Premiership: Sale Sharks 12-18 Saracens - Ben Earl's two tries hand visitors victory

Ben Earl scored a try in each half for Saracens in a cagey encounter

Saracens solidified their Premiership play-off chances and dented Sale's in the process as two Ben Earl tries saw them to a gritty away win.

Back row Earl crossed for a try in each half in a cagey encounter as Saracens strengthened their grip on second.

Defeat for Sale saw them miss the chance to move into the top four.

Four penalties from Rob du Preez were enough for them to claim a losing-bonus point, but they remain in fifth, a point behind fourth-placed Exeter.

England international Earl put in a crucial man-of-the-match display for the second week running to ensure Saracens maintained their strong form of just one defeat in their past seven.

They have a nine-point cushion over third-placed Harlequins, who travel to London Irish on Sunday.

Sale have just three games left in the regular season and just one win in their past five matches means Alex Sanderson's side will be relying on sides above them to slip up.

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Fly-half Du Preez kicked two penalties in the opening quarter to give Sale a 6-0 lead and Saracens, without Owen Farrell due to concussion protocol, found it hard to impose themselves.

They uncharacteristically missed four attempts off the kicking tee, including two penalties and a conversion from the usually-reliable Alex Lozowski.

But they finished the half with Earl dotting down under a rolling maul, despite the best efforts of Faf de Klerk trying to hold the ball up, to reduce Sale's lead to just a point at the interval.

Lozowski and Du Preez then traded penalties as the match continued to be hard fought, but Earl's second score with eight minutes to play proved decisive.

He latched on to a break from Max Malins before going over in the right corner.

While Sale were unable to pick up a positive result, England centre Manu Tuilagi did play 30 minutes off the bench to make a first appearance since mid-February, following a recurring hamstring injury that kept him out of the Six Nations.

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson:

"We just weren't clinical enough in the opposition 22 and we didn't take our chances, which you have to do in a game like that.

"You have to convert more points on the back of territory and possession.

"We went toe-to-toe physically and in terms of work-rate with Saracens and we know we've got all the minerals and all the pieces, but just putting them together into an 80-minute performance is eluding us at the moment.

"We've been carrying the baggage of a poor first half of the season and that's why every Premiership match for us has been must-win for a while.

"That carries its own kind of pressure and is maybe why we're missing out in terms of executing."

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall:

"Our team were together and fought for each other out there. That level of scrapping and fighting we needed and it was a good, hard-fought away win.

"I thought we were disjointed and a bit individual in our actions last week and we wanted to get that unity and togetherness back tonight in what we did. I'm just really chuffed how we scrapped and fought our way through.

"You have to fight through the tough moments when you make errors and put yourself under pressure."

On Ben Earl's performance: "Ben's just getting better and better and he's just been outstanding for us all season.

"He had a great game today and has done for the past couple of weeks."

Sale: L James; Roebuck, S James, Van Rensburg, Reed; R du Preez, De Klerk; Rodd, Ashman, Schonert; Wiese, De Jager, Ross (capt), B Curry, D du Preez.

Replacements: A van der Merwe, McIntyre, Jones, JP du Preez, Taylor, Quirke, Tuilagi, Metcalf.

Saracens: Daly; Maitland, Lozowski, Tompkins, Malins; Goode, Davies; Mawi, George (capt), Koch; Isiekwe, Swinson, Itoje, Earl, B Vunipola.

Replacements: Woolstencroft, Barrington, Clarey, McFarland, Christie, De Haas, Taylor, Lewington.

Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU).

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