Saracens 34-19 Sale

Tim Horan played his last league game at Vicarage Road

Sale's hopes of a Zurich Premiership semi-final berth were dashed by a heavy defeat at Saracens, who secured their top-flight survival and kept alive their own European hopes.

Outgoing greats Tim Horan and Abdel Benazzi signed off in style as Sarries clinched eighth place in the table and a Zurich Wildcard semi-final against Leeds.

Benazzi grabbed a crucial second-half try and Horan landed a stunning long-range drop goal to bring the curtain down on their Premiership careers at Vicarage Road.

I'd had a nice fax from John Eales saying 'good luck for your last game'. I'll have to get him to send another Tim Horan Saracens

Sarries scored four tries in total, with the boot of Andy Goode keeping them clear of a late Sale revival led by two stunning individual tries from Jason Robinson.

Sale's failure saw them leapfrogged in the table by Northampton and, although they qualify for next season's Heineken Cup, they miss out on the chance of making the Premiership final at Twickenham.

The Sharks were 10 points adrift at half-time, wings Richard Haughton and Darragh O'Mahony scoring tries for Sarries before lock Dean Schofield stuck back for the visitors.

That score set home nerves jangling but Benazzi restored calm by forcing his way over almost straight from the restart.

Goode's third successful conversion made it 24-7 and triggered a purple patch for Saracens that lasted the rest of the third quarter.

The home pack penned Sale inside their own 22 until replacement prop Joe Ross was driven over in the 58th minute for the converted try that secured the bonus point and guaranteed their survival.

Robinson then took centre stage with a brace of brilliant, jinking tries but, between those scores, it was Horan who produced the most welcome moment of magic, lining up a sweet drop goal from 40 metres out.

Saracens: Horan; Haughton, Johnson, Sorrell, O'Mahony; Goode, Bracken; Flatman, Cairns, Storey, Benazzi, Yandell, Chesney, Hill, Skirving.
Replacements: Ross, R Russell, B Russell, Roques, Williams, Shanklin, Castaignede.

Sale: Robinson; Cueto, Harris, Bond, Hanley; Baxendell, Walshe; Yates, Titterell, Stewart, Schofield, Fullarton, Anglesea, Pinkerton, C Jones.
Replacements: Marais, Thorp, Davies, Lund, R Jones, Elliott, Wigglesworth.

Referee: Ashley Rowden (RFU)