The opening 10 minutes proved a tactical affair with plenty of kicking, but it was the hosts who struck first when James Robins’ perfect cross-field nudge sent Tom Walsh heading towards the line.

The wing was superbly stopped, only for Joe Green to dart over from close range, Robins with the extras.

Rams rallied, but a trio of mistakes five metres out – two at the line-out, one at the scrum – were then ruthlessly punished as The Dogs went down the other end for Alfie Longstaff to burrow over following a series of pick-and-goes.

Robins was again on target, and things got worse for the away side when Walsh benefitted from the bounce of the ball to make it 19-0.

Yet Rams rallied, Tomek Pozniak with a fabulous tackle on Longstaff before he booted a loose ball long, a maul repelled before the ball was switched right for Andrew Lamb to dot down.

The momentum had shifted – substitute Ant Marris blasting rucks like a man possessed – and Sale skipper Andrew Hughes was sin-binned after he stopped Ollie Cole’s tap-and-go from close range, Evan Mintern following after illegally bringing down a maul.

Rams elected to go to the corner again, but their efforts were repelled on the stroke of half-time.

Yet they came flying out the blocks after the break, Morgan MacRae dotting down on the blind-side before Cole again tapped from close range to cut the gap to four points.

Army ace Solodrau Radianirova made an immediate impact off the bench with an interception score to send the visitors in front, Fraser Honey landing a marvellous touchline conversion for 22-19.

It was now time for Sale to regroup, and Robins levelled matters with 12 minutes to play as he landed a straight-forward penalty after their opponents were pinged at the breakdown in front of the posts.

A spectacular multi-phase move saw The Dogs cross the whitewash, only for Rams to hold the ball up, but soon after the visitors were pinged at a scrum, Robins nailing a tricky kick to put his side in front.

And try as they might in the closing stages, the Berkshire side never truly came close to snatching victory, Sale defending well to close out a second straight win against the top two.

Rams remain top, but their lead has been cut to one point following Richmond’s bonus-point triumph at Darlington Mowden Park.

Next up for the leaders is a return to Old Bath Road next Saturday, Bishop’s Stortford the visitors (3pm).

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