Sale Sharks 20 Northampton Saints 15: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

And that is fair enough, because, after all, they were the top scorers in the Gallagher Premiership last season, racking up tries for fun as they finished fourth for the second season in succession.

However, that great entertainers tag is also a source of some frustration because they know that to finish higher than fourth - ideally first or second - you have to be more than just a free-flowing outfit.

You have to have steel to go with the silk, the substance allied with the style.

At Sale on Sunday afternoon, the signs were promising.

The only problem was that the attacking aces failed to deliver their superpower on several occasions, struggling to penetrate a teak-tough Sharks side.

Saints had many of the foundations they were looking to lay during the summer, and in the second half they actually shut Sale out.

To stop last season's Premiership runners-up from scoring a single point after the break was some achievement.

But the fact it was only enough for a losing bonus point was the source of immense anguish for Saints.

They had so many chances to sink the Sharks but key moments came and went with no reward.

On the half-hour mark, with Sale somehow 12-10 ahead, Saints pushed and probed on the home line, but eventually an errant pass came and they were sent packing.

The Sharks then registered another eight points before the break, leading 20-10 at half-time despite the fact they had enjoyed fewer than half the number of visits to the opposition 22.

Sale had made five visits, Saints had made 13, yet it was the Sharks who held a 10-point advantage heading into the dressing room at the interval.

After the break, the black, green and gold were even more dominant in terms of territory and possession.

Their scrum won them several penalties as they saw Sale's physicality and raised it.

But Phil Dowson's side could only find five points in the second period, with James Ramm's breakaway try having given them real hope of a first win at Sale since 2017.

This was easily the best Saints have played since they last prevailed at the Salford Community Stadium.

And they really should have ended that winless run, especially as they poured pressure on in the closing stages, forcing Sale to give away a string of penalties on their own line.

Rob du Preez paid the price with a yellow card and Saints had a huge chance against 14 men.

But as it had felt during most of the match, it just wasn't going to be Saints' day.

They couldn't find a way through and then coughed up a penalty at the breakdown.

Much credit had to go to Sale for how they defended.

They weren't the best defensive side in the league last season for no reason.

But Saints were the best attacking side during the 2022/23 campaign and they would have backed themselves to find a way through, especially with a man advantage.

It wasn't to be, but they could at least be pleased to have picked up a point at a tough away venue and to have shown signs of progress in the departments they have targeted.

We all know they can attack, and on Sunday, at times, they showed they could stand up against a truly physical side.

What they need to do it knit it all together, week in, week out.

Because this isn't the first time they have shown they can front up physically under the guidance of Dowson.

Last season, they toughed it out in wins against Exeter Chiefs and Leicester Tigers.

Those were shows of physicality that Saints wanted to become the norm but which actually became anomalies during a season in which they were troubled in defence.

This time round, Saints have set a welcome tone early, and they must maintain it if they are to achieve their aims.

Because this league is going to be more unforgiving than ever before this season.

Any slip-ups, particularly at home, will not be tolerated by the league table.

With only 10 teams and 18 matches, failures can be so costly while wins can be so beneficial.

Saints almost gave themselves a sizeable early boost on Sunday, but it wasn't to be.

Now they know they must make sure there is no early failure against Bristol Bears at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens on Saturday.

How they rated…

GEORGE HENDY - was given the chance to start on his 21st birthday and certainly didn't let the coaches down, delivering an all-action showing full of free running... 8

TOMMY FREEMAN – saw the ball slip through his grasp on a couple of key occasions but was strong in defence, scored a fine try and helped to relieve late pressure on Saints with runs from deep… 7.5

FRASER DINGWALL – was forced off just seconds into the second half with an injury Saints will desperately hope isn’t serious. Sale hit him hard at times… 6

RORY HUTCHINSON – tried to turn on the power to go with his fleet-footed style and did do some good things but Sale stopped him creating too much… 7

JAMES RAMM – CHRON STAR MAN – gave away a couple of penalties but aside from that he was typically excellent, making a try-saving tackle before delivering a five-pointer of his own… 8

FIN SMITH – missed a penalty he would have expected to slot and also saw a conversion go wide, but was largely steady here… 6.5

TOM JAMES – made two rapid breaks that caused Sale real problems during the first half and overall it was a decent display… 7

ETHAN WALLER – made some really good forward runs and one of them was so close to resulting in a key try for his team… 7

CURTIS LANGDON – a strong first league start, whose eyes lit up with the line in sight but the ball went loose. He was typically all-action… 7.5

TREVOR DAVISON – tried to use his physicality as a battering ram against a strong Sale defence… 6.5

ALEX MOON – last season’s top tackler got stuck in as usual as he tried to use his power to combat the Sharks… 6.5

ALEX COLES – seemed to pop up everywhere, particularly in attacking areas as his tidy handling and composure set up Ramm’s second-half score… 8

ANGUS SCOTT-YOUNG – typically solid in attack and defence, getting through his typical bucketload of work… 7

TOM PEARSON – the kind of rough, tough performance Saints are always going to get from this man as he sought to unsettle Sale at every turn… 7.5

SAM GRAHAM - took over as captain after Fraser Dingwall was forced off and largely enjoyed a strong performance, battling hard at the breakdown... 7.5

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

TOM SEABROOK (for Dingwall 41) – continues to look like a really good signing for Saints as he allies physicality with speed… 7.5

ALEX WALLER (for E Waller 55) – added plenty to the Saints cause, shining at scrum time and getting stuck in for his team… 7.5

ELLIOT MILLAR MILLS (for Davison 55) – a really impressive cameo from the prop, who impressed in the set piece and in open play… 7.5