By Bankshark
January 17 2006

Round 5: Munster crushed Castres to pull level. A 5-point win would guarantee qualification and, more importantly, give Munster the most to do in round 6. No chance that Paul Turner would let his team roll over, sothis would be no pushover. Bankshark was there to bring us this report...

Sale did just enough on a sunny (ish) Sunday lunchtime date with the Newport Gwent Dragons, to glide into the Heineken Cup Quarter-Finals for the first time ever.

Along with Bath, they have now amassed 23 points out of a maximum possible of 25 in the first 5 pool games.  The stuff of dreams at the start of the season, but incredibly neither team is yet guaranteed a home match in the next round of the competition, after the final pool games are completed next weekend!  In order to get a home draw, a seeding of 1, 2, 3 or 4 is required and Sale could finish anywhere from Nos.1 to 7.

The maths can be a little complicated, with “The Times” today (Monday) making a complete hash of it, although it is the only paper that I have found which tells you how many tries each team has scored.  This may be of vital importance, for as I understand it, if Pool Winner are equal on match points – then tries scored will be used to determine the ¼ final seedings – as a tie break.  So, before the match report, I give my break down below as to how I see the situation.  

In my opinion, at least one more point is needed next Saturday at Thomond Park, Limerick to secure a top four seeding.  The situation as I see it:

                 Points                               Tries

Pool 1  Sale       23    already     away to Munster  17 + ?

Pool 2  Perpignan  23    almost certainly             14 + 6? = 20?

Pool 3  Leicester  23/24 probably                     14 + 4? = 18?

Pool 4  Biarritz   23/24 probably                     18 + 4? = 22?

Pool 5  Bath       23    already     home to Leinster 16 + ?

Pool 6  Toulouse   24    likely                       16 + 2? = 18?

It all looks very tight, but one point would make us pool winners and a couple of tries would help, maybe, for that all important home game around about the 1st April.

1st  Half   The weather and the pitch was as good as anyone could hope for mid-winter in Stockport for our Round 5 opponents the Newport Gwent Dragons.  The management were probably a little disappointed with a crowd about 2000 under capacity, but Sunday lunchtime (due to Sky I think) is not everyone’s most favourite kick-off time.  In the away game at Rodney Parade, Newport, the biggest ‘boo’ of the evening was reserved for the substitute appearance of Nathan Bonner Evans, one of several signings from Wales during the summer.  Today he started the match in the back row, while the Great White Shark rested his fins on the subs bench, preferring to wait for different Musters to Dragons.  

Four minutes into the game and the visitors put into the first scrum of the day.  They are shoved off their own ball, giving away a penalty too – what a start.  Charlie Hodgson dead centre through the posts  3-0.  Eleventh minute, Sale lineout 30m out,

Schofield gives it to Chabal to run clear down the blindside.  Not content to touch down in the corner, he changes angle to run straight through the unfortunate fullback.

Charlie converts  10-0.  Another 3 or 4 mins, another penalty, this time right in front and no choice  13-0.  It had to be that way, but from now on all penalties would be attempts at tries – hurray!   :>)   Now NGD applied some pressure for a few minutes and at the end of the first quarter, their right winger touched down in the corner  13-5

After 27 minutes Sale had a 5m scrum but got wheeled!  Memories floated back to the Round 1 match against Munster, where we scored from the retaken scrum on their put-in.  Sure enough, Wigglesworth (nice to see him get another start) snatched the ball, gave it to Hodgson, who threw a beautiful pass for Mark Cueto to sidestep around the fullback on the outside.  I used to joke about a drought if he went two games without a try – this was his first for the club for 7 games – Cueto is back !!!

Charlie Hodgson gets lots of praise of course, but I have not seen it written about how much ground he manages to cover in a game, enabling him to be in the right place at the right time.  His charge down try in the reverse fixture was a turning point in that game.  Now, on the half-way line, just before the break, another charge down and a hack on to the right hand corner.  He outpaced their left winger and another try looked on, but the ball just trickled into touch, inches from the corner flag.  Half-time score

18-5, job half done.  Time for some liquid for a dry throat.

2nd Half    I take some perverse pleasure in telling my fellow supporters what a cracking try they have just missed, as they return late to their seats, pint in hand, after the interval.  Not today, they were already sat down as with one minute gone, Larrecchea caught a clearance kick outside the 22 and passed midfield to Jason Robinson.  A jinking run from the skipper across field to the right touchline, a nifty scissors to Hodgson near the halfway line, whose diagonal run then split the NQD defence asunder and a well timed pass to Cueto to run down the touch line for the last 30 m and around to near the posts. Simple conversion for Charlie  25 -5, good start.

A few minutes later the Dragons changed their two props and Jason his two boots.

Another five minutes and the visitors had try number 2, thanks to their inside centre 25-10.  Charlie wasn’t happy, you could see it on his face. Two minutes later, a Sale penalty on the left hand side and no kicking for the posts now.  A quick tap, a couple of phases, a big power run by Chabal close to the posts, very quick ball from Wiggy and our favourite number 10 shrugged off the attempted tackles as he dived over in the right hand corner. 4th try, like the Sale of old and the all important bonus point.  Now, Charlie’s face had a grin from ear to ear – and well earned too.  30- 10

You could almost hear the crowd relax and feel the expectation of another couple of tries in the final quarter.  Substitutions came thick and fast now from both teams and all our new lads looked keen and lively for the rest of the match.  Particularly pleasing was Ben Foden been given a run out in his preferred position of scrum half.  Only the Scottish lesser spotted great White remained in the dugout, circling his pack as they returned and making sure they were okay for the Irish fortress just 6 days and two hours away . . .

But NGD never gave up trying and fought to the very end and there was no further scoring in the final 23 minutes.  Will we need another try or two to pip Perpignan for fourth seed ?!?   hhmmm maybe   Man of the Match:  Sky gave it to Sebastien Chabal, there was a lot of support for Sebastien Bruno and one or two others, but for me it was Charlie Hodgson.  Forecast:  well this first time correspondent thinks we will play our strongest team of the year, play our best rugby of the season and inflict Munster’s first Heineken Cup loss on them at Thomond Park.  A tall order yes, but I think we are ready.  Then the only maths to worry about is whether we are No. 1 or No. 2 seeds.

A top of the mornin’ to you all.