Newcastle vs Sale result: Christian Wade equals Ashton's try record in 17-3 win

Christian Wade is now level with Chris Ashton at the top of the Premiership's all-time try list. His 101st try in the competition came on the night Newcastle Red Bulls finally won a league match this season, beating Sale Sharks 17-3 at Kingston Park on Friday 23 October.

Wade started the match one try short of the mark, as covered in our Newcastle vs Sale team news. It took him until the 49th minute to get there. Will Rigg passed to him and he raced over with no defender near him.

A slow start, then a strong finish

The only points before half-time came from a George Ford penalty in the 20th minute.

Josh Hodge kicked seven points, with conversions and a penalty.

That ended a poor start to the season for the hosts. Newcastle lost their first three Premiership matches, though BBC Sport noted that Wade still scored five tries in those defeats.

Wade's road to 101

The record has come quickly. In Newcastle's previous Prem match, a hat-trick away to Exeter Chiefs made Wade only the second player to reach 100 tries in the competition, BBC Sport reported. The same outlet said Ashton's mark of 101 had stood for more than three years.

Exeter also feature at the very start of Wade's Prem career. According to BBC Sport, he scored his first try in the league for Wasps as a teenager, in a defeat away to Exeter in May 2011.

Wade himself plays down the milestone. "I sometimes feel the record is more important to other people than it is to me," he said. "I am someone who is going to score tries. That's what I do. That's what I love to do."

He will get his next chance to pass Ashton and hold the record on his own when Newcastle travel to Saracens.