By RK
October 12 2005

Some see the A-W Powergen cup as pointless, but, with 8 games to come shorn of our internationals, the back-ups need time together on the pitch. Against Newcastle, the lack was obvious. How would things look against Leeds? RK was there, pencil in one hand, whippet in the other...

Maybe we are ‘in it to win it’ after all.

Just a shame it took the shambles at Newcastle for the realisation to sink in that too much of a scratch side wouldn’t stand a chance against a full-strength Premiership side.

So back came some of the big guns for Leeds’ transpennine visit, with Robbo and Sea Bass the headline making returns and the likes of Tails, Maggie and Bruno also back in the XV.

The Tykes had big injury problems and were far from being at full-strength, just what Phil Davies and his staff needed as they went in search of their first win of the season in a competition they had won in such memorable fashion last season. Former Sharks Chris Jones (now able to lose the ‘Rhys’) and David Rees formed part of the line-up, but there were no places in the squad for the likes of Iain Balshaw, Chris Bell and Justin Marshall.

So a home win was the expected outcome, with bookies offering prices as short as 1/10. And after just four minutes – four minutes of total dominance from the Sharks – even that price looked good value as Robert Todd was driven over in the corner as the Leeds players and fans appealed in vain for a knock-on from Sea Bass at the base of the scrum.

Monsieur Courrent missed the conversion from out wide to leave the score 5-0 – and Leeds were presented with an almost immediate chance to cut the gap but Gordon Ross struck an upright with a penalty. The ball bounced into hands of the chasing Dan Hyde but the Sale defence held firm under the posts and youngster Danny Care, making a rare error in an impressive performance, knocked on once the ruck had formed.

That – along with some loud support from the CE choir – seemed to kick the lads out of the brief slumber they had slipped into after their early score, and a golden spell at the line-out followed that brought three tries, albeit with one Tykes touchdown in the mix.

With the clock on 13 minutes, the Sharks won good line-out ball and bursts from Robbo, Maggie and Sea Bass took play into the Leeds 22. The ball was worked along the line to ‘Raspberry’ Ripol and a lovely step took him in to score a try that Courrent converted.

Again, conceding spurred on the Tykes and they cut the gap as Care skipped past Courrent on the inside after a five-metre scrum to score a try that Ross improved but thereafter it was one-way traffic, at least until the brink of the interval.

First a well-worked (and latterly converted) try for Lionel Faure after Maggie had won clean line-out ball deep in Leeds territory stretched the Sale lead and then Robbo took centre stage with a demonstration of the magic we have come to expect from him.

Taking a quick line-out to himself five minutes before the break, the former England full-back (that still sounds a little strange) raced 40 metres to pin back the Tykes and open a gap that enabled ‘Raspberry’ to go over for his second try with another lovely inside step. Courrent knocked over the conversion and even a Ross penalty with the last kick of the half failed to dampen the Sharks’ fans delight at holding a 26-10 half-time lead.

With Faure having departed in the minutes prior to Ross’ kick, Ben Coutts had made his way onto the field – and Jason White joined him immediately after the break as John Carter ceded to what appeared to be a shoulder injury.

The changes had no effect on the Sharks’ performance, though, and just as they had in the first half they scored a try within the first four minutes after the break, this time Bruno the man to come up with the ball after a huge drive out wide from his fellow pack members.

Countryman Courrent converted to take the lead to 33-10 and that triggered the now familiar string of changes that take place between minutes 50 and 70, with Leeds bringing on their Yorkshire brothers and PSA throwing on Elvis, Wiggy, NBE and Titts.

As soon as the new team had settled, they added to the scoring, with ‘Raspberry’ making it a hat-trick of tries after a superbly angled run from Tam and a lovely floated pass by Robbo allowed the Spaniard to step inside for a third time to score.

Courrent, who would soon be confirmed as the press-nominated man of the match, converted and the game meandered towards a finish, with Ripol withdrawn to a warm ovation from the main stand and Ben Foden thrown on as the man to replace him.

Yet the scoring was not over, with the referee’s shout that there was one last play the signal for the Sharks to work a lovely move, with Stan running a lovely line off Elvis before being dragged down by David Doherty, another impressive Tykes youngster.

The ball was recycled time and time again as Leeds showed admirable resilience despite the scoreline – even driving Sea Bass backwards at one point – but it was eventually flicked out to Stan and he crashed over in the corner to seal a 45-10 victory.

PSA was understandably “very pleased” post-match, but Newcastle gaining a bonus point in defeat by Llanelli on Sunday means even a five-point victory for us at Stradey Park would probably not be enough to progress with the Falcons expected to hammer Leeds.

Still, this win will have done much for the confidence in the first game of our ‘Monster Month’. Wasps next, then Munster. It doesn’t get any easier!