“It was crunch time, wasn’t it?”watched a powerfully relieved Alex Sanderson after his sales team hung on to win an exciting open match that keeps them firmly in the Playoff Mix.

Sir Alex Ferguson coined the famous phrase while his Manchester United team was competing for the Premier League title with Arsenal. Here, a short drive from Old Trafford on the outskirts of Salford, Sale’s four biggest hopes have received a great boost with this bonus-point success.

These playoff rivals scored five tries apiece and there were three minutes of stoppage time in a tense Finale as the visitors pushed for a potentially game-winning result. Sale lasted, though, and relief was written all over Sanderson’s face as the game finally came to an end.

“I was a little tense because we ended up having to work hard for 83 minutes, so I’m proud of that and the five points,” said Rugby sales manager Sanderson while sipping a bottle of drink.

“But we are in the mix [for the playoffs]. Yes, Quins scored two points, but if we keep accumulating five points, everything will be fine.”

In such a crowded action, the victory was non-negotiable and they delivered correctly, their quick start laying the platform.

Their captain, Ben Curry, rushed in the second Minute and his teammate Sam Dugdale, who enjoyed a good game, quickly added a second. Quins gradually woke up and began to show the kind of boldness and ambition that makes his Philosophy so typical.

With Marcus Smith pulling the strings and Tyrone Green, a willing runner from the back, the visitors stretched Sale’s defence in a fine move that culminated in Louis Lynagh diving into the right corner.

He finished clinically again five minutes before the break, but Sale claimed their third try on the stroke of half-time through Arron Reed. In a neat manipulation sequence, Curry found Reed, an Academy product celebrating his 100th birthday. He made his appearance in the sales, and he rushed to the right corner.

George Ford’s conversion gave the hosts a 22-10 lead at the Break, but Quins refused to lie down. Cadan Murley came on in the left channel, but although replacement lock Ben Bamber was sent to the sin bin in the 55th minute, Sale scored twice with 14 men.

At the starting, Scrum Half replacement Raffi Quirke benefited from excellent work by Tom O’Flaherty, who impressed from the bench before Reed returned to the center of attention. The winger collected an exquisite long pass from Robert Du Preez and dodged the attention of Green and Luke Northmore to strike into the left corner. This came after a fourth Quins attempt by Oscar Beard and although Northmore took a Break to score the visitors’ fifth hit, Sale stopped.

Sale’s four biggest hopes are decided by games at Newcastle and Saracens, with a home game against Leicester in in the middle of. Quins are fifth, two points and a place ahead of the sale, and also have a Champions Cup semi-final with Toulouse on the horizon.