospheric Gardens.

And Mallinder said: “I thought the fans were really good tonight and they got behind the team.

“As you always do, we got put under pressure and they really supported the side.

“We defended well and got some good turnovers.

“The lads put everything out there, led by our top international players, who I thought were really, really good and inspired the team.”

Prop Alex Waller impressed on his 200th appearance for Saints.

And Mallinder said: “It was a great performance, not just in the set piece, and he created a try.

“To play 200 games is really outstanding.”