Sale keep top-four hopes alive with hard-fought win over Newcastle
Sale kept their Gallagher Premiership top-four hopes just about alive with a 35-27 bonus-point win over Newcastle.
The Heineken Cup quarter-finalists deservedly ended their run of three straight home defeats in all competitions, scoring five tries along the way, but the Falcons were right in contention until the final quarter-of-an-hour.
The visitors led at the interval, but Alex Sanderson’s men rallied impressively in the second period on their way to a 10th Premiership win of the season.
The match got off to something of a cagey start at a sun-drenched AJ Bell Stadium with numerous big kicks exchanged before the Falcons started to exert the first real pressure.
After a couple of line-out attempts, the visitors helped George McGuigan crash over in the corner after nine minutes.
The hosts were guilty of some slack handling in those early exchanges, though the Falcons failed to capitalise.
The Sharks got themselves back on terms after 18 minutes.
Making the most of a five-metre line-out, a rolling maul helped push the ball out to Akker van der Merwe, and he stormed over the line, while Rob du Preez was precise in adding the extras from wide out.
With the momentum swinging from end to end, it was the visitors who struck next when Joel Hodgson latched on to a swift pass from Will Welch before darting over unopposed.
Hodgson then aimed a terrific conversion through the posts from the touchline to make it 12-7 to the Falcons.
Such was the quick flow of the game, Sale replied within minutes as Van der Merwe charged past a tackle before diving over out wide, with Du Preez’s superb kick making it 14-12 the hosts.
On the stroke of half-time, Hodgson popped over an easy penalty attempt to turn the tables again and give the Falcons a 15-14 lead at the break.
But the Sharks were straight onto the front foot early in the second period, and barely three minutes had passed when Ben Curry crashed over for a reviewed try as he celebrated his return to action in fine style.
Du Preez’s routine kick made it 21-15, but back came the gutsy Falcons, with Mateo Carreras dodging Faf de Klerk before diving over to drag it back to 21-20.
Sale’s bonus-point score came with 25 minutes left.
Simon Hammersley coasted over after meeting fellow replacement Gus Warr’s sharp pass inside, with Du Preez’s kick putting the Sharks 28-20 ahead.
The hosts belatedly grabbed themselves some breathing space as the final 10 minutes approached courtesy of replacement Ewan Ashman’s converted try.
Matias Orlando claimed a bonus point for the Falcons with a try in the dying seconds, but some solid defensive work from the Sharks ahead of that had ensured that by then the victory was not in doubt.
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments