| Gloucester: (26) 32 |
| Tries: Thorley, McGuigan, Ackermann, Atkinson Pens: Carreras 2 Cons: Carreras 3 |
| Sale: (10) 20 |
| Tries: Warr, Taylor Pens: R du Preez 2 Cons: R du Preez 2 |
Gloucester ended a membership document dropping run of 9 Premiership video games with a bonus level 32-20 victory over Sale.
Fly-half Charlie Atkinson scored the fourth attempt on his debut earlier than half-time to comply with Ollie Thorley, George McGuigan and Ruan Ackermann, with Gus Warr replying for Sale.
Two penalties and a Tommy Taylor attempt helped Sharks reduce the deficit to 29-20.
However the hosts held agency as Santiago Carreras added a second penalty within the last minute to safe an important win.
Gloucester final gained within the league on 20 October once they beat Newcastle, though they’re unbeaten in all different competitions this season – having reached the semi-finals of the Premiership Rugby Cup subsequent month and gained all of their European Problem Cup group video games to cruise by to the knock-out phases.
They keep ninth within the desk because the league breaks for seven weeks for the Six Nations, however transfer as much as 22 factors.
Final yr’s Premiership finalists Sale are nonetheless with out a win in 2024 and keep seventh, 10 factors forward, as they fell to their fifth consecutive defeat in all competitions.
Gloucester winger Thorley brilliantly denied Cobus Wiese a sure attempt 5 minutes in, rolling the lock over the road.
Two minutes later Thorley had his title on the scoresheet on the different finish, scooping up the ball contained in the Cherry and Whites’ 10 metre line and darting the size of Kingsholm’s Shed stand earlier than chopping inside below the posts.
Warr levelled for the Sharks from shut vary however when Sam Dugdale was despatched to the sin bin for cynically kicking the ball away when Gloucester have been in assault, the hosts took benefit.
McGuigan rolled over from the line-out and maul that adopted, and Ackermann reduce a wonderful line by the Sale defence to make it 19-7.
Rob du Preez’s penalty narrowed the deficit however Atkinson added Gloucester’s bonus level on his first begin since signing from Leicester earlier than Christmas, touching down after namesake Seb Atkinson made the preliminary line break.
Sale loved a whole lot of territory the primary quarter-hour of the second half however did not take something greater than a second penalty from the boot of Du Preez.
They have been unravelled once more by one other card as full-back Joe Carpenter was despatched to the bin for a conflict within the air with reverse quantity Carreras, who kicked the following penalty to make it 29-13.
But when Gloucester captain Lewis Ludlow was additionally binned for bringing down a maul, it gave Sale a gap again in and substitute hooker Taylor barged over on 67 minutes to shut the hole to 9 factors and hold house followers nervous.
After falling the fallacious facet of slim defeats by seven, six and two factors of their earlier three league video games, this time Gloucester managed the stress because the clock ran down and Carreras kicked a last-minute penalty.
Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington advised BBC Radio Gloucestershire:
“It feels good to win within the Premiership, I believe that is good to see the tip of that run – it has been painful. I believe in actuality the final three Prem video games earlier than this one, we might been within the combat, we might regarded like an excellent staff, we might simply fallen the fallacious facet.
“Actually the six earlier than that, barring Exeter away, there was a whole lot of work to do. I am very happy with what the boys confirmed. I believe the final eight weeks, they’ve dedicated to one thing, they’ve labored laborious they usually deserved the reward.
“The Premiership is ruthless, there’s not many video games this yr and a whole lot of them have handed by so it was actually essential we go into an excellent break however win that one and win it effectively.
“I believed Charlie [Atkinson] pulled the strings very well for his first sport, he was within the deep finish just a little bit however he actually took command and did an excellent job and I believed Caolan [Englefield] did at 9 as effectively, so numerous sturdy performances in that first half.”
Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson stated:
“Our defence was poor within the first half, our set-piece was poor all through they usually feasted on a few alternatives we gave them.
“We have all the time prided ourselves on our defensive efficiency however we’re transport too many factors recently. We have now shifted our gameplan as we needed to enhance our attacking sport however we have misplaced our method a bit.
“The hassle was incredible however we should be higher as coaches and I am going to take my share of the blame for that, however we’re nonetheless a greater facet than we confirmed right this moment.
“You might be solely nearly as good as your final sport so that you need to play once more as quickly as you may however realistically we want a break from taking part in.
“The shortage of bonus factors is a priority as we have gained as many video games as others however nonetheless discover ourselves down the desk.”
Gloucester: Carreras, Hearle, Harris, S Atkinson, Thorley; C Atkinson, Englefield; Ford-Robinson, McGuigan, Gotovtsev, Clarke, Alemanno, Ackermann, Ludlow (c), Mercer.
Replacements: Blake, Elrington, Knight, Tuisue, Clement, Varney, Llewellyn, Hathaway.
Sin bin: Ludlow (64 minutes)
Sale: Carpenter, Veainu, James, Bedlow, Reed; R du Preez, Warr; McIntyre, Creevy, Schonert, Wiese, Beaumont, Van Rhyn, Dugdale, D du Preez. 
Replacements: Taylor, Onasanya, Harper, Bamber, Birch, Thomas, Curtis, Ma’asi-White.
Sin bin: Dugdale (17 minutes), Carpenter (57 minutes)
Referee: Luke Pearce