Premiership: Worcester Warriors 14-18 Sale Sharks

Mark Jennings came off the bench to score the decisive try for 14-man Sale

Worcester's winning Premiership run came to an end at Sixways as Mark Jennings' late converted try helped Sale come back to triumph with 14 men.

Warriors looked set for a third straight victory when Sale's Byron McGuigan was shown a second yellow card after 66 minutes for a tip tackle.

Chris Pennell's resulting penalty, his third of the night, put Warriors 14-11 up but Sale had the last word.

Jennings' try in the left corner earned Sale's first away win of the season.

Against a side they have lost to just once in six seasons, watched by banned director of rugby Steve Diamond on TV at the team hotel, it lifts them 15 points clear of bottom club London Irish and nine clear of Worcester, who did at least pick up a losing bonus point.

It was a try each at the break, Josh Adams' effort in the left corner helping the hosts come back from an 8-0 deficit created by Rohan Janse van Rensburg's try. But Sale led, thanks to AJ MacGinty's second penalty of the half.

Pennell, who had got Warriors on the board with a first-half penalty, levelled it up again with 19 minutes left, before what seemed to be the key moment of an otherwise poor contest.

McGuigan, who had been yellow carded in the first half for a deliberate knock-on, was shown a red card when he put home winger Bryce Heem on his back with what was adjudged to be a tip tackle.

While Worcester took advantage of the temporary extra man in the first half, and again when Pennell's second penalty came after Faf De Klerk had also been yellow carded early in the second, this time Sale turned the tables by scoring while a man down.

Pennell's third penalty put Worcester in front for the first time, but Gold's side could not make the extra man advantage count and they were punished when replacement Jennings went over in the left corner, just three minutes after coming on to stand in on the left wing for the red-carded McGuigan.

Worcester director of rugby Gary Gold told BBC Sport:

"I'm bitterly disappointed we didn't win as we gave ourselves a chance. But you've got to give them credit.

"Defensively, they were very good. And, by and large, we lost the collisions, which we hadn't in our previous two games against Northampton and Leicester.

"Now we need to get back on the horse. We have two European games coming up now and a chance to get some sore bodies fit before our massive game against London Irish."

Sale attack/skills coach Paul Deacon told BBC Sport:

"Byron McGuigan is not that sort of player. He's not a malicious bloke at all. Things happen like that in rugby. That's sport.

"It was the right decision. He had to go. If it had not been a straight red, it was a yellow. But it put the lads under the pump with 14 minutes left.

"Discipline cost us against Leicester [a fortnight ago]. We can't keep giving yellow and red cards away like that. But it shows the character of the side the way that we dug in to come back and win. We shouldn't be winning games like that."

Worcester: Pennell; Heem, Willison, Mills, Adams; Lance, Hougaard, Waller, Singleton, Schonert, O'Callaghan (capt), Spencer, Faosiliva, Lewis, Denton.

Replacements: Scotland-Williamson for Lewis (55), Bower for Waller (66), Phillips for O'Callaghan (76), Taufete'e for Singleton (68), Milasinovich for Schonert (78)

Not used: Dowsett, Durutalo, Hammond.

Sale: O'Connor; Solomona, James, van Rensburg, McGuigan; MacGinty, De Klerk; Harrison, Webber, John, Evans, Ostrikov, Ross (capt), Curry, Strauss.

Replacements: Jennings for van Rensburg (66), Neild for Webber (67), Ioane for Strauss (67), Aulika for John (69).

Not used: Flynn, Nott, Cliff, Haley.

Yellow card: McGuigan (31), De Klerk (51)

Red card: McGuigan (66)

Referee: Matthew Carley (RFU).