Tom Roebuck fires off England reminder with hat-trick as Sale thrash Exeter Chiefs

Sale winger displays finishing skills with first Premiership hat-trick of his career

Tom Roebuck did not win his first senior England cap despite being included in Steve Borthwick’s recent Six Nations squad, but on this evidence it is only a matter of time before that honour is bestowed upon him.
The Sale winger, 23, displayed his finishing skills with the first Premiership hat-trick of his career, giving him an impressive tally of 21 tries in 52 games in the competition.
His three quality finishes against Exeter were not only a telling reminder of his ability, they also helped Alex Sanderson’s side to a potentially priceless win which reignited their play-off hopes.
Last season’s beaten Premiership finalists had not won since before Christmas, a dismal run of six straight losses which also saw them dumped out of Europe.
But this was a remarkable performance, overflowing with energy, skill and a collective desire which suggests it would be foolish to dismiss Sale’s chances of a Twickenham return just yet.
After Roebuck opened the scoring, scrum-half Gus Warr and hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie also touched down to make it 22-0 at the break.
Turning them inside out 😵‍💫A quality finish from Gus Warr sees @SaleSharksRugby extend their lead right before the break 💪#GallagherPrem #SALvEXE pic.twitter.com/9u1wDeWxlg
The bonus-point arrived immediately after the interval when Roebuck claimed his second and, after Raffi Quirke added a fifth home try, the winger struck again to complete his treble, having spurned an earlier chance.
Roebuck, a product of Sale’s academy, enjoyed his time in the England camp despite not playing with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso – who scored Exeter’s only try here – picked ahead of him.
But sometimes in life you get what you deserve and Roebuck’s time will surely come if he keeps producing performances like this.
He said of the Red Rose experience: “I’d say it’s made a better player by a mile because you’re obviously working with the best players and best coaches in the country.
“It was probably a bit disappointing that I didn’t get to play a game, but that’s not in my control.
“I need to play as well as I can and wait for the opportunities to come.”
Roebuck will be suitably rewarded for his three clinical finishes as director of rugby Sanderson explained: “I have a deal with Tom that, if he scores a hat-trick, then I owe him a brand new pair of Nike Air Max.
“But I don’t mind being £200 worse off – it’s a small price to pay.
“England were very clear about the areas where Tom needed to improve.
“But he was buoyed and motivated to come back and make those improvements.
“What they’ve been working on is his turn of pace and ability to finish. We saw that today. He’s showing more sides to his game.”
Sale, last season’s beaten Premiership finalists, had not won since defeating Saracens at home on December 22, but this was a performance to savour in windswept conditions.
They led when some deft handling from Manu Tuilagi, the outstanding Ben Curry and George Ford close to the line saw Roebuck scamper through a gap inside the left channel.
🦈 @SaleSharksRugby strike first!Tom Roebuck finishes a nice try to get them on the board.#GallagherPrem #SALvEXE pic.twitter.com/KBiCxcsGf2
Sale’s willingness to throw the ball about was pleasing on the eye and, after Cowan-Dickie went over, they grabbed a third try on the stroke of half-time when prop Bevan Rodd found Warr with a fine inside pass and the scrum-half raced clear.
Immediately after the interval, Roebuck had his second, dashing onto Warr’s clever chip and racing over in the right corner for a bonus-point try.
A beauty from Tom Roebuck for his second of the day 😍#GallagherPrem #SALvEXE pic.twitter.com/lYDDjMfmfE
Exeter finally responded in the 49th minute when Feyi-Waboso collected possession and crashed through Sale’s defence unstoppably in the right corner.
A powerful finish from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso 😤The @ExeterChiefs are on the board. Can they make a comeback? #GallagherPrem #SALvEXE pic.twitter.com/CiBdiq1hZI
But Sale held the upper hand and scored again soon after when Quirke darted over from close range shortly after replacing Warr.
In the 57th minute, Roebuck should have had his hat-trick when he hacked the ball forward but failed to ground the ball.
Two minutes later, his hat-trick score came when another superb move saw the ball worked out to the left channel where Roebuck arrived on cue again to saunter clear.
That’s three for Tom Roebuck 😮‍💨#GallagherPrem #SALvEXE pic.twitter.com/tkUUlSL5Db
Exeter must now ready themselves for a monumental Champions Cup round-of-16 clash with Bath on Saturday and Rob Baxter said: “Sometimes you just have to take your hidings and move on.
“Today doesn’t cause us any damage, as long as we learn from it.”