Sale win over Wasps sets survival standard, says Jones

Jones' club are within five points of the Premiership top seven

The victory over Wasps has set Sale a benchmark for the rest of the survival campaign, says Director of Rugby Kingsley Jones

The 19-8 home success ended Sharks' run of eight successive defeats in all competitions and lifted them to tenth spot in the Premiership table.

He told BBC Radio Manchester: "We've set the standard now.

"We've done a lot of hard work in the last three or four weeks and I think it showed against Wasps."

He added: "There's a lot of work to do. There are six massive Cup finals to come up. I've said all along: relegation is there, we have to fear and respect it.

"But we are looking up the league, you know. It's very tight, very tight in each game.

"The win against Wasps was the game in hand that we really needed to get to put us in a true picture of where we are.

"I think the league table is a true reflection of where everybody is at the moment. But we're going to try and endeavour to move on.

"Sides go seven games undefeated and sides go seven games defeated. So that's the way the league is.

"If you look at the league table from New Year, Saracens and London Irish are bottom with Sale Sharks and Leeds are probably top four.

"So it can turn around, the league can turn around and we have to believe that."