Smith's late penalty seals Saracens win

Saracens 26 Sale 25

The inaugural Blyth Spirit Challenge Shield was brought to a marvellous climax when ''Cool Boot'' Luke Smith crowned a frantic, frenetic finish with the winning penalty, a high-pressure kick from 40 metres in the last minute of normal time.

It was a victory Saracens needed to maintain momentum in the Zurich Premiership. Sale, too, had been looking to keep up with Leicester. The two points they left with keep them in the top three. The match has been designated as an annual challenge after Andy Blyth, the Sale centre who was left paralysed in March last year after a tackle in this fixture. Blyth is fortunately battling back on the long road to recovery, but, to show his gratitude to the clubs and their supporters for their help, he has donated a trophy which will be played for annually at Vicarage Road. There were six tries and errors abounded, especially early on. Sale's rising star Charlie Hodgson had a mixed game, starting poorly, but at least finished better.

The signs had not been good for Hodgson when, 24 hours earlier, he had remained unused on the England bench. Although it was the Sale fly-half's thoughtful chip which set up their first half try – right wing Mark Cueto gathered it before sending fullback Vaughan Going over the line – thereafter things went sour for a while for Hodgson. His goal-kicking let him down and a penalty and the conversion of the try were missed. Then he was made to look a proper Charlie by the Saracens centre Tim Horan, who charged down Hodgson's attempted clearance close to Sale's line and, although the scrabbling Hodgson got his hands on the ball again he lost it once more, and the former Wallaby had an easy touchdown.

Smith converted, but by then his remarkable record of not missing a goal-kick at home this season had gone. After landing a fourth-minute penalty to make it 23 successive goals, the South African then missed his next two attempts. Hodgson missed one.

Sale were in far better shape in the second half,and Steve Hanley, the 16- stone left wing, thundered over; Hodgson pressed close on the other side a few minutes later and Pete Anglesea barged over. That gave Hodgson his first goal-kicking success and also opened up a significant lead. But back came Smith, who landed a penalty followed by a marvellous try by Darragh O'Mahony.

Mel Deane, a workhorse in the centre for Sale, exploded through Saracens' ranks, snaking 40 metres upfield before unloading a delightful chip which Martin Shaw latched onto before sliding over for the fourth try and a bonus point. Smith knocked over a third penalty five minutes after and set things up nicely for his crucial fourth.

Saracens: Tries Horan, O'Mahony; Conversions Smith 2; Penalties Smith 4.

Sale: Tries Going, Hanley, Anglesea, Shaw; Conversion Hodgson; Penalty Hodgson.

Saracens: A Winnan; R Haughton, T Horan, K Sorrell, D O'Mahony; L Smith, N Walshe; D Flatman, M Cairns, S Phillips, A Benazzi (capt), S Hooper, S Cheesebrough (R Peacey, 46-54), K Roche, A Roques.

Sale: V Going; M Cueto, M Shaw, M Deane, S Hanley; C Hodgson, J Bramhall; K Yates, A Titterell (C Maraic, 69), S Turner (A Black, 69), I Fullarton, S Lines, S Pinkerton, P Anglesea (A Perelini, 68), A Sanderson.

Referee: R Maybank (Orpington).