Sale beat Saracens 21-17 despite Vermeulen red card

In a competitive match, Sale managed to defeat Saracens 21-17 on 4 October 2026, despite Jacques Vermeulen receiving a red card early in the game. The match saw Saracens (5) scoring 17 points through tries from Eroni Mawi, Sione Va'enuku, and Charlie Bracken, alongside a conversion from Alex Burke. Sale (7), on the other hand, secured their win with tries from Nathan Jibulu, Tom O'Flaherty, and Ben Bamber, with two conversions from George Ford and one from Alex Lozowski.

Despite being down to 14 men for a significant portion of the match due to Vermeulen's red card and Alex Lozowski's yellow card, Sale's defense thwarted Saracens' attack throughout the first half. They went into the halftime break with a narrow lead of 7-5, which was noteworthy considering the numerical disadvantage. Jibulu's early converted try had given Sale a momentum boost, countering Mawi's reply for Saracens.

The second half saw Sale extend their lead, with O'Flaherty scoring shortly after the break. Bamber's try increased their advantage to 21-10 after Va'enuku had narrowed it down again for Saracens. Despite Bracken's late try for Saracens, which brought them back into contention, Sale's solid defense allowed them to hold on for the win at the Stone X.

Sale’s head coach Alex Sanderson praised Jibulu's performance, saying he had made a significant impact and demonstrated international class. In contrast, Saracens coach Joe Shaw acknowledged their struggle to find their rhythm and credited Sale for their strong performance. This match marked an important victory for Sale, especially after last season's defeats to Saracens where they conceded a total of 150 points.