Sale Sharks and Harlequins battle it out for silverware

The typical monotony of Monday will be broken somewhat with an exciting fixture playing out at the AJ Bell Stadium this evening as Sale Sharks host Harlequins in the Premiership Rugby Cup final.

The tournament commenced back in September 2019 and is [finally] set for a feisty conclusion between its top-performing participants.

‘Quins suffered only one loss on their road to the final – against Saracens in Round 44 – while the Sale machine rumbled on through the rounds posting only wins.

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This will be the first time the teams will meet in this particular competition, although they have crossed swords twice in the Premiership already, sharing the spoils with one victory each.

In Round 8, Sale enjoyed a huge win, walking off the pitch at AJ Bell with the scoreboard showing 48-10.

The tables turned in Round 14, however, as ‘Quins did the business at their home-ground, running out unexpected but deserved winners, 16-10, against a Sale outfit which showed some rust after the long hiatus as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sale would do well to keep the reins on ‘Quins fly-half Marcus Smith, as the latter’s boot kept Sale pinned back in their half and unable to bring fruition to their attack in the Round 14 result.

‘Quins face a tough obstacle up front where a beefy Sale pack awaits them. With 5 of Sale’s 8 forwards hailing from South Africa, size will be a factor ‘Quins will have to be prepared to contend with.

If ‘Quins are able to hold their own in the forward battle, out wide they have the likes of Joe Marchant to feed the ball to which, more often than not, yields some excitement.