Sale 37, Northampton 37
The new Zurich Premiership season began with a bang as Northampton staged a dramatic late fightback to earn a draw with Sale at Edgeley Park.
The Sharks led by 10 as the game moved into injury time but with eight additional minutes added, Bruce Reihana crossed, Shane Drahm converted and then followed up with a penalty to tie the scores.
Two tries apiece from Matt Cairns and Steve Hanley, with a further score from Andrew Sheridan had given the Sharks what seemed a winning advantage but the Saints refused to lie down.
Jon Sleightholme, Mark Tucker and Drahm also touched down for the visitors.
The match, Sale’s first in Stockport, attracted a club record 8,105 crowd.