Saracens not good enough to stop Sale winning fourth consecutive Premiership game
Sale made it four Gallagher Premiership wins in a row for the first time since February 2016 with a 24-17 success over Saracens at the AJ Bell Stadium to stay on course for the play-offs. Steve Diamond’s men had the game sewn up by half-time when they led 21-7 and, although the bonus point eluded them, the result was enough to keep them in pole position for a second-place finish.
With Wasps and Bristol earlier gaining handsome wins, defeat was unthinkable for Sale and, with home advantage in two of their last three fixtures of the regular season, their destiny remains firmly in their own hands.
Diamond made eleven changes to the team that beat Leicester last weekend for their sixth game in 27 days and stand-in captain Ben Curry led them superbly against the fallen champions, who suffered a seventh defeat of the season. A charging run from hooker Curtis Langdon set up the position from which lock Matt Postlethwaite was driven over for the opening try.
But the Sharks made a hash of the restart and, after Scotland centre Duncan Taylor, on his first appearance since February, pounced on the loose ball, fly-half Manu Vunipola chipped over their defence for winger Rotimi Segun to touch down wide out for the first of his two tries.
Vunipola levelled the scores with the conversion but the home side went on to dominate the rest of the first half, thanks largely through their formidable scrummaging which gave scrum-half Will Cliff all the time he needed to bring his backs into action.
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Sale won three successive scrum penalties as Saracens tested the patience of referee Craig Maxwell-Keys and the pressure paid off when prop Valery Morozov was driven over for his side’s second try.
Full-back Simon Hammersley then added a third try on 26 minutes after winger Tom Roebuck had been brought down short of the line and fly-half Rob Du Preez, who was wide with an early penalty, kicked his third conversion to make it 21-7, which was the half-time score.
Saracens raised their level in the second half and a Taylor turn-over on halfway created the position for a spell of sustained pressure. Lively hooker Tom Woolstencroft went close but the Sale defence held firm and lock Joel Kpoku was held up over the line.
The visitors only had a Vunipola penalty on the hour to show for their efforts and Sale sent on World Cup winner Faf de Klerk for the last quarter to see out the win. Du Preez added a penalty five minutes from the end but Saracens had the final say when replacement Will Hooley kicked to the corner for Segun to score his second try, which was converted by Vunipola.
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Comments on RugbyPass
To me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
30 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
30 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
30 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
30 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
30 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
30 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
30 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to commentsI think he is right, SBW is respected in RSA. The guy who never stood up is a worm. Sseems lots of NZ SBW hate, you do the crime do the time.
17 Go to comments