Former England captain Lewis Moody believes Sale Sharks' LV= Cup run has saved their season.
Sale upset the form guide as tries from Tom Holmes and Nathan Fowles helped them secure a 21-15 win over current Premiership leaders Saracens to seal their place at Sixways this Sunday.
And reserving special praise for man-of-the-match Andy Powell and Danny Cipriani, Moody is confident Steve Diamond's side will do enough between now and the end of the season to stay in English rugby's top flight having endured a tough campaign to date.
Sale moved off the bottom of the table last week after London Welsh were deducted five points for fielding an ineligible player, and are now in pole position to stay up with five matches left.
Before they return to league action Sale will face Harlequins in the LV= Cup final but win or lose against the defending Premiership champions, Moody believes Sale's run in the Anglo-Welsh cup will give them the confidence needed to stay up.
"It was a remarkable achievement for Sale. Saracens maybe didn't play their strongest side but they were expected to win and win easy but that certainly didn't materialise," said Moody.
"Saracens had a strong bench and tried to use that in the second half but Sale stood firm and deserve to be in the final.
"There was a great performance from Andy Powell who has been struggling with injuries and he was desperate to prove himself as I think he is out of contract in the summer.
"And he went out there and put in a man-of-the-match performance to prove the doubters wrong as he has this bad boy reputation a bit like Danny Cipriani but they both came through.
"They are desperate to get some sort of consistency in their level of play and get wins on the board and the more games they can play the better.
"The LV= Cup final is perfect for them. They need more games to keep going out and performing and correcting the issues they are having.
"London Irish have found a bit of form but this will give Sale that boost and I can't see them going down now. Regardless it has been a tough year and it will be a tough final."
But while Moody, who himself helped Leicester Tigers lift the Anglo-Welsh title back in 2007, was impressed with Sale on Sunday, he admits the smart money is on Quins landing the first silverware of the season.
"I can't see them beating Harlequins but it is fantastic for them to reach the final and anything can happen because it is a one-off game and it only takes one mistake or one bit of magic to win," he added.
"Sale can almost sit back and relax as all the pressure is on Harlequins and maybe during their analysis they have found a few chinks in Harlequins' armour and they will relish the position they are in."
The LV= Cup. Watch the next generation break through. For tickets and info, visit www.lv.com/rugby
Comments
Be the first to comment on this story..