This will be the fifth meeting between Ospreys and Sale Sharks in an EPCR competition, with each of their previous four matchups having taken place in the pool stages of the Champions Cup.
Sale have lost each of their last six away matches in EPCR competitions, conceding 3+ tries in each of those matches – Sale haven’t won a Challenge Cup knockout stage game away from home since 2005 the semi-finals vs Connacht, having lost each of their last three such ties.
Our opposition have won just two of their last nine EPCR matches away from home against Welsh opposition (L7), however, their most recent defeat in the Principality came by a single-point margin (27-28 v Cardiff Rugby in April 2023).
The set piece has been a strong point for the boys this season. They had the highest lineout success rate of any side in the pool stages of this season’s Challenge Cup (97%), while Sale Sharks had the lowest scrum success rate of any team in the pool stages of this season’s Champions Cup (81%).
Sale Sharks scored eight of their 13 tries in the final 20 minutes of matches in the pool stage of this season’s Champions Cup, the joint-most of any side– in fact, Sale were the only team to score over half of their total tries in the final quarter of matches in this season’s pool stage.
The Ospreys had a dominant carry rate at least five percentage points higher than any other side in the pool stages of this season’s Challenge Cup (58%) – only Montpellier have made more carries overall than Ospreys in the competition this term.
Sale Sharks’ Ben Curry was one of just five players to win over five turnovers during the pool stages of this season’s Champions Cup, while teammate Sam Dugdale was one of 10 players to make 50+ tackles during this term’s pool stage.