Sale Sharks 57-5 Newcastle Red Bulls result - Sharks crowned Kings of the North as Tom Roebuck scores hat-trick in dominant display

Tom Roebuck was the hat-trick hero as Sale Sharks crushed northern rivals Newcastle Red Bulls 57-5 to kick off Derby Weekend in the Gallagher PREM, after securing their try bonus point in just 32 minutes.

Labelled as "a mismatch" by TNT Sports commentator Ali Ekyn at full-time, Sale scored three tries in the space of seven minutes to set up the rout with Roebuck slicing through the Red Bulls defence to score the second of those scores after the stellar Rob du Preez had benefitted from quick hands from a lineout to open Sharks’ account.

In his first game of the season, Luke Cowan-Dickie added to Red Bulls’ pain when he barrelled over the tryline, before skipper Ernst van Rhyn, Arron Reed and George Ford made the half-time score a stunning 31-0.

Elliott Obatoyinbo fought past four Sale Sharks players from a standing start to restore some Newcastle pride at the beginning of the second half but that was the high point of the visitors’ night as they allowed five more tries - three for wingers Roebuck and Reed and another for Nathan Jibulu, who continues his impressive start to the season.

Newcastle head coach Alan Dickens bemoaned his side "not giving themselves a chance" as they were found wanting for physicality, effort and accuracy, particularly at the end of the game, and looked a class below their northern rivals, who jump to the top of the Gallagher PREM table.

The determined Obatyinbo aside, Newcastle appeared to give up by the end of the game and Reed was one of the Sale Sharks who took advantage...

Remember, this is just the appetizer on Derby Weekend with four more games to come all live on TNT Sports and discovery+...

Friday: Sale Sharks 57-5 Newcastle Red Bulls - FT

Saturday: Bristol Bears v Exeter Chiefs - 15:00, Northampton v Leicester - 15:05, Bath v Gloucester - 17:30

Sunday: Harlequins v Saracens - 15:00 (all UK time)

The England and B&I Lions hooker spoke to TNT Sports after playing his first game of the season and scoring tonight:

"I thought I was going to be way unfitter than I was but I lost a bit of weight in the summer. It’s actually way worse not being able to play, I’ve been training the last two weeks, missed the last two games, it’s pretty rubbish so I’m glad I started.

On his try: "Just the standard pick and go, the pick and go beforehand I genuinely scored, I told the ref and he didn’t see it so I thought ‘I’ll have to try’.

Have you come back from the Lions series a better player? "Yeah I think so, with the neck injury and my arm being so weak I’m back to normalish now and I feel a lot better than last year."

You're on your 49th England cap ahead of the Quilter Nations Series: "Hopefully I get my 50th cap in that, just stay fit and stay performing well."

And remember, if you do want to see Cowan-Dickie and the rest of the England squad in their Autumn internationals, they're live on TNT Sports and discovery+!

Ali Ekyn says it best on commentary for TNT Sports: "A crushing, outstanding victory for Al Sanderson's, they've eaten their opposition alive tonight. A mismatch if we're honest, Red Bull's search for success goes on. In years to come you suspect this contest will surely be much tougher, much tighter but for now, very little doubt about northern supremacy."

Sharks have the bragging rights on Derby Weekend, what a victory for the hosts.

Hat-trick for Roebuck! Sale's biggest win against Newcastle is sealed by Roebuck smashing through two Red Bulls to score as the visitors just appear to have given up.

The Sharks did well to manufacture space on the wing but it was too easy from there, Ford's missed conversion is the only blot.

They half the half-century! Sale are purring, two back-door offloads (the second from Du Preez) send Jibulu racing down the wing and though he can't beat the final defender, Reed has held his depth well to take the ball and hold off Obatoyinbo to touch down.

Conversion is good too.

Obatoyinbo is hustled out of touch by the benches, raising one of the biggest cheers of the second half. Sale are still well up for this and look like they want to bring up their half-century.

Rob du Preez has been excellent tonight on his 77th consecutive PREM appearance and almost sets up Tom Roebuck to complete his hat-trick, unfortunately the winger doesn't nail his kick and Newcastle call mark.

It's three tries in three games for Nathan Jibulu! Remember the name, Sale's maul is stopped about five metres short of the line but it's no problem for the pinball hooker who bounces off a couple of Red Bulls and over the line.

After a little wobble at the end of the first half, Ford's kicking has been solid and he adds another two.

If you've followed any of this match, you'll know the five-metre lineout didn't go well for Newcastle...

Newcastle break up the field and Benitez Cruz buys a penalty - he'll fit in well in the PREM. Red Bulls simply must get the lineout right...

He needs to improve his throwing but Nathan Jibulu is a livewire in open play and shows that again, breaking the Red Bulls line in their 22 and offloading.

If you couldn't tell by the Bortolami discussion, this game is fizzling out...

The camera focuses on Sharks head coach Marco Bortolami, previously of Benetton in the diverse United Rugby Championship. He's been brought in to help evolve Sale's style but TNT Sports' Austin Healey believes that's not necessarily a positive:

"It’s not the mindset of a champion side. A champion side don’t change their style, they believe they’re so good everyone else has to stop them. That’s the thing that a coach says of a side that’s not quite as good.

"If they find the style where they go ‘if we get this right and concentrate for 80 minutes it doesn’t matter what the opposition does. Leinster, Toulouse don’t change their style."

It's getting uglier and uglier for the visitors as Quirke just bundles through the defensive line from a maul and Sale get their 10th penalty of the game.

However, with Roebuck screaming for it on the right, Newcastle held up the Sharks forwards!

That may be being a tad optimistic really, but Newcastle had done well to find the edge of Sale's defence before a forward pass undid that good work.

However, there's a positive for the Red Bulls as young Argentine scrum-half makes his debut, having played for the Pumas at Twickenham against South Africa last weekend.

It's a tough start too, he picks up the ball, has no options and gets sacked.

Roebuck has his second! Newcastle are seemingly numbered up well in defence, but they're undone by a single miss-pass that sends Roebuck skating through! Ford nails a difficult kick too.

He's still yet to get on the scoresheet, but the England scrum-half is looking like anything but a player who's been nursing a calf injury for two weeks. In other news Bevan Rodd's night is over, Si McIntyre has replaced him.

Raffi Quirke almost created a try with his first touch, he's replaced Gus Warr for his first game of the Gallagher PREM season. James Harper is also on for Asher Opoku-Fordjour while Newcastle have made another change - Murrary McCallum for Richard Palframan.

Newcastle are final on the board! And it's a brilliant finish by Elliott Obatoyinbo, a poor pass from the inside means he has to take the ball standing still, but he powers through FOUR defenders to touch down! Connon's conversion bounces off the post though.

It was a successful yellow card period for Newcastle as they only conceded seven points, while there's two Red Bulls changes too - Brett Connon and Cam Neil on for Mafi and the injured Connor Doherty.