Murphy adds a touch of magic to Johnson's happy return

Sale 3 Leicester 37

Dean Richards, sporting a freshly-shaved head, was expected to announce that it was some form of penance for the unexpected defeat at Headingley last Sunday. "Not so," said Richards, Leicester's director of rugby. "I went in for an ear operation and the surgeon had to shave some of my hair off. Someone suggested that I have the lot shaved off for charity, and it was my contribution to the Children in Need fund-raising."

After the way Sale played, the whole team should have their heads shaved. Leaderless, without inspiration or clarity of purpose they fell apart in the second half without so much as a murmur, as Leicester upped the tempo and Geordan Murphy cut loose, making one try for Stephen Booth and scoring another himself. Having also scored the only try of a barren first half, Murphy was the man-of-the-match, even if Martin Johnson was the man-of-the-moment.

Returning after five weeks off with a broken hand, which was heavily bandaged, Johnson had a fairly quiet game by his standards, and said afterwards: "I felt better as the game wore on. I had treatment for a bit of cramp, but otherwise I'm OK."

Richards had shuffled the pack, making nine changes in all, one of those positional, from the side which was defeated at Headingley, allowing Rod Kafer to resume at inside centre, with Andy Goode returning from injury to take over at outside-half. Even so, the Tigers were without a number of players on international duty, as were Sale. With greater strength in depth, Leicester ought to have been less disadvantaged than the home side, especially if they had worked the loss to Leeds out of their system.

It was not apparent, however, until stoppage time in the first half, in which Sale should have scored one, if not two, tries. While they were denied the first by a tremendous tackle from Fereti Tuilagi on Steve Hanley, the second effort was a comedy of errors as Goode, confronted by five Sale attackers, failed to kick the ball dead, though the Sale scrum-half, Alan Dickens knocked-on in goal.

It looked as if the sides would turn round tied at 3-3, courtesy of a penalty goal apiece by Goode and Vaughan Going. But Murphy squeezed through a gap to claim his first touchdown, Goode converted and then crossed the line soon after the restart before adding a second penalty to his two conversions, to give Leicester control.

Sale slipped into oblivion as the Leicester forwards began to gain the upper hand. Murphy then tore up the left flank to put Booth in for the try of the match. The Irishman compounded Sale's misery, with another try to earn the Tigers a bonus point.

Sale: V Going (S Davidson 70); M Cueto, M Shaw (D Harris 51), M Deane, S Hanley; J Baxendell, A Dickens; K Yates, C Marais (A Titterrell 60), S Turner (A Black 60), D Schofield (P Davies 70), S Lines, A Perelini (R Wilks 53), P Anglesea, S Pinkerton (capt)

Leicester: G Murphy (T Stimpson 78); S Booth, L Lloyd (O Smith 61), R Kafer, F Tuilagi; A Goode, J Hamilton ((H Ellis 51); P Freshwater, R Cockerill, D Garforth (R Nebbett 70), M Johnson (capt, G Manson-Bishop 80), L Deacon, W Johnson, J Kronfeld, A Balding (P Short 74).

Referee: P Adams (Wales).