Alex Hearle completed a dramatic hat-trick with the final play as Newcastle Red Bulls overturned a 25-point deficit to defeat Sale Sharks 45-42 at Kingston Park. The basement side trailed 35-10 at the break but launched an extraordinary second-half revival, with Hearle's late winner sealing their biggest ever Premiership comeback.

Victory would have secured Sale's Champions Cup qualification next season, but they collapsed after dominating the first half. Tom Roebuck crossed after just 61 seconds to spark a clinical opening period, with George Ford converting five tries before the interval. However, Newcastle's leaky defense finally clicked into gear after the break.

Hearle scored twice in the second half before his match-winning dash from halfway with the clock past 80 minutes. Tom Christie also crossed twice while Freddie Lockwood and Amanaki Mafi added tries as the hosts racked up their highest points total in five years. Sale's Arron Reed and Joe Carpenter scored but couldn't prevent the collapse.

The result keeps Sale in playoff contention with a four-point lead over Gloucester heading into their final fixture. For Newcastle, it marked only their second league win of the campaign and first since January, providing rare celebration in a difficult season.