• Sale 12-11 Harlequins
• 31-year old kicked all of Sale’s points on a rainy afternoon at the Salford Community Stadium

George Ford kicked Sale to victory against Harlequins on a gritty and scrappy opening-weekend clash between two sides with lofty Premiership ambitions this season.

With miserable conditions and heavy rain in Salford, free-flowing and enterprising rugby were never likely to be on the agenda here. Indeed, this was a game more about resolve and character which, to be fair, Quins showed plenty of throughout.