Ollie Hassell-Collins and Emeka Ilione each scored two tries as Leicester edged Sale 44-34 in a pulsating contest to make them agency favourites for a house Premiership semi-final.
Leicester trailed 26-16 at one stage however their bonus-point victory takes the second-placed Tigers seven factors away from Sale with two league video games remaining, one in all which is a house fixture with backside membership Newcastle.
The defeat was tough justice on Sale, who misplaced newly-selected British Lion Tom Curry to a leg damage as they matched their opponents with 5 tries, however the exemplary goal-kicking of Handre Pollard proved the distinction.
Pollard missed nothing by kicking three penalties and 5 conversions, with Adam Radwan additionally on Leicester’s try-scoring sheet.
Rob du Preez scored two of Sale’s tries with Luke Cowan-Dickie, Rekeiti Ma’asi-White and Arron Reed additionally crossing and George Ford changing three and including a penalty.
It took Sale lower than two minutes to open the scoring. They received a penalty on the first scrum and from the ensuing line-out Cowan-Dickie was shoved over the road.
Nonetheless the response was swift as Tigers constructed a interval of sustained stress earlier than a break from Pollard despatched Radwan flying over for the wing’s seventh attempt in six video games since becoming a member of the membership from Newcastle.
Pollard converted and added a penalty after it was Sale’s turn to infringe at the scrum but the home side proceeded to bungle the restart.
That gave Sale an attacking platform and they made it count when Ma’asi-White ran a neat line off a well-timed pass from Du Preez to evade Freddie Steward and rating.
Ford transformed for Sale to steer 12-10 on the finish of a busy first quarter.
A second penalty from Pollard put his facet again in entrance however the lead was short-lived as an elusive run from Ford break up the defence to ship Reed in below the posts.
Sale then suffered two blows in fast succession. First, Curry limped off to get replaced by his brother Ben, earlier than Pollard diminished the arrears along with his third penalty.
With the final transfer of a panoramic first- half, Sale collected their bonus-point when a pumped-up Ford despatched Du Preez over earlier than changing to go away his facet with a deserved 26-16 half-time benefit.
Sale started the second half strongly however crucially missed a few alternatives to attain they usually have been made to pay when Hassell-Collins collected a cross-field kick from Pollard to complete in fashion.
Minutes later, Hassell-Collins scored his second when he latched onto a stray go to bemuse the guests’ defence with a mazy run to the road.
Pollard transformed however Ford kicked a penalty to go away Sale trailing by only a level with 18 minutes remaining.
The sport was within the stability however Sale have been changing into error-prone and ill-disciplined and it price them as Ilione completed off a driving line-out however the guests instantly replied with a second attempt for Du Preez.
Within the remaining minute, Sale lock Jonny Hill was sin-binned and Tigers took full benefit when Ilione once more completed off a driving line-out to go away Sale with only a single level.
