Sale will play in next season`s Brazil world cup shoes European Rugby Champions Cup after making sure of sixth place in the English Premiership table with a 55-12 win away to Exeter on Saturday. The Champions Cup will replace the European Cup and the top six teams in the Premiership are guaranteed a place among the continent`s elite. Sale`s win gave them an unassailable 12-point lead over seventh-placed Wasps. "That was obviously one of our aims from today because there was a bit of pressure on us having played well all season," said Sale boss Steve Diamond. "We hit form today and if we do that with the players that we`ve got then we can score tries like we did." Sale scored eight tries as the Chiefs suffered their heaviest defeat in four seasons in the Premiership. Sam Tuitupou crossed twice while there was a try apiece for Tom Adidas 11Pro KAKA Arscott, Michael Paterson, Dwayne Peel, Dave Seymour, Tom Brady and Andrei Ostrikov. Danny Cipriani, watched by England backs coach Andy Farrell, kicked four conversions, with the fly-half looking to revive a Test career that has been in suspended animation for several years. Meanwhile, Wasps coach Dai Young said the London club had emerged from the "dark days" after their 38-30 win over Gloucester at Twickenham. Victory, combined with Exeter`s defeat by Sale, saw Wasps replace the Chiefs in seventh place. The seventh team in the Premiership will face a play-off against the seventh-placed club in France`s Top 14 for the final place in the Champions Cup.Two seasons ago the four-time Premiership champions and twice European Cup winners were on the brink of entering administration and Young said Saturday`s win marked a key staging post in Wasps` recovery. "I said to the players that this was a celebration for us coming out of the dark days, not totally on the pitch but certainly off the pitch," said Young. Former England back-row James Haskell scored two tries, while Tom Varndell, Elliot Daly and Ashley Johnson also crossed Gloucester`s line. Saturday`s other match saw Bath move up into third with a 32-20 win over bottom-of-the-table Worcester. England reserve fly-half George Ford returned to create a late bonus point try for Matt Banahan after being sin-binned for a tackle on a briefly airborne David Lemi. Worcester flanker Sam Betty was also yellow-carded for a similar challenge on Bath and Argentina star Horacio Agulla. "To be fair to the referee, we`ve received a directive this week -- there`s been some clarification around contests in the air," said Bath coach Toby Booth. "The upshot of it is, unless two people are in the air contesting, irrespective of whether someone is looking at someone or not, if that collision occurs when one person is on the floor, that person is getting a minimum yellow card. "If the player lands on his head, it`ll be a red card. So the refs have got nowhere else to go. The referee was consistent -- he did the same at the other end." |
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