Lively Reed lights the spark to ignite Sharks

AARON Reed proved to be Sale’s pivotal weapon, and the perfect foil in both attack and defence to ensure Sharks came out on the right side of a nine-try nailbiter on Friday.

- LUKE JARMYN

The Chester-born flyer showed why Gregor Townsend courted him for Scotland as, despite not getting on the scoresheet against Gloucester, there was no doubt who was the key component in Alex Sanderson’s side.

Alongside Reed’s sterling display, fellow winger Tom Roebuck and hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie marked earning call-ups to England’s training squad with two tries a piece.

Sale director of rugby Sanderson hopes the win changes the rhetoric around his injury-hit squad, which is missing nine players despite being just two weeks into the season.

He said: “I’m so happy for Roebuck, and Cowan-Dickie especially. Luke’s sacrificed a lot over the summer and has worked hard to get the call-up this week for England. It was a bit of a statement that he means business this season.

“This result, this display, shows the maturation of our team. I reckon there was only one positive question put to me in the press call on Tuesday, the rest we’re about injuries and who is missing.