Sale Sharks 27 Northampton Saints 24: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

Phil Dowson’s men headed north and rolled up their sleeves, looking much more like their true selves than they did during the sobering 33-0 defeat to Leicester Tigers just seven days earlier.

There were still echoes of that derby-day loss in that the black, green and gold’s ball security still wasn’t where they would want it to be, but there were far more special moments and there was far more for their supporters to shout about.

One final attack eventually fell short on the edge of the Sale 22 as Saints threatened to produce a stunning win.

And it meant they had to make do with pocketing two points rather than five from a traditionally unhappy hunting ground, where they have still not won a league match since March 2017.

That they came so close owed much to the fighting spirit they showed, especially having lost two men to the sin bin during the first half and especially when you consider they started a man at 10 who had never played there before.

Tom James was given that fly-half responsibility, while scrum-half Alex Mitchell took on kicking duties.

And you just wondered what might have been had Saints been able to field Fin Smith, who would have been so key when penalties and conversions came around.

But, as has been the case for the majority of this league campaign, it just wasn’t to be for Saints.

While they have underperformed at times, it really has felt like fortune hasn’t favoured them, particularly away from home, as they remain winless on the road in this Premiership campaign.

They have come close at times, notably producing spirited showings at the likes of Bristol Bears, Harlequins and Sale, three games in which they have been shorn of the services of both of their main fly-half options, Smith and George Furbank.

In fact, Saints have only been able to start their first-choice half-back combination of Mitchell and Smith in three of the 13 league games this season.

That has been a huge spanner in the works and on Friday night at Sale it was clear for all to see just how their important international stars are to Saints.

It was no coincidence that three of the four scorers on the night were Tommy Freeman, Henry Pollock and Fraser Dingwall, a trio who have all been featuring for England this season.

They each produced more than one moment of magic to keep Saints in a game that could so easily have got away from them when they went 12-0 and two men down early on.

But the black, green and gold simply haven’t been able to get their key players on the field enough during this stuttering title defence.

It left them drinking in the last-chance saloon at Sale, knowing they really needed a bonus-point win to keep their faint top-four hopes alive.

Eventually, they came up dry, but it certainly wasn’t for the lack of trying.

And at least now they have rebuilt their confidence a bit ahead of a huge European home clash against Clermont Auvergne next Friday.

Because let’s not forget that Saints are still more than in the mix in Europe, having finished top of their pool for the second season in succession.

That is something they could have only dreamed of a couple of years ago, having not won a Champions Cup match for so long prior to the start of last season.

Now they are in the shake-up again after reaching the semi-finals and falling just short at Leinster last season.

And no one should write this Northampton team off if they are somehow able to finally put all of the pieces of their jigsaw together next week.

How they rated…

JAMES RAMM – was always going to be given a tough time under the high ball but did what he could to put pressure back on Sale with ball in hand… 6.5

TOMMY FREEMAN – the England star showed his class in attack and defence, cutting through Sale to score before delivering an incredible tap tackle on Arron Reed during the second half… 8.5

BURGER ODENDAAL – was a key physical presence for Saints and his run forced George Ford into the sin bin as the South African centre displayed his importance to this Saints side… 7.5

FRASER DINGWALL – a huge showing from the skipper as he flew into tackles and provided some key moments in attack. His quick thinking opened the door for the Manny Iyogun try and he delivered one of his own late on with a fantastic, clever finish… 8.5

GEORGE HENDY – tried to stretch his legs and stretch Sale on a couple of occasions, and he may have scored had Odendaal been able to get the ball to him on the left… 6.5

TOM JAMES – did well to overcome an early yellow card, looking unfazed by the fact he was playing in a position he’d never previously occupied. Produced some lovely flat passes… 7

ALEX MITCHELL – a big shift from the scrum-half as he tried to keep the tempo high for the full 80 minutes, but a few times the ball slipped from his grasp as Sale piled the pressure on the Saints half-backs… 7.5

MANNY IYOGUN – did really well at scrum time and etched his name on the scoresheet in a performance he could be proud of at a tough venue… 7.5

CURTIS LANGDON – Saints’ Duracell bunny was back at it here, playing the full 80 minutes and flying around the field as he tried to turn the tables on his old team… 8

TREVOR DAVISON – a steady showing from the prop, who even delivered a very tidy pass from the floor at one point during the first half… 7

CHUNYA MUNGA – came off early in the second half but had worked hard to that point on his return to the side… 6.5

ALEX COLES – the England man was galloping around the field in search of work as he looked to carry the fight… 7

JOSH KEMENY – was on the wrong end of a couple of penalty calls during the first half but didn’t let it deter him as he tried to exert his physicality… 6.5

ANGUS SCOTT-YOUNG – a couple of big carries during the first half and intervened to stop Sale at lineout time on one key occasion… 6.5

HENRY POLLOCK - CHRON STAR MAN – everyone will soon run out of superlatives for this young man. Made one eye-catching break that led to a try in the first half and then popped up with a stunning solo score that added to his ever-growing highlights reel… 9

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

TEMO MAYANAVANUA (for Munga 50) – certainly added some extra power to the Saints game and he showed his importance to the side… 7

JUARNO AUGUSTUS (for Scott-Young 50) – like Mayanavanua, this man added some extra muscle, putting Sale under more pressure… 7