Sale hold on to beat Saracens despite Vermeulen red

Sale overcame Jacques Vermeulen's red card to defeat Saracens and pick up their first win of The Prem campaign.

Sarries struggled to break down a stubborn Sharks defence despite having numerical superiority for 27 minutes of the first half after Alex Lozowski's yellow and Vermeulen's 20-minute red card.

Incredibly, Sale took a 7-5 lead into half-time thanks to Nathan Jibulu's early converted try, despite Eroni Mawi's reply, and then went further ahead soon after the break as Tom O'Flaherty raced in.

Ben Bamber stretched Sale's lead to 11 points after Sione Va'enuku had cut the gap, and though Charlie Bracken's late score again put the game in the balance, the hosts held on.

More to follow.

Saracens: Daly; J Bracken, Tompkins, Va'enuku, Segun; Burke, Williams; Mawi, Dan, Street, Itoje (c), Tizard, Isiekwe, Gonzalez, Barbeary.

Replacements: Clarke, O'Driscoll, Clarey, Martin, Michelow, Earl, C Bracken, Malins.

Sale: Carpenter; O'Flaherty, Marchant, Lozowski, Reed; Ford, Warr; Smith, Jibulu, Opoku-Fordjour, Van Rhyn (c), Bamber, Lawes, Curry, Vermeulen.

Replacements: Caine, McIntyre, Francis, Tshiunza, Canakaivata, Hanson, Louw, Loganimasi.