14 May 2023 , 21:00
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George Ford stuck the boot into old club Leicester to send Sale to Twickenham and end 17 years of northern hurt.
Eleven months after helping Tigers to Premiership glory the England fly-half denied them a return trip with the coolest of heads in a red-hot battle.
In front of the biggest crowd ever to watch Sale at home, Leicester were 23 minutes from booking a repeat of last year’s showpiece against Owen Farrell’s Saracens.
It was then Ford stepped up, slotting two penalties and providing the bounce-pass assist for Arron Reed’s go-ahead try.
Leicester reached for a response but half-backs Charlie Atkinson and Jack van Poortvliet could not summon the same composure, missing with late touch finders as Leicester’s chance slipped away.
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"George was a pocket of calm amid the chaos," said Alex Sanderson, as all around celebrated Sale's biggest win since their 2006 Twickenham triumph.
Ford kicks crucial penalty to finally end Leicester's valiant challenge (Getty Images)“We’ve got a real emotional team, we know that. But when you come onto the field there’s a space around George, a quiet calmness. The lads feed off that and need that.
"I think he has been a missing link, a missing part of our game and he showed that today.”
A first half display of immense Leicester character threatened an upset over opposition that finished the season 10 points clear of them.
The England fly-half celebrates a famous win for Sharks (Getty Images)Tigers had lost World Cup-winning fly-half Handre Pollard before kick-off, compounding the frustration of having to go without Chris Ashton because of how long it took the RFU to process his appeal.
Still on parade, however, was their champion grit and two early penalties from Jimmy Gopperth rewarded a fierce start by forwards not known for backward steps.
Sale were not about to panic, not having beaten Leicester home and away with room to spare, but how they were made to work for it.
Sale prop Bevan Rodd passes ball under pressure from a pack of Tigers (Getty Images)They butchered one try when Akker van der Merwe spilled the ball on the line, then lost captain Ben Curry on a stretcher to a hamstring injury which seems certain to keep him out of the final and perhaps even threaten his World Cup hopes.
It could not last and Tom Roebuck got them on the board when Rob du Preez and Ford combined cleverly to give them the extra man out wide.
Now the 12,000 crowd found its voice and Sale sent in wave after wave of muscle only to be repelled, somehow, by heroic Leicester defence.
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Harry Potter’s try, from Dan Kelly’s brilliant pass, then edged them ahead. For a couple of minutes they dared to dream. But Ford put an end to that.
SALE - Tries: Roebuck, Reed. Con: Ford. Pens: Ford 3.
LEICESTER - Try: Potter. Con: Gopperth. Pens: Gopperth 2.