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Sale v Falcons 20/04/2008
By Leipziger April 18 2008
The Falcons finish their preparations for the European Challenge Cup semi-final at Worcester on Sunday with a trip to Sale, who themselves are looking forward to a last four clash in Bath in nine days. After six successive league defeats, surely we can get a crucial win at a ground we won at last season?

Head-to-head form looks good for us, with Sale having been on the receiving end of probably our best home performance of 2007/08 back in September.  Toby Flood put in a match-winning show hours before joining the England World Cup squad, as tries by Tom May, Mark Mayerhofler, James Grindal and Ollie Phillips saw us victorious 33-12.

 

The result continued our run of never having lost a competitive game at home to Sale, and we were also victorious in Stockport on our last visit in November 2006.  On Joe McDonnell’s debut and Loki Crichton’s first start, Mike McCarthy’s score put us ahead at half time before James Hoyle, playing in the centre, scored a unlikely try to seal a 18-26 win, despite Andy Perry and Ben Woods spending time in the sin-bin.

 

That was our first win at Edgeley Park however since the Sharks moved there in 2003, including a Cup defeat in September last season.

 

After being deposed as Premiership Champions last season, Sale are looking possibilities for the playoffs this season, sitting in fifth place following a 29-19 defeat at Wasps on Tuesday in a re-arranged match which has seen our trip to the North West moved to Sunday.  They are currently one point behind the Insects, and one ahead of sixth-placed Leicester.

 

Sale’s home form has been superb this season, with only Worcester winning at Edgeley Park, 15-22 in February, Kai Horstmann’s first half converted try the difference between the two sides.  Their last home outing was a huge 49-24 win against Brive in the Challenge Cup, booking the semi-final slot as the Sharks aim to win the tournament or the third time.

 

In the league, both Bath and Gloucester were downed at Sale in March, and Bristol were also beaten by the Sharks last weekend 17-24.  The trip to Adams Park on Tuesday attracted a huge crowd for a midweek match of 9,823, and Sale clawed back a 20-9 deficit to 23-19 thanks to Ben Foden pulling back a try after Tom Voyce and Paul Sackey had put the hosts in control, however Danny Cipriani’s boot carried Wasps over the finishing line.

 

Sale boast one of the most naturally talented squads in the Premiership, with backs of the calibre of England’s Charlie Hodgson, Mark Cueto and All Black Luke McAlister, whilst cult Frenchmen Sebastien Bruno and Sebastien Chabal drive forward a pack that also boasts England destroyer Andrew Sheridan and the Argentine brothers Juan Martin and Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe.

 

The former has agreed to join our own Lee Dickson at Northampton next season, alongside Ben Foden, who is being kept away from his favoured scrum-half position by current England number 9 Richard Wigglesworth and Tonga’s Sililo Martens.  Scotland captain Jason White, 12-cap English international Chris Jones and Manchester-born Magnus Lund can also be called upon in the back row.

 

The Falcons have named a pretty much scratch side for the game, so there seems to be little chance of us repeating last year’s heroics in Stockport.  Besides, we’ve already won our one away league game of the season.  Ross Beattie finally makes a first start after re-joining the Falcons in the summer, whilst Ed Williamson and Sean Tomes get a rare game.  Development centres Tom Dillon and Adam Dehaty are paired in the first team for the first time, and Rob Miller makes a second start.

 

15 Steve Jones
14 Ollie Phillips
13 Tom Dillon
12 Adam Dehaty
11 Tim Visser
10 Rob Miller
9 Lee Dickson
1 Jon Golding
2 Rob Vickers
3 David Wilson
4 Geoff Parling
5 Sean Tomes
6 Ross Beattie
7 Ed Williamson
8 Russell Winter (captain)

Replacements:
16 Andy Long
17 Micky Ward
18 Johnny Williams
19 Andy Perry
20 Tim Swinson
21 Micky Young
22 Tom May

 

Sale name an altogether stronger team, with England stars Hodgson, Wigglesworth, Sheridan and Cueto all in.  Don’t expect too much from this game, but you never know.

 Ben Foden, Mark Cueto, Chris Bell, Lee Thomas, Oriol Ripol, Charlie Hodgson, Richard Wigglesworth, Andrew Sheridan, Neil Briggs, Eifion Roberts, Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe (Captain), Brent Cockbain, Chris Jones, Magnus Lund, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe

Replacements: Sebastien Bruno, Stuart Turner, Dean Schofield, Sean Cox, Will Cliff, Selorm Kuadey, Chris Mayor

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