English Premiership/ Wasps 26 Sale Sharks 18: From Brian Ashton's point of view this was a near-perfect outcome.

All the players chosen for his Dublin squad came through safely, Joe Worsley stayed on the bench and the man-of-the-match award went to another talented English international flanker.

At this rate the Irish will be asking to copy the Rugby Football Union's structural masterplan.

It was also an encouraging result for Wasps for whom this fixture offered two carrots. A victory would not only cement their place in the top four but make it hard for the defending champions Sale to make it into the play-offs.

In the event, powered by a fine display from the flanker Tom Rees, they succeeded on both fronts and are nicely placed in third position to launch a late-season trophy push.

Seventh-placed Sale, in contrast, have only seven games remaining and their director of rugby, Philippe Saint-Andre, acknowledges it will now be a struggle to make the top four, let alone reach Twickenham again. With Harlequins and Saracens perking up even Heineken European Cup qualification is far from assured and the injury woes, which have undermined their campaign, continue to intrude.

Yesterday it was the turn of Sebastien Chabal and Chris Jones to limp off for treatment, with Chabal suffering an injury to his lower left leg which cost him his place in France's Six Nations game against Wales on Saturday.

More encouragingly, Andrew Sheridan, Elvis Seveali'i, Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe and Lee Thomas could all be available for Friday's home game against London Irish to balance the loss of half a dozen players on international duty.

Saint-Andre, either way, was downcast after watching his 19-year-old outhalf Rhys Jones miss a conversion and a penalty in the closing moments that would have salvaged a losing bonus point. At such moments the absence of Charlie Hodgson with a long-term knee injury comes even more sharply into focus.

Had the Sharks managed to sustain their first-half momentum Saint-Andre felt they could conceivably have returned north as only the second visiting team to win in High Wycombe this season. Inside the first quarter they chiselled out a 10-0 lead thanks to a Jones penalty and a fine handling move finished off by Mark Cueto.

Jason Robinson was also looking sharp. "People say he's lost his pace," said Wasps' assistant coach Shaun Edwards. "Well, he must have been fast before because he's pretty quick now."

When Magnus Lund and Richard Wigglesworth did just enough to dislodge the ball from Tom Voyce's grasp as he dived for the line it briefly seemed like one of those days for Lawrence Dallaglio's men. Within six minutes, however, Rees had burst past the cover down the left to register Wasps' first points and the home side gradually established sufficient tempo to make Sale regret not capitalising on their early pressure.

A high tackle by Cueto on Voyce allowed Alex King to kick Wasps ahead and Jeremy Staunton's turnover try, with Chabal lying injured in midfield, removed any faint possibility of an away win.

The only lingering suspense surrounded Worsley who, by now, was making it obvious to the director of rugby Ian McGeechan he fancied a few minutes in the fray. Until Friday the England flanker, who strained a neck ligament against Scotland and missed the subsequent Italy game, had been listed in the starting line-up but his lack of midweek contact work prompted the management to opt for James Haskell instead.

"We were looking to give Joe some time off the bench but with 25 minutes left I didn't think we needed him," said McGeechan, who also gave England captain, Phil Vickery, the weekend off.

Worsley was initially disappointed but will be fully fit for Croke Park. "I've burnt myself in the past by playing when I've been injured. I would have rather come on in the second-half but I feel really good."

His back-row partner Dallaglio, though, preferred to dwell on the bigger picture. "It's a big win for us and it makes life tough for Sale in terms of the play-offs," he said, giving his own seal of approval to Rees's display. "No disrespect to Lund but I thought Tom came out on top."

Wasps: D Cipriani (M van Gisbergen, h/t); J Lewsey, F Waters, J Staunton, T Voyce; A King, E Reddan; T Payne, J Ward (R Ibanez, 55), P Bracken, S Shaw, T Palmer, J Haskell (D Leo, 58), T Rees, L Dallaglio (capt).

Sale: J Robinson (capt); M Cueto, C Bell, M Taylor (A Vilk, 54), B Foden; R Jones, R Wigglesworth; E Roberts (B Evans, 69), A Titterrell (S Bruno, h/t), S Turner, D Schofield, C Day (Cox, 73), C Jones (S Chabal, 63; D Tait, 73), M Lund, J M Fernandez-Lobbe.

Referee: T Spreadbury(Somerset).

• Guardian Service