Quins continue play-off push
Harlequins continued their push for a Guinness Premiership play-off spot with a 38-20 victory over Sale at the Stoop on Sunday.
Last Updated: 22/03/09 6:18pm
Harlequins continued their push for a Guinness Premiership play-off spot with a 38-20 victory over Sale at the Stoop on Sunday.
Three second-half tries came courtesy of Gary Botha, Seb Stegmann and Tom Guest before De Wet Barry struck in the 73rd minute to secure what could prove an all important bonus point for the Londoners.
London Irish bound fly-half Chris Malone added 15 points with the boot after being called up to replace injured former New Zealand number 10 Nick Evans.
Opposite number Charlie Hodgson replied with five penalties from five attempts and a late consolation try for Sale.
Malone and Hodgson each landed four penalties in the first half to take the sides into the break at level pegging.
Harlequins' first try came eight minutes into the second period after they elected to kick for the corner from a penalty.
Immense strength
Despite failing to take the lineout clearly Welsh prop Ceri Jones latched onto a favourable bounce but was stopped just short of the line by weight of numbers.
At the second attempt however, Botha showed immense strength to drive over for the score and Malone added the extras.
Hodgson closed the gap to four points with a penalty but within five minutes Quins had struck again.
From a scrum for on the Sale 22 the hosts moved the ball quickly wide for full-back Mike Brown to send Stegmann racing over in the right-hand corner.
Quins were denied a third when flanker Chris Robshaw was held up over the line but number eight Guest made no mistake, bursting over from the resulting scrum in the 65th minute.
Eight minutes later and Barry sprinted clear of the Sale defence with a 60-metre dash to the line after intercepting a Hodgson pass.
The Sale fly-half made partial amends with a 78th-minute try in the left-hand corner but it came too late to to avoid his side slipping to a seventh defeat in their last eight away matches.
